Exploring the Color #686F8C

#686F8C sits at 228° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 15% saturation and 48% lightness, it reads as a heavily muted, balanced tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 104, 111, 140 produces a 4.95:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #686F8C is a clear variant of CSS gray — about 32 units away from #808080. 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