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#bc37df

a balanced, vivid violet · neutral · closest name: Medium Orchid

RGB
188, 55, 223
HSL
288°, 72%, 55%
CMYK
16, 75, 0, 13
Luminance
0.1875

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #bc37df is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#bc37df
Hue
288°
violet
Saturation
72%
vivid
Lightness
55%
balanced
Brightness
87%
HSV value
Perceived
53%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.1875
WCAG relative
Temperature
Neutral
57/100 cool
Color family
Violet
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
4.75:1
Closest name
Medium Orchid
ΔE2000 5.1
Where it sits
Hue288° of 360°
Saturation72%
Lightness55%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool57% cool

Reads neutral. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Every format

HEX#bc37df
RGBrgb(188, 55, 223)
HSLhsl(288, 72%, 55%)
CMYKcmyk(16%, 75%, 0%, 13%)
LABlab(50.4 73.6 -59.4)
LCHlch(50.4 94.6 321.1)
OKLCHoklch(0.605 0.250 318.1)
Decimal12335071
Display P3color(display-p3 0.737 0.216 0.875)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #bc37df;
background-color: #bc37df;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#bc37df] bg-[#bc37df]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #bc37df;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.737, green: 0.216, blue: 0.875)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#bc37df")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFBC37DF)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(223, 55, 188)

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#000000 on #bc37df · 4.75:1
Use #000000AA at every size, AAA for large text only.
Aa
White text · 4.42:1
AA fail · AA large pass · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 4.75:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA fail
Reading the other direction: #bc37df as text scores 4.42:1 on white and 4.75:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#bc37df on white: 4.42:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#bc37df on black: 4.75:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #0070E4
deuteranopia · #3F7CDB
tritanopia · #BB5B8A

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #bc37df is pinned to step 500; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FAF3FC
#F5E7F8
#EAC9F3
#DF9EF0
#CE6EE8
#bc37df
#AE22D3
#911CB0
#74178D
#551466
#350D40
Base = 500Lightest = 50 · #FAF3FCDarkest = 950 · #350D40
:root {
  --brand-50: #FAF3FC;
  --brand-100: #F5E7F8;
  --brand-200: #EAC9F3;
  --brand-300: #DF9EF0;
  --brand-400: #CE6EE8;
  --brand-500: #bc37df;
  --brand-600: #AE22D3;
  --brand-700: #911CB0;
  --brand-800: #74178D;
  --brand-900: #551466;
  --brand-950: #350D40;
  --brand: #bc37df;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #bc37df

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#F9F4FA
Tinted page background
Border#E3C0ED
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#8A4B9B
Captions on the surface
Accent#60B418
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#5B126E
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#F8E9FB
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#211424
Dark-mode background
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

How to use #bc37df

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Headings from 24px up on white
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Small text on white — under 4.5:1
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate

Similar colors

One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.

Color relationships

The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.

Complementary#5ADF37
Analogous left#6837DF
Analogous right#DF37AE
Split-complement 1#AEDF37
Split-complement 2#37DF68
Triadic 1#DFBC37
Triadic 2#37DFBC
Tetradic#DF6837

RGB percentages

Red73.7%
Green21.6%
Blue87.5%

CMYK percentages

Cyan15.7%
Magenta75.3%
Yellow0.0%
Key (black)12.5%

Color previews

#bc37df text on a black background

contrast 4.75:1

Card sample

#bc37df text on a white background

contrast 4.42:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #bc37df;
Background color
Panel with #bc37df background
background-color: #bc37df;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #bc37df;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(188, 55, 223, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(188, 55, 223, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #bc37df;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bc37df, #DF3792);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #bc37df

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.

#bc37df in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
Creative toolsFintechBeautyLuxury
Common UI roles
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

#bc37df, answered

What color is #bc37df?

#bc37df is a balanced vivid violet, closest to Medium Orchid (ΔE2000 5.1). It sits at 288° on the hue wheel with 72% saturation and 55% lightness, which reads as neutral.

What is the RGB value of #bc37df?

rgb(188, 55, 223) — 188 red, 55 green and 223 blue out of 255, or 73.7% / 21.6% / 87.5% by channel.

Is #bc37df a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.1875 and perceived brightness is 53%, so black text on it reaches 4.75:1.

Should I use black or white text on #bc37df?

Black. It scores 4.75:1 against #bc37df, versus 4.42:1 for white — AA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #bc37df?

#5ADF37 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #AEDF37 and #37DF68, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #bc37df?

For interface work: #F9F4FA as the surface, #E3C0ED for borders, #8A4B9B for secondary text, #60B418 as an accent and #5B126E for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #6837DF and #DF37AE stays calm, while #5ADF37 is the loudest partner.

What is #bc37df in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(16%, 75%, 0%, 13%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #bc37df warm or cool?

Neutral — it scores 57 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DF37C4; nudged cooler, #7E35E1.

Work with #bc37df in the Color Lab