Cyan #00FFFF

Cyan has a more technical reputation than most colors. In the RGB model it is the exact opposite of red: take red out of white light and cyan is what remains. Printers use it the other way around, as an ink that absorbs red, which is why it sits at the start of CMYK.

The name comes from the Greek kyanos, a word used for dark blue, which is an odd fit for such a light shade. Over time the term settled on the bright blue-green that color science uses today.

Culturally, cyan reads as precise and futuristic. It is the stock color for heads-up displays in sci-fi films and games, glowing interface lines, and blueprint-style diagrams. It also feels clinical, much like the light in a lab, which suits technology and science content better than warm lifestyle brands.

Designers mostly use cyan as a signal color against dark backgrounds, where it reads instantly: data points, active states, focus rings, sci-fi titles. On a light page it can disappear, and white text on cyan is close to invisible, so put black or near-black type on any cyan fill.

In print projects, give the printer a CMYK or Pantone value instead of the hex, since the ink will look bluer than your screen. For posters, a cyan, magenta and yellow layout makes a playful nod to how printing works.