Exploring the Color #78A1B1

#78A1B1 sits at 197° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 27% saturation and 58% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 120, 161, 177 produces a 7.53:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #78A1B1 is a clear variant of CSS steel blue — about 59 units away from #4682B4. Designers reach for azure 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