Color #8A38DC Color / Colour Code #8A38DC
This page shows the hex color code for color #8a38dc (#8A38DC). The colour is a purple tone with 70% saturation and 54% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #8A38DC against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#8A38DC paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 240, 270, and 300 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 270, 30, and 150 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #8A38DC
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 270 and saturation at 70%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 270 to 315 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 270 with its complement at 90 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 #8A38DC
Lightness variations at hue 270 and 70% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #8A38DC
Design Use Cases for #8A38DC
Vibrant Brand Color
#8A38DC has a strong 70% saturation that makes it ideal for brand identity elements. Use it for logos, primary call-to-action buttons, hero section accents, and marketing materials where visual impact matters. This saturation level is eye-catching without being harsh.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 54% lightness, #8A38DC 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.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#8A38DC falls in the purple spectrum (hue 270). Purple communicates creativity, wisdom, and luxury. It is effective for premium product highlights, creative portfolio accents, meditation app interfaces, and rewards program branding. Purple occupies a unique space between the energy of red and the calm of blue.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #8A38DC (hue 270) to its complement at hue 90. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 300. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #8a38dc, #8adc38);
CSS Code for #8A38DC
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #8A38DC based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #8A38DC across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #8A38DC (#8A38DC)
#8A38DC is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 138 red, 56 green, and 220 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.9:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 270 degrees with 70% saturation and 54% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #8A38DC is 99/255 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 37% cyan, 75% magenta, 0% yellow, and 14% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #8A38DC against white is 5.71:1 and against black is 3.68:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 38% lightness.
The complementary colour #8ADC38 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #8A38DC. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #3838DC and #DC38DC, 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 #8A38DC
- 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 #8A38DC?
- #8A38DC is Color #8A38DC, a purple color (colour) with RGB(138, 56, 220), HSL(270, 70%, 54%), and CMYK(37%, 75%, 0%, 14%). Its perceived brightness is 99/255.
- Is #8A38DC accessible for text?
- Against white, #8A38DC has a contrast ratio of 5.71:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.68:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #8A38DC?
- The complementary colour is #8ADC38 (hue 90). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #3838DC and #DC38DC. The triadic palette adds #DC8A38 and #38DC8A for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #8A38DC in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #8a38dc; or rgb(138, 56, 220); or hsl(270, 70%, 54%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 270 70% 54%; 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.