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#ddb2ec

a light, vivid violet · cool · closest name: Plum

RGB
221, 178, 236
HSL
285°, 60%, 81%
CMYK
6, 25, 0, 8
Luminance
0.5327

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #ddb2ec is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#ddb2ec
Hue
285°
violet
Saturation
60%
vivid
Lightness
81%
light
Brightness
93%
HSV value
Perceived
78%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.5327
WCAG relative
Temperature
Cool
59/100 cool
Color family
Violet
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
11.65:1
Closest name
Plum
ΔE2000 4.9
Where it sits
Hue285° of 360°
Saturation60%
Lightness81%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool59% cool

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

Every format

HEX#ddb2ec
RGBrgb(221, 178, 236)
HSLhsl(285, 60%, 81%)
CMYKcmyk(6%, 25%, 0%, 8%)
LABlab(78.0 25.7 -23.0)
LCHlch(78.0 34.5 318.1)
OKLCHoklch(0.821 0.092 317.2)
Decimal14529260
Display P3color(display-p3 0.867 0.698 0.925)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #ddb2ec;
background-color: #ddb2ec;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#ddb2ec] bg-[#ddb2ec]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #ddb2ec;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.867, green: 0.698, blue: 0.925)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#ddb2ec")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDDB2EC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(236, 178, 221)

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 #ddb2ec · 11.65:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 1.80:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 11.65:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #ddb2ec as text scores 1.80:1 on white and 11.65:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#ddb2ec on white: 1.80:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#ddb2ec on black: 11.65:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #ABBEEE
deuteranopia · #B4C2EA
tritanopia · #DDB8C6

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #ddb2ec is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#F9F4FB
#F3E8F7
#E6CCEF
#ddb2ec
#C378DE
#B04BD3
#9E30C4
#8428A4
#692083
#4E1B5F
#31113C
Base = 300Lightest = 50 · #F9F4FBDarkest = 950 · #31113C
:root {
  --brand-50: #F9F4FB;
  --brand-100: #F3E8F7;
  --brand-200: #E6CCEF;
  --brand-300: #ddb2ec;
  --brand-400: #C378DE;
  --brand-500: #B04BD3;
  --brand-600: #9E30C4;
  --brand-700: #8428A4;
  --brand-800: #692083;
  --brand-900: #4E1B5F;
  --brand-950: #31113C;
  --brand: #ddb2ec;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #ddb2ec

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#E1C0ED
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#864B9B
Captions on the surface
Accent#68A824
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#521966
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#F6EBFA
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#201424
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 #ddb2ec

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

Works well for
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Card and section backgrounds
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • White text placed on it
  • 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#C1ECB2
Analogous left#C0B2EC
Analogous right#ECB2DE
Split-complement 1#DEECB2
Split-complement 2#B2ECC0
Triadic 1#ECDDB2
Triadic 2#B2ECDD
Tetradic#ECC0B2

RGB percentages

Red86.7%
Green69.8%
Blue92.5%

CMYK percentages

Cyan6.4%
Magenta24.6%
Yellow0.0%
Key (black)7.5%

Color previews

#ddb2ec text on a black background

contrast 11.65:1

Card sample

#ddb2ec text on a white background

contrast 1.80:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #ddb2ec;
Background color
Panel with #ddb2ec background
background-color: #ddb2ec;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #ddb2ec;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(221, 178, 236, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(221, 178, 236, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #ddb2ec;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ddb2ec, #ECB2D4);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #ddb2ec

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.

#ddb2ec 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
SurfacesBadgesHighlightsEmpty states
Print note

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

#ddb2ec, answered

What color is #ddb2ec?

#ddb2ec is a light vivid violet, closest to Plum (ΔE2000 4.9). It sits at 285° on the hue wheel with 60% saturation and 81% lightness, which reads as cool.

What is the RGB value of #ddb2ec?

rgb(221, 178, 236) — 221 red, 178 green and 236 blue out of 255, or 86.7% / 69.8% / 92.5% by channel.

Is #ddb2ec a light or a dark color?

It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.5327 and perceived brightness is 78%, so black text on it reaches 11.65:1.

Should I use black or white text on #ddb2ec?

Black. It scores 11.65:1 against #ddb2ec, versus 1.80:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #ddb2ec?

#C1ECB2 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #DEECB2 and #B2ECC0, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #ddb2ec?

For interface work: #F9F4FA as the surface, #E1C0ED for borders, #864B9B for secondary text, #68A824 as an accent and #521966 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #C0B2EC and #ECB2DE stays calm, while #C1ECB2 is the loudest partner.

What is #ddb2ec in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(6%, 25%, 0%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #ddb2ec warm or cool?

Cool — it scores 59 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #ECB2E6; nudged cooler, #C8B1ED.

Work with #ddb2ec in the Color Lab