Color Conversion
#017987North Atlantic Teal
About this color
Clear-headed calm with energizing steadiness
A saturated, deep teal leaning strongly toward cyan with a cool, maritime clarity. It feels simultaneously invigorating and steady—like a brisk sea breeze that sharpens focus and calms nerves.
Designer tip: Use North Atlantic Teal (#017987) as a dominant accent on high-contrast UI elements (headers, primary buttons) paired with a very light warm neutral (F5F2EE) to preserve legibility and maintain its fresh, maritime quality.
Best use case: Primary accent color for a healthcare or telemedicine dashboard (call-to-action buttons and data-visualization accents) to convey clinical clarity and trustworthy energy.
Psychology
Psychological traits and emotional associations
Effect
In spaces and interfaces this teal sharpens perceived professionalism while avoiding the austerity of pure navy. It reduces visual noise and supports concentration, making information feel reliable and approachable.
Emotional impact
Viewers typically feel reassured and subtly energized—comforted by competence rather than excitement.
Meaning & symbolism
Cultural symbolism and significance
Cultural significance
In Western design this shade reads as professional and maritime, often used by outdoor and tech brands; in East Asian contexts blue-greens can signal fertility and renewal, while in coastal cultures it directly evokes sea and weather. Some Middle Eastern decorative traditions favor strong turquoise/teal glazes for protection and prosperity, connecting this hue to craftsmanship and heritage.
Positive associations
Associated with maritime heritage and craftsmanship in coastal European and Middle Eastern tile traditions; linked to medical trustworthiness in Western healthcare contexts.
Negative associations
In some historical contexts (e.g., 19th-century arsenic-based greens) similar blue-greens were associated with toxicity; very close hues can also read institutional or cold in cultures that favor warm tones (notably some Latin American contexts).
Design applications
How this color is used across different fields
Digital product UI
Use as the primary accent for actionable controls and data highlights to provide contrast and trustworthiness without the heaviness of navy.
Hospital and clinic wayfinding
Applies to signage and directional graphics where a cool, legible hue communicates calm competence and reads well against warm neutral backgrounds.
Outdoor technical gear branding
On backpacks and hard goods this teal reads as maritime and technical, pairing well with matte black hardware and muted tans for an adventure-luxe look.
Hospitality interiors (coastal hotels)
As an accent wall tile or upholstery color it evokes sea air while grounding spaces when used with natural woods and warm stone.
Data visualization
Use for primary series in charts and maps to be both vivid and readable against light gray grids and subtle secondary hues.
Design guidance
Practical tips for using this color effectively in your designs
Do this
- + Pair with a warm off-white (F5F2EE) and use the teal for primary interactive elements to maximize legibility and perceived trust.
- + Introduce a single warm metallic accent (muted gold) to provide counterpoint and prevent the palette from feeling cold.
- + Use high-contrast white typography at 600–800 weight for buttons and 400–600 for body labels to keep text crisp against the saturated teal.
Avoid this
- - Avoid placing low-contrast medium-gray body text directly on large blocks of this teal—readability drops quickly.
- - Don’t desaturate the teal into a muddy gray when printing; instead adjust coatings or use a Pantone close match to retain vibrancy.
- - Avoid pairing with overly bright neon greens or pure magentas which create visual tension and can read garish next to this hue.
Fundamentals: Always balance the cool saturation with a warm neutral or metallic accent to preserve approachability and legibility.
Overuse risk: If it dominates a design, the palette can feel chilly and institutional; large expanses need warm neutrals or textured materials to humanize the space. Overuse also flattens perceived contrast, making UI elements harder to prioritize visually.
Brand fit
Industries and brand archetypes that align with this color
Trust level
high
Seriousness
balanced
Trend
Color pairing
Colors that complement and enhance this shade
#D94A2F
A warm burnt coral complement — provides high-contrast, energetic pop (complementary harmony) that livens the teal without clashing.
#0A2540
Deep navy anchoring tone — creates a restrained analogous/monochromatic depth that reinforces professionalism and legibility.
#C79A2F
Muted gold accent — a split-complementary counterpoint that warms and elevates the palette for premium applications.
Typography hints: For text on this color, use a humanist sans-serif (e.g., Inter, GT America, or Roboto) in semi-bold (600–700) for buttons and bold headings; for supporting text use 400–500 weight with generous letter-spacing 0–0.02em to improve legibility against the saturated teal.
Historical significance
The story and heritage of this color
Teal and blue-greens have ancient roots: Egyptian faience and turquoise-glazed ceramics used similar cyan-blues for millennia to symbolize water, rebirth and protection. In the 19th century, the development of chromium-based pigments (viridian) gave artists a more stable, deep green-blue that found favor in landscape painting and decorative glazes.
In art and design, teal-like shades received renewed attention during the mid-20th century: manufacturers of appliances and enamelware produced saturated teals and aquas as part of the postwar ‘modern’ palette, and architecturally, tilework in public transit and baths often used these tones for durable, vibrant surfaces. The color has been associated with both artisanal glazed ceramics in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions and industrial design in Western contexts.
Today this particular deep teal lives at the intersection of heritage and tech: it’s used by contemporary brands that want to feel both responsible and forward-looking, from sustainable outdoor labels to healthcare interfaces. Its dual lineage—ceramic and industrial—makes it versatile in modern interiors, product finishes, and digital systems where clarity and a maritime reference are desired.
Variations
The purpose of this section is to accurately produce tints (pure white added) and shades (pure black added) of your selected color in 10% increments.
Pro Tip: Use shades for hover states and shadows, tints for highlights and backgrounds.
Shades
Darker variations created by adding black to your base color.
Tints
Lighter variations created by adding white to your base color.
Common Use Cases
- • UI component states (hover, active, disabled)
- • Creating depth with shadows and highlights
- • Building consistent color systems
Design System Tip
These variations form the foundation of a cohesive color palette. Export them to maintain consistency across your entire project.
Color Combinations
Each harmony has its own mood. Use harmonies to brainstorm color combos that work well together.
How to Use
Click on any color to copy its hex value. These combinations are mathematically proven to create visual harmony.
Why It Matters
Color harmonies create balance and evoke specific emotions in your designs.
Complement
A color and its opposite on the color wheel, +180 degrees of hue. High contrast.
Split-complementary
A color and two adjacent to its complement, +/-30 degrees of hue from the value opposite the main color. Bold like a straight complement, but more versatile.
Triadic
Three colors spaced evenly along the color wheel, each 120 degrees of hue apart. Best to allow one color to dominate and use the others as accents.
Analogous
Three colors of the same luminance and saturation with hues that are adjacent on the color wheel, 30 degrees apart. Smooth transitions.
Monochromatic
Three colors of the same hue with luminance values +/-50%. Subtle and refined.
Tetradic
Two sets of complementary colors, separated by 60 degrees of hue.
Color Theory Principles
Balance
Use one dominant color, support with secondary, and accent sparingly.
Contrast
Ensure sufficient contrast for readability and accessibility.
Harmony
Colors should work together to create a unified visual experience.
Color Contrast Checker
Test color combinations to ensure they meet WCAG accessibility standards for text readability.
Text Color
Background Color
Contrast
WCAG Standards
Advanced Contrast Checker
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