Cobalt Color
HEX color code is #043D9C and the RGB is 4, 61, 156
Cobalt is dark shade of blue, which have been used for centuries in Chinese ceramics. A more stable version was developed in the 19th century. It is a cool and rich color that adds some stability to your palette taken from the resilience of the pigment cobalt.
How the color is made: the color is made by mixing blue, black and cyan. But in RGB color space, used in screens, its components are 4/255 red (~1.57% of red), 61/255 green (~23.92% of green), 156/255 blue (~61.18% of blue). And in CMYK color space, it is made up of 97% cyan, 60% magenta, and 38% black, with no yellows added to the mix.
History: a shade of the color was used in Chinese porcelain for more than a millennia, a more stable and cheaper version was synthesized by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802.
Occurence: Cobalt was used by impressionists and post-impressionists to capture atmosphere as once declared by Van Gogh: "Cobalt is divine, and there is nothing as beautiful as surrounding things with atmosphere.
Color in Action
The color is slightly dark, hence it can be used in capturing night skies as it can be seen in the works of Van Gogh. Yet, avoid overusing the color as it can come across as a color of sadness and despair. The color can also be seen as very professional and practical, especially if used in accessories and accents rather than being just a base.
Colors that go with Cobalt
A direct complementary to cobalt is a dark color lying between brown and orange, hence it adds solidness and weight to the picture. Other shades of blue such as sky, light blue and dusty blue also get along with cobalt. Other warm colors such as apple green, maroon, pink raspberry, and dark sea green can add some drama to cobalt.
Cobalt Color Palettes and Schemes
Color palettes containing other shades of blue beside cobalt, can create a further feeling of coolness and soothing. Use warm colors to add some contrast to your visual, as too much blue might make you blue, colors like greens, maroon, and pink would be wonderful if used in moderation.
Backgrounds and Seamless Patterns
Both geometric and organic patterns can be rendered using cobalt, albeit organic patterns look quite bizarre and outlandish in cobalt, which can be both a pro and a con. Such patterns make up for cool backgrounds, and lets not to forget that the plain color or its gradient with a warm color are also good and trendy in graphics. Wallpapers of these patterns are great in physical media, but they maybe tiring to the eye on screens.
