Color #686C97 Color / Colour Code #686C97
This page shows the hex color code for color #686c97 (#686C97). The colour is a blue tone with 18% saturation and 50% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #686C97 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#686C97 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 205, 235, and 265 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 235, 355, and 115 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #686C97
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 235 and saturation at 18%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 235 to 280 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 235 with its complement at 55 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #686C97
Lightness variations at hue 235 and 18% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #686C97
Design Use Cases for #686C97
Muted Accent Color
With 18% saturation, #686C97 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 50% lightness, #686C97 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Trust & Professional Identity
#686C97 sits in the blue range (hue 235). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #686C97 (hue 235) to its complement at hue 55. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 265. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #686c97, #969369);
CSS Code for #686C97
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #686C97 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #686C97 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #686C97 (#686C97)
#686C97 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 104 red, 108 green, and 151 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 235 degrees with 18% saturation and 50% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #686C97 is 112/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 31% cyan, 28% magenta, 0% yellow, and 41% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #686C97 against white is 5.02:1 and against black is 4.18:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 35% lightness.
The complementary colour #969369 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #686C97. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #698396 and #7C6996, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #686C97
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #686C97?
- #686C97 is Color #686C97, a blue color (colour) with RGB(104, 108, 151), HSL(235, 18%, 50%), and CMYK(31%, 28%, 0%, 41%). Its perceived brightness is 112/255.
- Is #686C97 accessible for text?
- Against white, #686C97 has a contrast ratio of 5.02:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.18:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #686C97?
- The complementary colour is #969369 (hue 55). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #698396 and #7C6996. The triadic palette adds #96696C and #6C9669 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #686C97 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #686c97; or rgb(104, 108, 151); or hsl(235, 18%, 50%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 235 18% 50%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.