Color Details and Palettes for #A228CA

Details about the color Dark Orchid

Closest web-safe match: #9933CC

Use this color in our tools

Every tool opens preloaded with #A228CA — pick where to take it next.

 #A228CA
Simulate color Preview this color on real UI components Check contrast Check WCAG contrast for this color Generate harmony Build a 5-color harmony from this color Build a gradient Use this color as a gradient stop Convert formats View HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, OKLCH Color blindness Preview this color across vision types Mix with another Blend this color with another Find closest Pantone Approximate Pantone Solid Coated match

About Color Hex #a228ca

The color Dark Orchid, with hexadecimal code #a228ca, 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. At 67% saturation, this color is clearly chromatic yet balanced—colorful enough to be distinctive without overwhelming adjacent content. With a mid-range lightness of 47%, 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 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 Dark Orchid are (162, 40, 202), providing a combination of red: 162, green: 40, and blue: 202. In HSL format, it has a hue of 285.00°, saturation of 67.00%, and lightness of 47.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 285.00°, saturation of 80.00%, and value of 79.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 20.00%, magenta: 80.00%, yellow: 0.00%, and black: 21.00%.

The calculated luminance of #a228ca is 0.135, 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 #9933CC. Its contrast ratio is 3.69:1 against black and 5.69:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #a228ca 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 #a228ca is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #a228ca appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #A228CA

Dark Orchid (#A228CA) belongs to the Purple color family.

This vivid mid-tone strikes the ideal balance between intensity and readability, making it a strong candidate for primary brand colors, interactive UI elements, and logo design where immediate recognition is essential.

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 285°), it promotes a feeling of calm distance and intellectual clarity, which is why cool hues dominate corporate identities, healthcare design, and productivity tools. With 67% saturation, it occupies a comfortable middle ground: colorful enough to be distinctive, yet restrained enough for extended reading or large surface areas.

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.

With a mid-range lightness of 47%, 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

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.

#A228CA Color Conversions

Every way to write Dark Orchid — copy Dark Orchid 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
#A228CA

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(162, 40, 202)

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(285, 67%, 47%)

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(285, 80%, 79%)

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(285 16% 21%)

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(20%, 80%, 0%, 21%)

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(54.39% 0.238 315.75)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(54.39% 0.170 -0.166)

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: 43.45, a: 69.64, b: -58.77

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 43.45, C: 91.12, H: 319.84

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 26.32, Y: 13.46, Z: 57.09

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
10627274

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

RGB Color Percentages for #a228ca

RGB Color Percentages for Dark Orchid (HEX Code: #a228ca) 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 50% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
40.1%
Green:
9.9%
Blue:
50%

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

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #a228ca

CMYK Ink Levels for Dark Orchid (HEX Code: #a228ca) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Dark Orchid prominently features Magenta, 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: 19.8%, Magenta: 80.2%, Yellow: 0%, and Black: 20.78%.

Luminance & Contrast for #A228CA

Relative luminance gauges how bright Dark Orchid 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 0.135
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 3.69:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 5.69:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #A228CA

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

Background background-color: #A228CA;
Text color: #A228CA;
Border border: 2px solid #A228CA;
RGB background-color: rgb(162, 40, 202);
HSL background-color: hsl(285, 67%, 47%);
Variable --color: #A228CA;

#a228ca 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.

#f6e9fa
#e8c9f2
#daa9ea
#cc89e2
#be69da
#b048d2
#a228ca Original
#8a22ac
#711c8d
#59166f
#411051
#290a33
#100414

#a228ca 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.

#a228ca Original
#50c828

#a228ca 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.

#a228ca Original
#c828a0
#5028c8
#c82850
#2850c8
#c85028
#28a0c8

#a228ca 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.

#a228ca Original
#c8a028
#28c8a0

#a228ca 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.

#a228ca Original
#c85028
#50c828
#28a0c8

Color Blindness Simulation for #a228ca

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 Dark Orchid (#a228ca) 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 #a228ca

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)

#A228CA Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #A228CA — 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.

#bb44dd Magenta Affair
#9911bb Nebula
#cc55ee Bubblegum Baby Girl
#8800aa Violet Poison
#aa11cc Ferocious Fuchsia
#9933bb Dreamscape Purple
#bb00bb Purple Pirate
#7744dd Hokkaido Lavender

Colors Similar to #a228ca

These colors are close neighbours of #A228CA 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.

#a328ca Dark Orchid
#a229ca Dark Orchid
#a228cb Dark Orchid
#a128ca Dark Orchid
#a227ca Dark Orchid
#a228c9 Dark Orchid
#b328ca Telemagenta
#a239ca Telemagenta
#a228db Vibrant Purple
#9128ca Prom Queen
#a217ca Ferocious Fuchsia
#a228b9 Magentleman

Looking for more Purple shades? Browse Purple colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Dark Orchid (#a228ca)

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