Here are some ways to use powder blue in your designs:

• Promote a calming atmosphere. Powder blue’s soft and serene hue works well for meditation, mindfulness, and mental health apps that require calming visual elements are important.
• Establish visual hierarchy. Paired with contrasting colors like navy blue, powder blue draws users’ attention to important information while maintaining a calming aesthetic.
• Create user-friendly messages. Powder blue can be used for notifications like error messages, giving users a friendly nudge and reducing their anxiety when receiving a pop-up error.

Keep in mind that color and its meaning can change from culture to culture—and at any given time. If you are designing for a global audience, research color considerations for your specific regions.

For variations within the same soft spectrum as powder blue, consider:

• Baby blue (#8FD9FB) is a tad more vibrant but shares similar soothing qualities.
• Light blue (#90D5FF) has less green influence but still has a relaxing and serene presence.
• Pastel blue (#B3EBF2) shares a similar muted appearance, embodying the same tranquility as powder blue.
• Sky blue (#82C8E5) has a slightly deeper hue reminiscent of a bright, clear sky.

To complement powder blue, consider pairing it with:

• Ecru (#E0CD95) evokes an airy and serene feel with beachy vibes.
• Blush pink (#E89EB8) complements powder blue with a soft and delicate contrast.
• Bright yellow (#FFED29) adds a pop of color for a playful and energetic color pairing.
• Mocha (#6D3B07) offers warmth to balance powder blue’s coolness.

Other colors worth considering include charcoal to add a sense of sophistication, mint green for a refreshing color palette, or lavender to enhance powder blue’s calming nature.

While powder blue is tranquil, it may clash with:

• Dark purple (#341539) has a deep hue that may clash with the delicate nature of powder blue.
• Neon pink (#FF13F0) can disrupt powder blue’s soft and calming nature.
• Scarlet (#ED2100) may create a harsh and unbalanced contrast next to powder blue.
• Lime green (#89F336) can overpower powder blue, creating a visually jarring effect.

Powder blue symbolizes serenity, peace, and tranquility. Its soft, pastel-like hue also connotes purity and innocence, while its light and airy appeal is associated with freshness and cleanliness.

In color psychology, powder blue promotes feelings of relaxation, creating a calm and inviting atmosphere. Due to its serene nature, it also evokes a sense of trust and reliability du to its serene nature.

In UI design, powder blue is useful for wellness and health apps that want to promote a calming and trustworthy environment.

Powder blue was originally created from smalt, a deep blue glass ground into powder, often used to create a wide range of blue pigments, including lighter shades like powder blue. In 1894, the color name “powder blue” was used to describe the pale blue hue derived from smalt.

Powder blue gained popularity in the 1970s and became a favored color worn by sports teams. The Minnesota Twins wore a powder blue uniform from 1973 to 1986, while the Texas Rangers introduced a powder blue uniform in 1977. The Los Angeles Chargers returned their iconic powder blue uniforms in 2019 and still use them as their primary color for home games.

Whether used in interior design to create a soothing environment, in spring and summer fashion, or in branding and design to evoke feelings of trust and reliability, powder blue’s versatility is still used in many contexts today.

Color variations

Shades

Tints

Tones

Hues

Color Harmonies

Custom Palettes

Color simulations

Protanopia

Deuteranopia

Tritanopia

Achromatopsia

The hexadecimal color #B8E3E9, known as powder blue, has RGB values of R:184, G:227, B:233 and CMYK values of C:0.21, M:0.03, Y:0, K:0.09.