#42A4EA Hex Color
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Not a navy and not a neon, #42a4ea is a mid-light blue with a soft, open feel. Its moderate saturation reads friendly instead of stiff, a fit for healthcare, finance, and tech brands that want trust without formality. Black text reaches about 7.7:1 contrast on it, so it holds up as a UI background behind small body text. It grounds well against warm neutrals and muted earth tones.
Questions about #42a4ea
What is #42a4ea in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #42a4ea is rgb(66, 164, 234), in HSL hsl(205, 80%, 59%) and in CMYK 72%, 30%, 0%, 8%.
What colors pair well with #42a4ea?
Warm accents do the most for it: terracotta, coral, and soft sand keep it from feeling corporate. For text and UI elements, charcoal and near-black browns give stronger contrast than plain gray.
Is #42a4ea readable on white or black?
#42a4ea has a 2.71:1 contrast ratio on white and 7.72:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it is too faint for text and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.