Stormy Sea Color Psychology & Meaning
Stormy sea is the North Atlantic in November — these specific blue-grays are not the cheerful summer sea but the serious, powerful body of water that doesn't care about your schedule.
#1A2A3A
#2E4A6A
#5A88AA
#A8C8D8
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text
Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values
Technical breakdown for the Stormy Sea 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: 2.2% | 26, 42, 58 | 55%, 28%, 0%, 77% | 210°, 38%, 16% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 6.5% | 46, 74, 106 | 57%, 30%, 0%, 58% | 212°, 39%, 30% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 22.7% | 90, 136, 170 | 47%, 20%, 0%, 33% | 206°, 32%, 51% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 54.6% | 168, 200, 216 | 22%, 7%, 0%, 15% | 200°, 38%, 75% |
Stormy Sea Tints & Shades
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 Stormy Sea palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.
#1A2A3A gently saturated cyan-blue
#2E4A6A gently saturated cyan-blue
#5A88AA gently saturated cyan-blue
#A8C8D8 gently saturated cyan-blue
Stormy Sea Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #A8C8D8 on #1A2A3A |
Aa Sample Text
| 8.30:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #1A2A3A on #A8C8D8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 8.30:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #A8C8D8 on #2E4A6A |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.17:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #2E4A6A on #A8C8D8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.17:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #5A88AA on #1A2A3A |
Aa Sample Text
| 3.86:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #1A2A3A on #5A88AA |
Aa Sample Text
| 3.86:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #5A88AA on #2E4A6A |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.40:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #2E4A6A on #5A88AA |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.40:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #A8C8D8 on #5A88AA |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.15:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #5A88AA on #A8C8D8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.15:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #2E4A6A on #1A2A3A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.60:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #1A2A3A on #2E4A6A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.60:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme
The Stormy Sea palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
Hue Wheel
A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.
History & Design Context
Stormy sea imagery appears extensively in maritime culture, British coastal aesthetics, and the visual language of brands that want to signal endurance and authenticity.
Best Design Use Cases
Dark storm-blue for backgrounds. Deep blue for surfaces. Mid blue-gray for interactive. Light gray-blue for text on dark.
Industries This Palette Suits
Maritime brands, outdoor brands, British brands, adventure travel, editorial.
Colors That Pair Well With Stormy Sea
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.
orange
directly opposite #2E4A6A on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
blue
30° beside #2E4A6A — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension
tinted neutral
a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers
Using Stormy Sea Without Breaking Accessibility
- Avoid #2E4A6A for small UI elements on #1A2A3A — at 1.6:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
- Set body text in #A8C8D8 — 8.3:1 against #1A2A3A passes WCAG AA (AAA) for long-form reading.
- Let #5A88AA carry sidebars, cards and footers — at a mid lightness it separates zones without stealing focus from #2E4A6A.
How to Implement the Stormy Sea Color Scheme
To use this Stormy Sea 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.
Option 1: CSS Variables
:root {
/* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'} --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'} --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'} --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'} --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}Web Design Tip
Use #1A2A3A for the main background and #2E4A6A for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
Accessibility Note
The contrast ratio between #A8C8D8 and #1A2A3A is 8.30:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.
Stormy Sea Palette — Frequently Asked Questions
What are the hex codes in the Stormy Sea color palette?
The Stormy Sea palette contains #1A2A3A, #2E4A6A, #5A88AA, #A8C8D8. 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.
Is the Stormy Sea color palette accessible (WCAG)?
Yes for its strongest pairings: #A8C8D8 on #1A2A3A reaches 8.3:1 (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.
What colors go well with the Stormy Sea palette?
Beyond its own four colors, #7C5C36, #383663, #EBEDEF 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.
What mood does the Stormy Sea palette create?
Stormy Sea reads as dramatic, moody, powerful. Gently saturated cyan-blue drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated cyan-blue — a combination that works best when the deep base gets most of the canvas.
Can I use the Stormy Sea color palette commercially?
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Stormy Sea palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.
How do I add the Stormy Sea palette to Tailwind or CSS?
Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Stormy Sea's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.