Color #DE88EE Color / Colour Code #DE88EE
This page shows the hex color code for color #de88ee (#DE88EE). The colour is a purple tone with 75% saturation and 73% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #DE88EE against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#DE88EE paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 261, 291, and 321 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 291, 51, and 171 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #DE88EE
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 291 and saturation at 75%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 291 to 336 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 291 with its complement at 111 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 #DE88EE
Lightness variations at hue 291 and 75% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #DE88EE
Design Use Cases for #DE88EE
Vibrant Brand Color
#DE88EE has a strong 75% 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.
Light Background Tint
#DE88EE at 73% lightness creates a gentle tinted background. Use it for section backgrounds, alert banners, or card surfaces that need to stand out from a white page without strong contrast. It adds color personality while keeping the design light and open.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#DE88EE falls in the purple spectrum (hue 291). 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 #DE88EE (hue 291) to its complement at hue 111. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 321. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #de88ee, #96ee87);
CSS Code for #DE88EE
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #DE88EE based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #DE88EE across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #DE88EE (#DE88EE)
#DE88EE is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 222 red, 136 green, and 238 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 291 degrees with 75% saturation and 73% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #DE88EE is 173/255 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 7% cyan, 43% magenta, 0% yellow, and 7% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #DE88EE against white is 2.37:1 and against black is 8.86:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.86:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #96EE87 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #DE88EE. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #AB87EE and #EE87CA, 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 #DE88EE
- 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 #DE88EE?
- #DE88EE is Color #DE88EE, a purple color (colour) with RGB(222, 136, 238), HSL(291, 75%, 73%), and CMYK(7%, 43%, 0%, 7%). Its perceived brightness is 173/255.
- Is #DE88EE accessible for text?
- Against white, #DE88EE has a contrast ratio of 2.37:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.86:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #DE88EE?
- The complementary colour is #96EE87 (hue 111). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #AB87EE and #EE87CA. The triadic palette adds #EEDE87 and #87EEDE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #DE88EE in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #de88ee; or rgb(222, 136, 238); or hsl(291, 75%, 73%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 291 75% 73%; 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.