Exploring the Color #172377

#172377 sits at 233° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 68% saturation and 28% lightness, it reads as a richly saturated, shadowed tone — a weighted, dramatic presence with deep undertones. Its RGB mix of 23, 35, 119 produces a 13.61:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #172377 is a clear variant of CSS navy — about 43 units away from #000080. Designers reach for blue hues at this saturation when the brief calls for a conversational, mid-energy register, 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