Exploring the Color #9FA8E6

#9FA8E6 sits at 232° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 59% saturation and 76% lightness, it reads as a moderately saturated, very light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 159, 168, 230 produces a 9.22:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #9FA8E6 is a clear variant of CSS sky blue — about 45 units away from #87CEEB. 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 lift, air, and gentle emphasis. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

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