Exploring the Color #686CA2

#686CA2 sits at 236° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 24% saturation and 52% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, balanced tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 104, 108, 162 produces a 4.93:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #686CA2 is a clear variant of CSS steel blue — about 44 units away from #4682B4. 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