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Claim offerInspiration in the color cyan.
Learn the history and meaning of the color cyan, the vibrant blue green that print can’t do without.
Get inspired with cyan design templates.
Cyan is the vibrant and lively color that brings the best of blue and green.
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How to use the color cyan.
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The cyan you see in the sky.
Is the sky cyan? The time of day, the weather conditions, and the part of the planet you’re on will all impact how you perceive the color of the sky. Many common weather conditions do create a bright and brilliant cyan color sky.
The color cyan versus turquoise.
Cyan color is often compared to turquoise. Both colors sit between blue and green. Turquoise is a shade of green, however, and cyan is a shade of blue. Both are much lighter than teal, which is also in the same color family.
The color cyan in science.
Cyan is the color the eye perceives in pure water, which is technically colorless. Water absorbs more red than blue light, and then the water particles scatter the blue light to result in a green hue. Between green and blue, of course, is cyan. The planet Uranus also appears cyan because the methane in its atmosphere absorbs red light and reflects blue-green back.
Combine cyan with other colors.
Cyan can be paired with deep pink for a lively color palette. Pair cyan with teal to bring out the brightness of the cyan color. Combined with deep yellows or light purples, the color cyan can deliver a more soothing kind of energy. For a chic palette that’s versatile for interiors, play with cyan and shades of gray or white.
Information about cyan color.
The cyan HEX code picker is #00FFFF. This is the vibrant shade of cyan used in CMYK printing and throughout fashion, architecture, and design.
The color cyan can be achieved in a RGB space with 0 red, 255 green, and 255 blue. Cyan color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 100% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow, and 0% black.
What is the meaning of the color cyan?
Cyan sits between blue and green on the visible spectrum of light. It’s an almost electric shade that appears in shocks of color throughout nature. With the right conditions, the sky is cyan. The color cyan appears in flowers and exotic amphibians, too. The color cyan also comes in every night with the tide.
The color cyan is a bright and vibrant greenish blue that simultaneously stimulates and reassures.
The history of cyan.
The name cyan came from Ancient Greek, but wasn’t documented in English until 1879.
The name cyan came from an Ancient Greek word kyanos, “dark blue enamel.” Its hue was darker and more saturated than today’s concept of the color cyan. Kyanos was also the Greek name for lapis lazuli, a metamorphic rock known for its brilliant shade of blue. Cyan color was first recorded in English in 1879, meaning the light green blue we know today. It entered fashion in the 1920s when the women of the Jazz Age combined cyan bright colors like red and orange.
Cyan color adopted meanings from peace to healthcare.
Cyan unites the peacefulness of blue with the vitality of green. Cyan color is also evocative of spirituality. In the early 20th century, the color cyan was adopted by surgical teams, but for another reason altogether. Before cyan color scrubs and caps, surgeons wore white. Red blood against white scrubs created such high contrast, though, that changing gaze during surgery could blind a surgeon for several seconds. Cyan color was adopted to avoid this.
The CMYK model (for paint and color printing) features cyan as one of the primary colors.
The subtractive color system for color printing and paint uses cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). Technically, the color cyan, magenta, and yellow mixed together equal black, so it’s really just the three that make up the model. Cyan color has become crucial for printing since the subtractive color system was invented in 1906.
The color cyan across different cultures.
Some people see cyan differently based on the language they speak.
Few languages have a word specifically for cyan, but instead use the words for blue or green. Languages like Vietnamese have only one word for the blue-green spectrum. Since cyan is right in the middle, it’s considered another shade of the same. Languages that do have a word for cyan, it turns out, see cyan somewhat differently. Its vibrant green overlay to what otherwise looks like blue becomes just a little more unique to the eye of someone who says cyan.
The color cyan shares a root with other blue things, from a disease to a photography technique.
Cyan color isn’t the only word that came from kyanos (“dark blue” in Greek). Cyanide poison is named from its production through acid treatment of Prussian blue pigment. Cyanotype printing was used in the early days of print photography. Cyanosis is what it’s called when skin turns blue, usually from low oxygen. Cyanopsia is a color vision flaw that shades everything blue.
Cyan color used in Central Asian architecture.
The color cyan makes stunning appearances in the architecture of Central Asia. For centuries, cyan color has been used in architectural features like the dome of the Tilla Kari Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (built in 1660).