Cerulean #007BA7

The word comes from the Latin caeruleus, used for the blue of the sky and sea. As a paint, cerulean blue became a standard on artists' palettes in the nineteenth century and is still sold under that name.

Cerulean feels clear and composed. It shares the calm of other blues, and its hint of green keeps it lively. Pantone picked a pale cerulean as its first Color of the Year, for 2000, and the choice helped turn the name into fashion and interiors vocabulary.

Many people know the word from a scene in the film The Devil Wears Prada, where a fashion editor traces an ordinary cerulean sweater back to runway trends. It is a fair illustration of how a single named shade can move through fashion.

White text works on #007BA7, though without much margin, so avoid thin weights. It makes a strong primary color for travel, maritime, and tech brands, and for links and buttons on a white page.

Cerulean looks best beside warm sand, coral, or terracotta, which echo coastal scenery. In interiors, it suits tiles, kitchens, and exterior shutters. Next to turquoise or teal it can look muddled, so give each blue a clear role, such as cerulean for actions and a pale neutral for backgrounds.