What color is #253B79?

#253B79 is a dark blue. In RGB it is rgb(37, 59, 121), and in HSL hsl(224, 53%, 31%).

Is #253B79 accessible as text?

On white, #253B79 has a contrast ratio of 10.60:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.98:1 (fails). For text placed on #253B79, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #253B79?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-900 (#1C398E).

What colors go well with #253B79?

#253B79 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #796325. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #253B79 below.

Is #253B79 good for buttons?

#253B79 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #253B79 — black text only reaches 1.98:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #253B79 the same as CSS darkslateblue?

No — #253B79 is not the CSS named color darkslateblue, but darkslateblue (#483D8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#253B79 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #253B79

Not just a swatch — here's how #253B79 works with other colors. Named schemes with #253B79 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #253B79 Anchor #141210 Accent #DD965A Secondary #242933 Surface #F4ECE3

Yale Blue carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #253B79 Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #1F1A44

Yale Blue adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Yale Blue.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253B79 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Yale Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253B79 Secondary #7F4536 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #58223A

Yale Blue plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #253B79 Secondary #5C667D Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Yale Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Yale Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #253B79 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 24/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 32/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 63/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 42/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 69/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 42/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 62/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 28/100

Low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 80/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #253B79

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #253B79 with

Dark Cyan Indigo Raw Umber Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 10.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CED6E9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2B2579 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #253B79 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #253B79;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 59 121;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(37.1% 0.109 266.4);
  --color-50: #F3F5FC;
  --color-100: #DFE5F6;
  --color-200: #C1CCEC;
  --color-300: #95A8DA;
  --color-400: #6D85C5;
  --color-500: #4C65A9;
  --color-600: #405282;
  --color-700: #323D5D;
  --color-800: #242B3D;
  --color-900: #171B26;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  yale-blue: {
    50: '#F3F5FC',
    100: '#DFE5F6',
    200: '#C1CCEC',
    300: '#95A8DA',
    400: '#6D85C5',
    500: '#4C65A9',
    600: '#405282',
    700: '#323D5D',
    800: '#242B3D',
    900: '#171B26',
  },
}

$base: #253B79;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3F5FC;
$base-100: #DFE5F6;
$base-200: #C1CCEC;
$base-300: #95A8DA;
$base-400: #6D85C5;
$base-500: #4C65A9;
$base-600: #405282;
$base-700: #323D5D;
$base-800: #242B3D;
$base-900: #171B26;
$base-hover: #1E3061;
$base-subtle: #B5C0DF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#253B79",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F5FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFE5F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C1CCEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95A8DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6D85C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4C65A9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#405282",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#323D5D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#242B3D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171B26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #253B79

Color Lab

Pairs with #253B79

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export