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Redeem nowInspiration in the color blue gray.
Learn the history and meaning of the color blue gray, the riddle of a color that brings layers of meaning.
How to use the color blue gray.
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The combined symbolism of the color blue gray.
The color blue symbolizes loyalty, security, and support. The color gray emits neutrality and compromise. Combine the two, and blue gray color symbolizes stability and calm. The color blue gray can also be seen as unemotional, for better or worse.
The color blue gray in nature.
Blue gray color makes a few striking appearances in nature. There’s an insect called the calliphora livida, an arachnid called the haplopelma lividum, two birds (the blue-gray gnatcatcher and the blue gray tanger), and even a type of beef cattle in Scotland called the blue gray.
Tap into the psychology of the color blue gray.
Blue gray color is sometimes seen as a dreary color that evokes feelings of detachment, especially when paired with cool neutrals. Warm the palette of blue gray next to toasty neutrals like khaki or bright colors like yellow or red, however, and the color blue gray communicates something new. These palettes convey professionalism and sophistication. Used in business branding, blue gray color can also represent reliability.
Combine blue gray with other colors.
The color blue gray is a muted tone that acts almost like a neutral in many palettes. Blue gray color is useful to tone down the intensity of neighboring colors when it’s paired with oranges, yellows, and greens. To bring out the blue gray color and its blue backdrop, pair it with black, white, or both. Other shades of muted blue go well with blue gray color, too, combining in a sophisticated palette.
Information about blue gray color.
The blue gray HEX code picker is #6699CC. This subdues blue with a wash of gray that provides a muted and understated shade.
The color blue gray can be achieved in a RGB space with 102 red, 153 green, and 204 blue. Blue gray color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 50% cyan, 25% magenta, 0% yellow, and 20% black.
The history of blue gray color.
The history of gray influences the meaning of the color blue gray.
To understand the history and meaning of the color blue gray, look at the color gray throughout time. Gray was first considered a shade of black. It was finally defined as another color in Ancient China, Sumer, and Egypt, where it was celebrated in iconic styles of art. By the Middle Ages, the meaning of gray had shifted. It became a symbol of poverty. In the Renaissance, gray came to be admired again as a conservative and sophisticated color used in fashion and art.
The color blue brings bold meaning to the color blue gray.
The history of the color blue helps explain the meaning of blue gray color. In Ancient Egypt, the color blue was thought to protect the dead. The mineral used to make blue pigment, blue azurite, was so expensive that blue paints were more expensive than gold. The color blue became associated with affluence. Once synthetic blues were invented, the color was quickly adopted elsewhere. In modern marketing, blue is one of the most-used colors because it denotes loyalty and safety.
The color blue gray was identified, named, and normalized.
Blue gray color dates further back than other complex hues like blue green and red orange. The color blue gray was first recorded in English in 1622, but with the name “livid.” This came from lividus in Latin, meaning a “dull leaden blue color.” Today we associate the word “livid” with anger. That’s because the center of a flame looks livid, or blue gray. By the time blue gray color was added to the Crayola crayon box in 1958, it had been normalized as a more versatile color.
The color blue gray across different cultures.
Blue gray color in the artist’s color wheel.
The color blue gray sits on the opposite side of the color wheel from brown. To make brown, dark oranges and red colors are used, making it a dusky but warm hue. Blue gray color is inherently cool, using either azure or blue as a base and washing it with gray.
Similar shades of the color blue gray seen in color linguistics.
The color blue gray occupies a place in palettes of seriousness, dreariness, professionalism, and sophistication. Many similar colors share these qualities with the color blue gray, including: slate blue, blue bell, glaucous, steel blue, cadet gray, cool gray, Air Force blue, shadow blue, and Payne’s gray.
The appearance of the color blue gray in institutional culture.
The seriousness of blue gray color has made it an appealing choice for many institutions, from medicine to sports competitions to public transportation. Some hospitals have chosen the color blue gray in their branding. In sports, the Blue Gray Football Classic was an annual collegiate event held in the United States for all-star players to compete. Public transportation systems in cities like San Francisco use blue gray color to represent key lines, too.