Cobalt Color Palette
Cobalt Color Palette built around #0047AB, a dark cool blue anchor (WCAG contrast 2.49:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #B3B6ED | |
| surface | #855D26 | |
| text | #00266A | |
| text-muted | #0047AB | |
| primary | #0047AB | |
| secondary | #855D26 | |
| accent | #3957B4 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #b3b6ed;
--surface: #855d26;
--text: #00266a;
--text-muted: #0047ab;
--primary: #0047ab;
--secondary: #855d26;
--accent: #3957b4;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #0047AB | #B3B6ED | #00266A | #855D26 | #3957B4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #0047AB | 1.0 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| #B3B6ED | 4.3 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
| #00266A | 1.7 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| #855D26 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #3957B4 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the cobalt color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #0047AB, #B3B6ED, #00266A, #855D26, #3957B4.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.