#1E4A78 · #C84A2E · #E8C87A · #F5EDE0
Use #1E4A78 as the background. Use #C84A2E as the primary accent. Use #E8C87A as secondary. Use #F5EDE0 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Istanbul Bosphorus — rich, cultural, vivid.
Technical breakdown for the Istanbul Bosphorus color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).
| Swatch | Design Role | HEX | RGB | CMYK | HSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Luminance: 6.5% | 30, 74, 120 | 75%, 38%, 0%, 53% | 211°, 60%, 29% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 17.4% | 200, 74, 46 | 0%, 63%, 77%, 22% | 11°, 63%, 48% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 59.9% | 232, 200, 122 | 0%, 14%, 47%, 9% | 43°, 71%, 69% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 85.4% | 245, 237, 224 | 0%, 3%, 9%, 4% | 37°, 51%, 92% |
Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Istanbul Bosphorus palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.
Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.
| Text on Background | Preview | Ratio | Grade | Safe For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #F5EDE0 on #1E4A78 |
Aa Sample Text
| 7.84:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #1E4A78 on #F5EDE0 |
Aa Sample Text
| 7.84:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #E8C87A on #1E4A78 |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.63:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #1E4A78 on #E8C87A |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.63:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #F5EDE0 on #C84A2E |
Aa Sample Text
| 4.04:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #C84A2E on #F5EDE0 |
Aa Sample Text
| 4.04:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #E8C87A on #C84A2E |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.90:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #C84A2E on #E8C87A |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.90:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #C84A2E on #1E4A78 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.94:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #1E4A78 on #C84A2E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.94:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #F5EDE0 on #E8C87A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.39:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #E8C87A on #F5EDE0 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.39:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
The Istanbul Bosphorus palette is built using a split-complementary relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
A split-complementary palette is often preferred by professional designers because it balances visual interest with cohesion.
Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.
directly opposite #C84A2E on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
30° beside #C84A2E — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension
a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers
To use this Istanbul Bosphorus color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.
:root {
/* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'} --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'} --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'} --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'} --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}Use #1E4A78 for the main background and #C84A2E for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
The contrast ratio between #F5EDE0 and #1E4A78 is 7.84:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.
The Istanbul Bosphorus palette contains #1E4A78, #C84A2E, #E8C87A, #F5EDE0. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.
Yes for its strongest pairings: #F5EDE0 on #1E4A78 reaches 7.8:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.
Beyond its own four colors, #2DABC8, #BB923A, #EAEDF0 extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.
Istanbul Bosphorus reads as rich, cultural, vivid. Gently saturated red drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated cyan-blue — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Istanbul Bosphorus palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.
Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Istanbul Bosphorus's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.