Cetacean Blue
Grounded navy with serious professional depth
Cetacean Blue is a near-black navy with very low saturation, making it feel grounded and serious. Because it is so dark, this color functions best as a dominant background or a moody anchor for professional UI designs. It maintains excellent accessibility for white text at a 17.9:1 contrast ratio. The hex code for this shade is #001440, which pairs surprisingly well with crisp, metallic gold accents.
About Cetacean Blue
Deep water an hour after sunset
What does cetacean blue mean?
Commonly associated with deep ocean water, night skies, formal uniforms, and the quiet authority of dark navy. Its very low lightness and muted saturation make it feel enclosed and heavy, like standing under a thick night sky.
Where you see cetacean blue
- deep ocean water at night
- navy wool coats
- dark fountain pen ink
- police uniforms
- midnight sea horizons
What it works for
It works as a near-black background in dashboards, text editors, and dark interfaces where pure black feels too stark.
What colors go with cetacean blue?
Gold #ffd700Warm metal against cold dark blue reads as formal and rich without much effort.Coral #ff7f50A bright warm pop that keeps the dark base from feeling flat or heavy.Cream #fffdd0Soft warm text on this dark blue stays readable and avoids harsh contrast.Rust #b7410eMuted orange shares this color's low saturation, so neither one shouts.Dusty Rose #b56f76Gentle pink warms the cold base and softens its seriousness.
Questions about Cetacean Blue
What is the hex code for Cetacean Blue?
Cetacean Blue is #001440. In RGB that is rgb(0, 20, 64), in HSL hsl(221, 100%, 13%) and in CMYK 100%, 69%, 0%, 75%.
Does #001440 work well as a primary website background?
Cetacean Blue is an excellent choice for modern, high-contrast interfaces because it provides a soft alternative to pure black while maintaining high readability for white or light-colored typography. It anchors a page without feeling as harsh as complete darkness.
Is Cetacean Blue readable on white or black?
Cetacean Blue has a 17.88:1 contrast ratio on white and 1.17:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works for body text and on black it is too faint for text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.