Color Details and Palettes for #114040

Details about the color Rich Black

Closest web-safe match: #003333

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 #114040
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About Color Hex #114040

The color Rich Black, with hexadecimal code #114040, is categorized under the cyan family—a cool, refreshing hue fundamental to CMYK printing. Cyan evokes clarity, focus, and digital innovation, appearing across tech interfaces and futuristic design systems. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Trust, Peace, Loyalty, Integrity and Tranquility. Cyan or blue-green is associated with healing, water, and tranquility. It can symbolize communication and clarity in various cultures. At 58% saturation, this color is clearly chromatic yet balanced—colorful enough to be distinctive without overwhelming adjacent content. At only 16% lightness, this extremely dark shade approaches black, delivering maximum drama and contrast when paired with lighter elements. 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 Rich Black are (17, 64, 64), providing a combination of red: 17, green: 64, and blue: 64. In HSL format, it has a hue of 180.00°, saturation of 58.00%, and lightness of 16.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 180.00°, saturation of 73.00%, and value of 25.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 73.00%, magenta: 0.00%, yellow: 0.00%, and black: 75.00%.

The calculated luminance of #114040 is 0.042, 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 #003333. Its contrast ratio is 1.83:1 against black and 11.47:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #114040 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 #114040 is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #114040 appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #114040

Rich Black (#114040) belongs to the Cyan 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

Cyan is one of the four foundational inks in CMYK printing, making it literally indispensable to modern publishing. The name derives from the Greek kyanos, meaning 'dark blue,' though the color we call cyan today is distinctly lighter. Ancient Egyptian blue—one of the earliest synthetic pigments (c. 2200 BC)—was close to cyan and used extensively in tomb paintings and pottery across the Nile Valley.

Design & Usage Tips

Cyan projects a high-tech, digital-forward identity and pairs naturally with white for clean interfaces or with magenta for vibrant contrast. It works well for SaaS products, data-visualization tools, and creative agencies. Use cyan sparingly on warm-toned palettes, as it can feel cold in those contexts.

Sitting on the cool side of the spectrum (hue 180°), it promotes a feeling of calm distance and intellectual clarity, which is why cool hues dominate corporate identities, healthcare design, and productivity tools. With 58% saturation, it occupies a comfortable middle ground: colorful enough to be distinctive, yet restrained enough for extended reading or large surface areas.

Psychological Impact

Cyan stimulates mental clarity, focus, and communication. It feels refreshing—like a splash of cool water—making it ideal for apps and services centered on productivity, learning, or wellness. Cyan also carries associations with futurism and digital innovation.

Its low lightness of 16% 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

Build a dark-mode interface with cyan accent elements (buttons, links, progress indicators) on a charcoal background for a sleek developer-tool aesthetic. Use cyan-to-blue gradients in header sections for SaaS landing pages. In print, spot-color cyan on uncoated paper stock creates a tactile, modern feel.

#114040 Color Conversions

Every way to write Rich Black — copy Rich Black 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
#114040

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(17, 64, 64)

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(180, 58%, 16%)

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(180, 73%, 25%)

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(180 7% 75%)

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(73%, 0%, 0%, 75%)

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(34.06% 0.049 195.08)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(34.06% -0.048 -0.013)

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: 24.18, a: -15.36, b: -4.63

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 24.18, C: 16.04, H: 196.79

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 2.99, Y: 4.16, Z: 5.50

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
1130560

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

RGB Color Percentages for #114040

RGB Color Percentages for Rich Black (HEX Code: #114040) 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 Green, making up 44.14% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
11.72%
Green:
44.14%
Blue:
44.14%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Rich Black.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #114040

CMYK Ink Levels for Rich Black (HEX Code: #114040) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Rich Black prominently features Key, 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: 73.44%, Magenta: 0%, Yellow: 0%, and Black: 74.9%.

Luminance & Contrast for #114040

Relative luminance gauges how bright Rich Black 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 0.042
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 1.83:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 11.47:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #114040

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

Background background-color: #114040;
Text color: #114040;
Border border: 2px solid #114040;
RGB background-color: rgb(17, 64, 64);
HSL background-color: hsl(180, 58%, 16%);
Variable --color: #114040;

#114040 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.

#e7ecec
#c4cfcf
#a0b3b3
#7c9696
#587979
#355d5d
#114040 Original
#0e3636
#0c2d2d
#092323
#071a1a
#041010
#020606

#114040 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.

#114040 Original
#401111

#114040 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.

#114040 Original
#112940
#114029
#111140
#114011
#291140
#294011

#114040 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.

#114040 Original
#401140
#404011

#114040 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.

#114040 Original
#291140
#401111
#294011

Color Blindness Simulation for #114040

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 Rich Black (#114040) 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)

Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Friendly

Color Harmonies for #114040

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)

#114040 Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #114040 — 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.

#225555 Enchanting Ivy
#003333 Rich Black
#335555 Dark Slate Gray
#002222 Sunken Ship
#004444 Rich Black
#224444 Emerald Forest
#114444 Rich Black
#224433 Everglade

Colors Similar to #114040

These colors are close neighbours of #114040 in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Cyan tone.

#124040 Rich Black
#114140 Rich Black
#114041 Rich Black
#104040 Rich Black
#113f40 Rich Black
#11403f Botanical Night
#224040 Emerald Forest
#115140 Evergreen
#114051 Cold and Dark
#004040 Rich Black
#112f40 Blue Whale
#11402f Zucchini

Looking for more Cyan shades? Browse Cyan colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Rich Black (#114040)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Rich Black, 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.