# #178cba

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

## Values

- Hex: `#178cba`
- RGB: rgb(23, 140, 186)
- HSL: hsl(197, 78%, 41%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.602 0.117 231.7)
- Relative luminance: 0.2248
- Nearest named color: steelblue (#4682b4, Δ 3.461) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/steelblue
- Moods: cool, vivid, technical, modern
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/178cba

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #1aa0d5, #25aee4, #40b8e7, #5cc2eb, #77ccee, #8ed5f1, #a9dff4, #c4e9f8, #dbf1fb, #f6fcfe
- Shades (toward black): #157ea8, #13749a, #116688, #0f5976, #0d4e68, #0b4156, #083344, #062632, #041b24, #020e12

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #ba4517
- Analogous: #17ba97, #173aba
- Triadic: #ba178c, #8cba17
- Split-complementary: #ba173a, #ba9717
- Tetradic: #9717ba, #ba4517, #3aba17

## Colors that go with #178cba

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 #178cba: softer than #000 and cool enough to feel like part of the same palette. Seen in: Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Auth0 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/auth0-com), Dusty Blue (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#dusty-blue), Plaid (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/plaid-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Crimson** #dc143c [harmony, pool: split] — Crimson is a split-complement of #178cba: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. 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), Redfin (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/redfin-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson
- **Royal Blue** #4169e1 [harmony, pool: analogous] — Royal Blue is #178cba's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Confluent (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/confluent-io), Elastic (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/elastic-co), Slate Workspace (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#slate-workspace), HashiCorp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/hashicorp-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Copper** #b87333 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Copper sits directly opposite #178cba 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 #178cba in 9 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), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 4 real palettes, including Readymag's brand system and Qualcomm's brand system put Blue beside #178cba, 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 #178cba: 7 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
- **Deep Sky Blue** #00bfff [pool] — Designers have shipped Deep Sky Blue with #178cba: 8 real palettes, including Telegram's brand system and Deep Water, as the lead colour. Seen in: Telegram (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/telegram-org), Deep Water (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#deep-water), Astro (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/astro-build), Patreon (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/patreon-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/deepskyblue

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

- On white (#ffffff): 3.82:1 — AA fail, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #157ea8 (4.58:1); AA: background → #1a1a1a (4.56:1); AAA: text → #0f5c7b (7.4:1)
- On black (#000000): 5.5:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AAA: text → #1aa0d5 (7.03:1)

## 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/178cba-9cb4c4-df4e6b-1f232d-e9f1ef?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: "#178cba" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.