Color #B488DA Color / Colour Code #B488DA
This page shows the hex color code for color #b488da (#B488DA). The colour is a purple tone with 53% saturation and 69% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #B488DA against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#B488DA paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 242, 272, and 302 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 272, 32, and 152 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #B488DA
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 272 and saturation at 53%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 272 to 317 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 272 with its complement at 92 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 #B488DA
Lightness variations at hue 272 and 53% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #B488DA
Design Use Cases for #B488DA
Balanced UI Color
At 53% saturation, #B488DA strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 69% lightness, #B488DA 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
#B488DA falls in the purple spectrum (hue 272). 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 #B488DA (hue 272) to its complement at hue 92. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 302. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b488da, #adda86);
CSS Code for #B488DA
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #B488DA based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #B488DA across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #B488DA (#B488DA)
#B488DA is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 180 red, 136 green, and 218 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 272 degrees with 53% saturation and 69% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #B488DA is 159/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 17% cyan, 38% magenta, 0% yellow, and 15% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #B488DA against white is 2.81:1 and against black is 7.47:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.47:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #ADDA86 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #B488DA. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #8986DA and #DA86D7, 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 #B488DA
- 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 #B488DA?
- #B488DA is Color #B488DA, a purple color (colour) with RGB(180, 136, 218), HSL(272, 53%, 69%), and CMYK(17%, 38%, 0%, 15%). Its perceived brightness is 159/255.
- Is #B488DA accessible for text?
- Against white, #B488DA has a contrast ratio of 2.81:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 7.47:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #B488DA?
- The complementary colour is #ADDA86 (hue 92). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #8986DA and #DA86D7. The triadic palette adds #DAB386 and #86DAB3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #B488DA in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #b488da; or rgb(180, 136, 218); or hsl(272, 53%, 69%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 272 53% 69%; 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.