# #178bc4

A color — cool, vivid, technical, modern. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#178bc4`
- RGB: rgb(23, 139, 196)
- HSL: hsl(200, 79%, 43%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.605 0.127 237.6)
- Relative luminance: 0.2263
- Nearest named color: steelblue (#4682b4, Δ 3.627) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/steelblue
- Moods: cool, vivid, technical, modern
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/178bc4

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #1a9ee0, #2da9e6, #48b4ea, #5fbdec, #7bc9ef, #91d2f2, #adddf5, #c4e7f8, #dff2fb, #f6fbfe
- Shades (toward black): #157eb2, #1371a0, #11648d, #0e577b, #0d4d6e, #0b405b, #093449, #062737, #041a25, #020d12

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #c45117
- Analogous: #17c4a7, #1734c4
- Triadic: #c4178b, #8bc417
- Split-complementary: #c41734, #c4a717
- Tetradic: #a717c4, #c45117, #34c417

## Colors that go with #178bc4

Named partners (harmony on the OKLCH wheel, co-occurrence in curated palettes and brand systems, and the neutrals that carry it), best first:

- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the text near-black for #178bc4: softer than #000 and cool enough to feel like part of the same palette. Seen in: Auth0 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/auth0-com), Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Disney (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/disney-com), Plaid (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/plaid-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Red** #ff0000 [harmony, pool: split] — Red is a split-complement of #178bc4: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Wired (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wired-com), Pizza Hut (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/pizzahut-com), Nike (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nike-com), Databricks (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/databricks-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/red
- **Royal Blue** #4169e1 [harmony, pool: analogous] — Royal Blue is #178bc4's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Elastic (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/elastic-co), HashiCorp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/hashicorp-com), Confluent (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/confluent-io), Slate Workspace (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#slate-workspace). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Copper** #b87333 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Copper sits directly opposite #178bc4 on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Notion (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/notion), Dusk (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#dusk). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/copper
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #178bc4 in 10 real palettes, including Beach Hut and Wired's brand system, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Wired (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wired-com), Lemon Squeezy (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/lemonsqueezy-com), Google (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/google-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 10 real palettes, including Readymag's brand system and Qualcomm's brand system put Blue beside #178bc4, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Readymag (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/readymag-com), Qualcomm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/qualcomm-com), Unity (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/unity-com), Activision (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/activision-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **Cobalt Blue** #0047ab [pool] — Designers have shipped Cobalt Blue with #178bc4: 8 real palettes, including Hershey's's brand system and Glacier, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Hershey's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/hersheys-com), Glacier (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#glacier), General Mills (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/generalmills-com), Intel (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/intel-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cobalt
- **Crimson** #dc143c [pool] — Crimson is paired with #178bc4 in 12 real palettes, including NASCAR's brand system and Retro Pop, as the supporting colour. Seen in: NASCAR (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nascar-com), Retro Pop (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#retro-pop), Wendy's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wendys-com), State Farm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/statefarm-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson

## Contrast (WCAG 2.x, as text)

- On white (#ffffff): 3.8:1 — AA fail, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #157eb2 (4.51:1); AA: background → #1a1a1a (4.58:1); AAA: text → #105d84 (7.19:1)
- On black (#000000): 5.53:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AAA: text → #1a9ee0 (7.01:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Telegram** — accent #0088cc (Δ 1.732) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/telegram-org

## Fonts for this mood

- technical: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/technical
- modern: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/modern

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/178bc4-9cb2c4-df4e64-1f232d-e9f1f0?lock=0&style=vibrant
(Humans lock/regenerate in the tool; the URL is the state — read `lock=` back to see what they kept.)

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets colors endpoint for the same engine:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/colors/mcp
- Tools: `analyze_color` (e.g. `analyze_color({ color: "#178bc4" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.