About Color Hex #333399

The color Bluebell, with hexadecimal code #333399, 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. At 50% saturation, this color is clearly chromatic yet balanced—colorful enough to be distinctive without overwhelming adjacent content. With a mid-range lightness of 40%, it offers excellent versatility—readable as text on light backgrounds and visible as an element on dark ones. 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 Bluebell are (51, 51, 153), providing a combination of red: 51, green: 51, and blue: 153. In HSL format, it has a hue of 240.00°, saturation of 50.00%, and lightness of 40.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 240.00°, saturation of 67.00%, and value of 60.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 67.00%, magenta: 67.00%, yellow: 0.00%, and black: 40.00%.

The calculated luminance of #333399 is 0.054, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is part of the web-safe color palette. Its contrast ratio is 2.07:1 against black and 10.12:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #333399 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 #333399 is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #333399 appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #333399

Bluebell (#333399) belongs to the Blue color family.

With moderate saturation and balanced lightness, this muted tone feels sophisticated and understated. Muted hues like this excel in editorial design, professional portfolios, and interior spaces that seek calm refinement.

Historical Background

Blue's scarcity in nature made it a late addition to human color vocabulary—Homer's 'wine-dark sea' notably omits the word blue entirely. The breakthrough came with Egyptian Blue (~2200 BC) and later ultramarine from Afghan lapis lazuli, which Medieval artists hoarded for divine subjects. Synthetic ultramarine (1826) and cobalt blue democratized the color, enabling Impressionists like Monet and Renoir to paint blue-drenched landscapes affordably.

Design & Usage Tips

Blue is the most universally liked color and dominates corporate branding (Facebook, LinkedIn, IBM, Samsung). Use it to establish trust, competence, and professionalism. Lighter blues suit wellness and social apps, while darker blues convey authority and security. Avoid using blue for food branding—it suppresses appetite.

Sitting on the cool side of the spectrum (hue 240°), it promotes a feeling of calm distance and intellectual clarity, which is why cool hues dominate corporate identities, healthcare design, and productivity tools. With 50% saturation, it occupies a comfortable middle ground: colorful enough to be distinctive, yet restrained enough for extended reading or large surface areas.

Psychological Impact

Blue lowers blood pressure and heart rate, promoting calm and focused thought. It signals reliability and integrity, which is why it is the default choice for banks, insurance companies, and government institutions. In UX, blue links and buttons feel intuitive because users have been trained by decades of web convention.

With a mid-range lightness of 40%, this tone is highly versatile: dark enough to serve as body text on white, yet light enough to stand out on charcoal or navy backgrounds.

Creative Design Ideas

Pair classic blue (#0047AB) with warm amber for a nautical or heritage brand. Use gradient blues (light-to-dark, top-to-bottom) for app onboarding screens that feel expansive and inviting. In data dashboards, blue is the safest primary chart color—it's distinct, professional, and colorblind-friendly.

#333399 Color Conversions

Every way to write Bluebell — copy Bluebell 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
#333399

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(51, 51, 153)

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(240, 50%, 40%)

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(240, 67%, 60%)

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(240 20% 40%)

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(67%, 67%, 0%, 40%)

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(39.10% 0.162 275.91)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(39.10% 0.017 -0.161)

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: 27.77, a: 33.16, b: -55.74

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 27.77, C: 64.86, H: 300.75

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 8.30, Y: 5.37, Z: 30.74

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
3355545

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

RGB Color Percentages for #333399

RGB Color Percentages for Bluebell (HEX Code: #333399) 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 60% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
20%
Green:
20%
Blue:
60%

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

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #333399

CMYK Ink Levels for Bluebell (HEX Code: #333399) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Bluebell 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: 66.67%, Magenta: 66.67%, Yellow: 0%, and Black: 40%.

Luminance & Contrast for #333399

Relative luminance gauges how bright Bluebell 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 0.054
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 2.07:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 10.12:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #333399

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

Background background-color: #333399;
Text color: #333399;
Border border: 2px solid #333399;
RGB background-color: rgb(51, 51, 153);
HSL background-color: hsl(240, 50%, 40%);
Variable --color: #333399;

#333399 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.

#ebebf5
#cccce6
#adadd6
#8f8fc7
#7070b8
#5252a8
#333399 Original
#2b2b82
#24246b
#1c1c54
#14143d
#0d0d26
#05050f

#333399 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.

#333399 Original
#999933

#333399 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.

#333399 Original
#663399
#336699
#993399
#339999
#993366
#339966

#333399 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.

#333399 Original
#993333
#339933

#333399 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.

#333399 Original
#993366
#999933
#339966

Color Blindness Simulation for #333399

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 Bluebell (#333399) 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)

Not Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Not Friendly

Color Harmonies for #333399

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)

#333399 Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #333399 — 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.

#4444aa Galaxy Express
#222288 Lost in Heaven
#5555bb Warm Blue
#001177 20000 Leagues Under the Sea
#2233aa Blue Hour
#333388 Perfect Dark
#552288 Intergalactic Settlement
#004499 Nuit Blanche

Colors Similar to #333399

These colors are close neighbours of #333399 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.

#343399 Bluebell
#333499 Bluebell
#33339a Bluebell
#323399 Bluebell
#333299 Bluebell
#333398 Bluebell
#443399 Galactic Purple
#334499 Galaxy Express
#3333aa Depths of Night
#223399 Depths of Night
#332299 Gentian Blue
#333388 Perfect Dark

Looking for more Blue shades? Browse Blue colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Bluebell (#333399)

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