Color Details and Palettes for #004BAE

Details about the color Once in a Blue Moon

Closest web-safe match: #003399

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About Color Hex #004bae

The color Once in a Blue Moon, with hexadecimal code #004bae, belongs to the blue color family, the world's most universally preferred hue. Blue projects trust, stability, and intellectual calm, which is why it dominates corporate, financial, and technology branding worldwide. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Trust, Peace, Loyalty, Integrity and Tranquility. Blue signifies tranquility and stability. In Middle Eastern cultures, it can also represent protection against the evil eye, while in Western cultures, it symbolizes calmness and reliability. With a high saturation of 100%, this color is intensely vivid—demanding attention and ideal for focal elements like buttons, banners, and brand marks. Its low lightness of 34% produces a deep, rich appearance—conveying gravity and luxury, particularly effective in dark-mode designs and premium packaging. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Trust, Peace, Loyalty, Integrity, or Tranquility. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Once in a Blue Moon are (0, 75, 174), providing a combination of red: 0, green: 75, and blue: 174. In HSL format, it has a hue of 214.00°, saturation of 100.00%, and lightness of 34.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 214.00°, saturation of 100.00%, and value of 68.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 100.00%, magenta: 57.00%, yellow: 0.00%, and black: 32.00%.

The calculated luminance of #004bae is 0.081, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is not part of the web-safe color palette. The closest web-safe color to this is the color HEX #003399. Its contrast ratio is 2.62:1 against black and 8.02:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #004bae reads as cool. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using white text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #004bae is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #004bae appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #004BAE

Once in a Blue Moon (#004BAE) belongs to the Azure color family.

This deep, saturated shade conveys authority and richness. Deep tones are favored in luxury packaging, evening-event branding, and dark-mode interfaces where they provide dramatic contrast against lighter elements.

Historical Background

Azure derives from the Arabic lazaward, referring to the lapis lazuli stone that yielded ultramarine pigment—once more costly per ounce than gold. Medieval European painters reserved ultramarine for the most sacred subjects, particularly the Virgin Mary's robes. The word azure also entered heraldry as the term for blue fields on coats of arms, symbolizing loyalty and truth.

Design & Usage Tips

Azure strikes a balance between the brightness of cyan and the depth of blue, making it a versatile choice for technology, aviation, and financial brands (Microsoft Azure is a prominent example). Pair azure with white for authority and clarity, or with light gold for a regal combination.

Sitting on the cool side of the spectrum (hue 214°), it promotes a feeling of calm distance and intellectual clarity, which is why cool hues dominate corporate identities, healthcare design, and productivity tools. At 100% saturation, this is a highly vivid color that demands attention. Use it where maximum visual impact is needed—feature banners, accent buttons, and data-visualization highlights.

Psychological Impact

Azure evokes trust, aspiration, and openness—like a clear sky. It feels less corporate than navy and more refined than bright blue, hitting a sweet spot for brands that want to appear both professional and approachable.

Its low lightness of 34% gives it a deep, intense presence. Deep tones like this excel as dark-mode backgrounds, header bars, and anywhere a sense of gravity or luxury is desired.

Creative Design Ideas

Use azure as the primary brand color with charcoal text for a clean SaaS identity. Create split-screen layouts with an azure panel on one side and white on the other for impactful above-the-fold sections. In icon design, azure provides excellent visibility against both light and dark backgrounds.

#004BAE Color Conversions

Every way to write Once in a Blue Moon — copy Once in a Blue Moon as RGB, HSL, HSV, HWB, CMYK, OKLCH, OKLab, CIELAB, LCH, XYZ or a decimal integer. One-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#004BAE

Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.

RGB Screen
rgb(0, 75, 174)

RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.

HSL Web
hsl(214, 100%, 34%)

HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.

HSV HSB Design
hsv(214, 100%, 68%)

HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.

HWB CSS 4
hwb(214 0% 32%)

HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.

CMYK Print
cmyk(100%, 57%, 0%, 32%)

CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.

OKLCH Modern
oklch(43.95% 0.171 259.08)

OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.

OKLab Modern
oklab(43.95% -0.032 -0.168)

OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.

CIELAB L*a*b* Perceptual
L: 34.17, a: 21.03, b: -58.01

CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.

LCH Perceptual
L: 34.17, C: 61.71, H: 289.93

LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.

XYZ CIE Science
X: 10.16, Y: 8.09, Z: 41.07

CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.

Decimal int Code
19374

The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.

RGB Color Percentages for #004bae

RGB Color Percentages for Once in a Blue Moon (HEX Code: #004bae) display the relative contribution of Red, Green, and Blue in forming the color. Understanding these percentages provides insight into the color's visual balance and primary components.

This color is primarily dominated by Blue, making up 69.88% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
0%
Green:
30.12%
Blue:
69.88%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Once in a Blue Moon.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #004bae

CMYK Ink Levels for Once in a Blue Moon (HEX Code: #004bae) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Once in a Blue Moon prominently features Cyan, reflecting its dominant color characteristic. This information is invaluable for optimizing ink usage and achieving precise color results in printed materials.

The exact CMYK values are: Cyan: 100%, Magenta: 56.9%, Yellow: 0%, and Black: 31.76%.

Luminance & Contrast for #004BAE

Relative luminance gauges how bright Once in a Blue Moon is, while the WCAG contrast ratios show how legible black or white text is on it — and which accessibility levels (AA / AAA) it passes.

Relative luminance 0.081
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 2.62:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 8.02:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #004BAE

Copy-and-paste CSS for Once in a Blue Moon — backgrounds, text, borders and a custom property. Each line is ready to drop into your stylesheet.

Background background-color: #004BAE;
Text color: #004BAE;
Border border: 2px solid #004BAE;
RGB background-color: rgb(0, 75, 174);
HSL background-color: hsl(214, 100%, 34%);
Variable --color: #004BAE;

#004bae Monochrome Palette

The Monochrome Palette consists of shades created by adjusting the brightness. These include lighter, original, and darker shades of the color. This layout helps to visualize the color's range and its potential use in design.

#e5edf7
#bfd2eb
#99b7df
#739cd2
#4d81c6
#2666ba
#004bae Original
#004094
#00357a
#002960
#001e46
#00132c
#000811

#004bae Complementary Palette

The Complementary Palette is made up of two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create high contrast and vibrant designs, making them perfect for attention-grabbing elements and dynamic visuals.

#004bae Original
#ad6200

#004bae Analogic Palette

The Analogic Palette consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors typically create harmonious and subtle designs, often used to evoke calmness and unity in your visual projects.

#004bae Original
#0c00ad
#00a2ad
#6200ad
#00ad62
#ad00a2
#00ad0c

#004bae Triadic Palette

The Triadic Palette is made up of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination provides a vibrant and balanced color scheme, often used for dynamic and energetic designs while maintaining harmony.

#004bae Original
#ad004b
#4bad00

#004bae Quad Palette

The Quad Palette, also known as tetradic, consists of four colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination offers a diverse and bold color scheme, ideal for creating rich, complex designs with multiple accents while still maintaining balance.

#004bae Original
#ad00a2
#ad6200
#00ad0c

Color Blindness Simulation for #004bae

Colors are perceived differently by individuals with various forms of color blindness. Use the dropdown below to see how this color may look through the eyes of someone with color vision deficiency. Explore how Once in a Blue Moon (#004bae) might appear to people with different visual experiences, and gain deeper insights into color accessibility for your designs!

Each color box displays a "Friendly" or "Not Friendly" tag in the bottom-right corner. A "Friendly" tag indicates that the color difference is distinguishable to individuals with the specific type of color blindness. Conversely, a "Not Friendly" tag means that the color difference might not be distinguishable, potentially causing accessibility issues in your design.

Normal Vision

Deuteranopia (Green Weakness)

Not Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Not Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Not Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Not Friendly

Color Harmonies for #004bae

Color harmonies refer to the visually pleasing combinations of colors that are derived from specific relationships on the color wheel. These harmonious schemes, such as complementary, triadic, and analogous colors, create a balanced and engaging visual experience in design.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic (Quad)

#004BAE Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #004BAE — each one nudges the brightness, richness, or shade a little while still feeling like the same color. Use the buttons on any swatch to copy its hex or open its full color page.

#2255bb Blasphemous Blue
#004499 Nuit Blanche
#4466cc God of Rain
#003388 One Minute to Midnight
#0044bb Once in a Blue Moon
#224499 Cascade Twilight
#4444aa Galaxy Express
#0055bb Blasphemous Blue

Colors Similar to #004bae

These colors are close neighbours of #004BAE in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Blue tone.

#014bae Once in a Blue Moon
#004cae Le Grand Bleu
#004baf Once in a Blue Moon
#004aae Once in a Blue Moon
#004bad Le Grand Bleu
#114bae Once in a Blue Moon
#005cae Blue Chip
#004bbf Flying Fish Blue
#003aae Blue Hour
#004b9d Dancing Sea
#084bae Once in a Blue Moon
#0053ae Fist of the North Star

Looking for more Blue shades? Browse Blue colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Once in a Blue Moon (#004bae)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Once in a Blue Moon, but also embody its unique mood and personality. Each carefully curated photo is selected to highlight the richness and diversity of this color, offering inspiration for design, art, and creative projects.