Exploring the Color #45A1C9

#45A1C9 sits at 198° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 55% saturation and 53% lightness, it reads as a moderately saturated, balanced tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 69, 161, 201 produces a 7.19:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #45A1C9 is a clear variant of CSS steel blue — about 37 units away from #4682B4. Designers reach for azure hues at this saturation when the brief calls for a conversational, mid-energy register, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades