Color Details and Palettes for #552A5A

Details about the color Imperial Purple

Closest web-safe match: #663366

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 #552A5A
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About Color Hex #552a5a

The color Imperial Purple, with hexadecimal code #552a5a, lands in the purple family, historically reserved for royalty due to the extreme cost of Tyrian dye. Purple activates imagination and spiritual contemplation, blending red's passion with blue's serenity. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Compassion, Sincerity, Sophistication, Sweetness and Romance. Purple is often linked to creativity, luxury, and spirituality. In Western cultures, it is also associated with ambition and wealth. Indigo and violet have long signified royalty and nobility. With a moderate saturation of 36%, it has a softened, muted quality that lends sophistication and works well for backgrounds and secondary elements. Its low lightness of 26% 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 Compassion, Sincerity, Sophistication, Sweetness, or Romance. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Imperial Purple are (85, 42, 90), providing a combination of red: 85, green: 42, and blue: 90. In HSL format, it has a hue of 294.00°, saturation of 36.00%, and lightness of 26.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 294.00°, saturation of 53.00%, and value of 35.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 6.00%, magenta: 53.00%, yellow: 0.00%, and black: 65.00%.

The calculated luminance of #552a5a is 0.043, 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 #663366. Its contrast ratio is 1.87:1 against black and 11.26:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #552a5a 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 #552a5a is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #552a5a appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #552A5A

Imperial Purple (#552A5A) belongs to the Purple 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

Tyrian purple—derived from the mucus of Murex sea snails—required 12,000 snails to produce just 1.5 grams of dye, making it the most expensive substance in the ancient world. Roman emperors decreed it exclusive to royalty, and Byzantine empresses gave birth in a porphyry-lined chamber so children could be 'born in the purple.' This legacy of exclusivity persists: purple remains shorthand for luxury and prestige.

Design & Usage Tips

Purple excels in beauty, wellness, and premium lifestyle branding. Lighter purples (lavender, lilac) suit self-care and floral products, while saturated purples project confidence and creativity. Pair purple with mint green for a fresh contrast, or with charcoal for understated elegance.

Sitting on the cool side of the spectrum (hue 294°), it promotes a feeling of calm distance and intellectual clarity, which is why cool hues dominate corporate identities, healthcare design, and productivity tools. At 36% saturation, the color has a muted, sophisticated quality that pairs well with bolder accents. It works as a background, a border, or a secondary element in layered compositions.

Psychological Impact

Purple activates imagination and spiritual contemplation. It blends red's passion with blue's calm, creating a sense of creative tension. In marketing, purple appeals to audiences seeking uniqueness, quality, and a touch of the mystical.

Its low lightness of 26% 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 deep purple backgrounds with metallic gold or rose-gold typography for luxury brand identities. Create purple-to-pink gradients for creative agency hero sections. In app design, purple primary buttons with white text feel premium and distinctive against light backgrounds.

#552A5A Color Conversions

Every way to write Imperial Purple — copy Imperial Purple 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
#552A5A

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(85, 42, 90)

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(294, 36%, 26%)

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(294, 53%, 35%)

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(294 16% 65%)

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(6%, 53%, 0%, 65%)

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(36.27% 0.095 323.31)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(36.27% 0.076 -0.057)

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: 24.72, a: 28.11, b: -20.54

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 24.72, C: 34.81, H: 323.85

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 6.42, Y: 4.33, Z: 10.17

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
5581402

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

RGB Color Percentages for #552a5a

RGB Color Percentages for Imperial Purple (HEX Code: #552a5a) 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 41.47% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
39.17%
Green:
19.35%
Blue:
41.47%

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

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #552a5a

CMYK Ink Levels for Imperial Purple (HEX Code: #552a5a) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Imperial Purple 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: 5.56%, Magenta: 53.33%, Yellow: 0%, and Black: 64.71%.

Luminance & Contrast for #552A5A

Relative luminance gauges how bright Imperial Purple 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 0.043
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 1.87:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 11.26:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #552A5A

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

Background background-color: #552A5A;
Text color: #552A5A;
Border border: 2px solid #552A5A;
RGB background-color: rgb(85, 42, 90);
HSL background-color: hsl(294, 36%, 26%);
Variable --color: #552A5A;

#552a5a 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.

#eeeaee
#d5cad6
#bbaabd
#a28aa4
#886a8c
#6f4a73
#552a5a Original
#48244d
#3b1d3f
#2f1732
#221124
#150b17
#090409

#552a5a 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.

#552a5a Original
#2f5a2a

#552a5a 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.

#552a5a Original
#5a2a47
#3e2a5a
#5a2a2f
#2a2f5a
#5a3e2a
#2a475a

#552a5a 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.

#552a5a Original
#5a552a
#2a5a55

#552a5a 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.

#552a5a Original
#5a3e2a
#2f5a2a
#2a475a

Color Blindness Simulation for #552a5a

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 Imperial Purple (#552a5a) 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 #552a5a

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)

#552A5A Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #552A5A — 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.

#663366 Wineberry
#442244 Purple Void
#774477 Purple Passion
#331144 Dark Purple
#552266 Elegant Purple Gown
#553355 Purple Prose
#552255 Purple Velour
#443366 Meteorite

Colors Similar to #552a5a

These colors are close neighbours of #552A5A in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Purple tone.

#562a5a Imperial Purple
#552b5a Imperial Purple
#552a5b Imperial Purple
#542a5a Wonka Purple
#55295a Wonka Purple
#552a59 Imperial Purple
#662a5a Pretty in Prune
#553b5a Shadow Purple
#552a6b Purple Seduction
#442a5a Wonka Purple
#55195a Purple Velour
#552a49 Murasaki

Looking for more Purple shades? Browse Purple colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Imperial Purple (#552a5a)

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