Congress Blue

General Information about Congress Blue

Congress Blue, with the hexadecimal code #0D4197, is a dark shade of blue that evokes feelings of trust, stability, and professionalism. This color is often associated with government, finance, and corporate environments, where reliability and authority are essential. In the RGB color model, it consists of 5.1% red, 25.5% green, and 59.2% blue. The CMYK values are 91% cyan, 57% magenta, 0% yellow, and 41% black. The color is part of the dark blue color space. This specific shade of blue has a relatively low luminance, which means it needs to be paired with lighter colors to ensure readability and contrast, especially in text and user interface design. Congress Blue is a popular choice for branding and visual communication.

The color #0D4197, also known as Congress Blue, presents some accessibility challenges, especially when used as text on a white background. Its low lightness value (approximately 14%) results in insufficient contrast, failing WCAG AA and AAA standards for normal text. To ensure readability, it's crucial to use it with a very light background or as an accent color with sufficient contrast. When using this color for interactive elements like buttons or links, proper visual cues, such as hover effects or underlines, are necessary to meet accessibility guidelines. For larger text sizes, the contrast requirements are less stringent, but careful consideration is still required. Designers and developers should utilize contrast checkers to verify compliance and consider providing alternative color schemes for users with visual impairments. Also remember to test your design with real users.

Shades

Digital Color Formats

Alternative colors

Applications

• Website Design

  Congress Blue can be used for website headers and navigation bars to create a sense of professionalism and trust. Its dark hue provides a sophisticated look, making it suitable for businesses and organizations aiming to convey stability and reliability. It works particularly well with white or light gray text, ensuring readability and a clean design. In addition, consider using it as a background color for call-to-action buttons to make them stand out against lighter backgrounds. The color is also very suitable to use in combination with a blueish white as the main background of the entire webpage.

• Data Visualization

  In data visualization, Congress Blue can be used to represent important data points or trends in charts and graphs. Its distinct color makes it easily distinguishable from other data sets, enhancing clarity and understanding. It is very important to keep in mind that the color is only used in combination with a good legend. For example, the blue color can be used for representing 'positive' or 'growth' and red for negative or decline. Ensure sufficient contrast between the color and the background to ensure that the data is accessible to all users.

• Corporate Branding

  Congress Blue is a perfect choice for creating a formal and professional look in corporate branding. It can be used in logos, business cards, and letterheads to convey trust and stability. The color's deep hue makes it ideal for companies in the finance, legal, or government sectors. It is very important that the color is used consistently across all branding materials to reinforce brand recognition and establish a cohesive visual identity. Furthermore, Congress Blue can be combined with neutral colors like gray or white to create a balanced and sophisticated aesthetic.

Complementary color

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