Exploring the Color #493B8A

#493B8A sits at 251° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 40% saturation and 39% lightness, it reads as a moderately saturated, shadowed tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 73, 59, 138 produces a 9.23:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #493B8A is a clear variant of CSS indigo — about 60 units away from #4B0082. 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 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