Exploring the Color #040457

#040457 sits at 240° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 91% saturation and 18% lightness, it reads as a fully saturated, deep tone — a weighted, dramatic presence with deep undertones. Its RGB mix of 4, 4, 87 produces a 18.10:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #040457 is a clear variant of CSS navy — about 41 units away from #000080. Designers reach for blue hues at this saturation when the brief calls for bold, immediate signal, and at this lightness when they want weight, depth, and grounded contrast. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades