Get inspired with royal blue design templates.
Play with the color royal blue, that shade of blue azure as rich as it is bright.
Inspiration in the color royal blue.
Learn the history and meaning of the color royal blue, a shade fit for a queen.
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How to use the color royal blue.
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The color royal blue versus navy blue.
The color royal blue is sometimes confused with navy. Because royal blue color was originally darker than it is today (and navy blue was lighter), the shades of blue looked alike in generations past. Both originated in Great Britain within about 40 years of one another, too. Today, royal blue is much bluer and navy blue is much darker.
Combine royal blue with other colors.
Royal blue color can create a sweet intensity when paired with orange. Combine royal blue with neutrals like gray, yellow, khaki, or off-white for a refined look. Set the color royal blue next to hot pink or gold for a look of glamor. Avoid pairing royal blue with shades of red.
Royal blue is versatile.
Royal blue color is versatile. It’s used in business logos, car paint, fashion, and interiors. The rich shade of blue is still considered subdued, neither loud nor flash. This gives you every option to use royal blue to make powerful statements without overpowering the audience.
Tap the psychology of royal blue color.
The color royal blue is tied to trustworthiness and reliability, and shades of blue from royal blue color to navy make up the most popular colors used in Western marketing. Royal blue takes the best of blue (with meanings like water, tranquility, dependability) and discards the negative associations, such as blue’s ties to sadness.
Information about royal blue color.
The royal blue HEX code picker is #4169E1. This is an intense blue, but a little lighter today than the original shade.
The color royal blue can be achieved in a RGB space with 65 red, 105 green, and 225 blue. Royal blue color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 71% cyan, 53% magenta, 0% yellow, and 12% black.
What is the meaning of the color royal blue?
Royal blue is a highly saturated shade of blue, darker than azure and lighter than navy. The color royal blue was christened in England after the pigment was used in a competition to make a dress worthy of Queen Charlotte.
The color royal blue brings a sense of eminence and sophistication. The rich, saturated blue is deep but vivid.
The history of royal blue color.
Royal blue made its first appearance in a competition to make a dress for the Queen.
The inaugural royal blue was famously used in a dressmaking competition in the late-1700s. The purpose of the contest was to create a robe for Queen Charlotte (1744 – 1818). The winning business invented a blue dye that was brighter than indigo and richer than azure, and they called it royal blue. Not only did they win the contest, but they also received a certificate to sell the dye under that name.
Royal blue’s adoption across the English-speaking world.
The name royal blue was coined by the company that created the dye. By the turn of the 1800s, the color royal blue had traveled all over the English-speaking world. The Oxford English Dictionary today defines royal blue as “a deep vivid blue,” whereas Merriam-Webster highlights its vivacity with the definition of “a vivid purplish blue.”
Royal blue color changed shades over time.
The exact hue of royal blue has slowly changed over time. From the first royal blue dye until the royal blue color of the 1950s, royal blue went from darker to lighter and more vivid. By the late 1980s, the World Wide Web Consortium set an international web standard for the slightly brighter and more vivid royal blue.
The color royal blue across different cultures.
Royal blue color is used in many world flags.
The color royal blue appears in the Union Flag of England in the negative space of the jack. This version of royal blue color is closer to the original pigment, which was darker than the modern hex code. Today’s bright royal blue is also used in flags of Israel, the Philippines, Scotland, and the European Union.
Royal blue color brings out the best of blue’s meanings.
The color blue has powerful symbolism around the world. Royal blue is such a vibrant blue that it inspires many of the associations of the primary color in general. The color royal blue symbolizes spirituality in many Eastern cultures. In Hinduism, royal blue color is tied to Krishna, an influential god representing love and divine joy.
The color royal blue has protective qualities.
Royal blue color has been used in amulets to ward off evil in many countries across the ages, including Afghanistan, Greece, Iran, and Turkey. Throughout the Middle East, the color royal blue is also used to symbolize safety and protection.