Alexandrea Becker
It’s time to channel your inner-Picasso and embrace your blue period! We’re giving you the lowdown on all things navy blue color, so that you can create designs and images using one of the world’s most versatile colors. Whether you’re using it as an accent color in your entryway or living room, or designing a cool album cover, this strong color works well in many creative contexts.
From the navy blue hex code and navy blue RGB, all the way to complementary colors, color variations, and how to use them, we’re sharing everything you need to know about this deep, enigmatic color.
This color is derived from indigo dyes and gained popularity in the mid-1700s when it was first used as a uniform color by the Royal British Navy. That’s right – navy blue literally has its roots in the navy. It became so popular that navies around the world started using it as their color of choice, too. Nowadays, a dark navy is commonly seen in school uniforms, brand color palettes, home paint colors, and more. It was even one of the color trends in 2020.
Let’s get technical. A quick refresher on color theory: the RGB color code is made from three colors (Red, Green, and Blue). The navy blue RGB color space is composed of 0% red, 0% green, and 50.2% blue. That’s a lot of blue.
If we looked at the CMYK color space (commonly used in color printing), you’ll find that that navy blue color is composed of 100% cyan, 100% magenta, 0% yellow, and 49.8% black. This combination creates the rich, deep tones associated with the color. The navy blue hex code is #000080.
Navy blue is so versatile that it is often used as a neutral color. It pairs well with a variety of colors and creates a dark base background so that more vibrant colors can be accentuated. Because it is so bold and dynamic, it works great with other neutrals, too.
Due to its military origins, this color tends to be considered as a serious and austere color, evoking feelings of understated elegance and structure. Those characteristics are preserved when it is paired both with other neutrals as well as stark tones and bright colors.
Hues like dark purple, maroon, and hunter green are just as intense as dark blue. And, when paired together, the colors tend to compete with each other and lose their impact. Instead, try to pick contrasting colors that will pop against the neutrality of navy blue.
Because it is so versatile, you have plenty of navy blue color palette and color pairing options. If you’re keeping things cool and calm, consider similar colors and neutrals. Looking for a pop? Pair it up with complementary colors or trendy accent colors.
The possibilities are virtually endless, but we’ve whittled them down and outlined some of our favorites below. Bookmark this page for easy access to reference when you are designing.
Complementary Colors
- Orange
- Yellow-Orange
- Mustard Yellow
- Gold
Similar Colors
- True Blue
- Dark Blue
- Blue-Grey
- Royal Blue
- Misty Blue
Analogous Colors
- Purple
- Lavender
- Lilac
Accent Colors
- Lime Green
- Bright Pink
- Cherry Red
- Coral
Neutral Colors
- Stark White
- Grey
- Tan
Feeling blue, but maybe not navy blue? Give these similar colors a try if you’re looking for variations of this dark blue.
- Dark Blue (#002080 or #0b0080)
- Medium Dark Blue (#001580)
- Imperial Blue (#000b80)
- Deep Blue (#150080)
- Dark Imperial Blue (#200080)
What Are the Different Shades of Blue?
There’s so much more to blue than just this one royal navy shade. Here are some of our other favorite shades of blue to use in graphic designs.
- Royal Blue (#4169e1)
- Yale Blue (#0f4d92)
- Dusty Blue (#889bae)
- Azure (#007FFF)
- Sapphire (#0f52ba)
- Teal (#008080)
- Tiffany Blue (#0ABAB5)
- Baby Blue (#89CFF0)
- Electric Blue (#7DF9FF)
- Turquoise (#30D5C8)
Navy blue’s versatility makes it a favorite among artists and designers. Navy blue makes a bold, vibrant statement, after all. You can easily add it to your designs on Picsart by using the Color Chooser tool in the editor. Just simply search for the color code, #000080, and you’ll be ready to start creating designs and images incorporating navy blue. Ready to start designing? Here’s how:
On the web:
1) Open the Picsart Web Editor and click to start a New Project.
2) In this example, we’re going to design a social media post. So, click on Layout in the left toolbar and select the Instagram Profile to automatically size your design canvas for the platform.
3) Then, click on Background, select Color, and type in the hex code for navy blue. Now you have a blue canvas to design on.
4) It’s time to design your social post. Here, we added Stickers but you can also add text, filters, photos, and more.
5) When you’re done with your edit, click on Export and Download your design. Here you can also increase the resolution, name your file, and select the file format.
On a mobile device:
1) Open the Picsart mobile app and tap the plus button (+) to start a new edit.
2) Select Drawings and Create New, then tap the Color Wheel icon to open the color picker.
3) Select a shade of navy blue and tap the check mark icon to apply to your canvas.
4) Once you have a blue background, it’s time to start customizing your edit. Here, we’re creating a cool blue aesthetic wallpaper, so we added navy blue stickers.
5) Adjust the opacity of stickers, replicate, reposition and more.
6) When you’re done with your design, tap Next, then Save your design to your phone or Post it to the Picsart community.
Create at the Speed of Culture
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