Exploring the Color #535E8B

#535E8B sits at 228° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 25% saturation and 44% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, shadowed tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 83, 94, 139 produces a 6.28:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #535E8B is a clear variant of CSS dim gray — about 42 units away from #696969. Designers reach for blue hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, 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