Here are some ways to incorporate blue-gray into your UI designs:

• Provide visual feedback. Blue-gray is great for providing visual feedback to acknowledge user interaction, like confirming a completed action, showing user progress, or validating user input. For example, when users need to input information, a bold color like red can help them understand what fields require attention, while blue-gray can signify what fields are complete.
• Create visual contrast. Using blue-gray for backgrounds can provide a neutral base that won’t overwhelm other elements on a page, like text, buttons, or icons, providing a balanced amount of visual contrast without being overpowering.
• Convey professionalism. Blue-gray is often associated with professionalism and trustworthiness, making it a great choice for apps or websites in the finance, business, and health care industries.

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 cool spectrum as blue-gray, consider:

• Gray (#898989) embodies a light mixture of black and white, with its hue at the core of blue-gray.
• Silver (#C4C4C4) shares a similar bluish tint, capturing a metallic essence.
• Cadet blue (#5F9EA0) is also in the bluish-gray color family but has a greenish hue.
• Pastel blue (#B3EBF2) brings a softer and lighter hue, offering a light wash of color.

To complement blue-gray, consider pairing it with:

• Black (#000000) provides a strong pop when paired with a blue-gray backdrop.
• Cream (#FDFBD4) adds a touch of warmth to create a serene and calming color palette.
• Lavender (#D3D3FF) shares a similar muted hue, creating a soft and whimsical color combination.
• Midnight blue (#272757) offers a bold contrast for a sophisticated and professional color scheme.

Other colors to consider include tan to add warmth to blue-gray’s coolness, sage green for an earthy color scheme, or mustard yellow to add visual contrast to blue-gray’s muted hue.

While blue-gray is subdued, it may clash with:

• Neon green (#2CFF05) may clash with blue-gray due to its high saturation and contrast.
• Hot pink (#FF69B4) can create an unbalanced color scheme,  looking visually intense when paired with blue-gray.
• Steel blue (#4682B4) is a tad bit darker than blue-gray, but their similar hue may not provide enough visual contrast when paired together.
• Fuchsia (#FE3894) can overpower blue-gray due to its extremely bright appearance.

The symbolism of blue-gray can vary due to its combination of blue and gray hues. Blue-gray can symbolize calmness and tranquility due to its blue undertone or a sense of freshness, symbolic of crisp morning air or a foggy morning.

In color psychology, blue-gray can evoke feelings of detachment, sadness, and uncertainty due to its hue. But with its blue influence, this cool-toned shade can also promote feelings of peace and relaxation.

You can use blue-gray in UI design to create a professional and modern color palette, as this shade can convey a sense of trustworthiness and reliability. It’s a versatile color choice that can add a touch of sophistication without being overly bold or distracting.

The shade blue-gray was first recorded in English in 1622 with the color name “livid,” derived from the Latin word “lividus,” meaning a dull blue color. In Latin, the word describes the discoloration of bruised skin, similar to the English phrase “black and blue.”

While the emergence of the color name “gray-blue” isn’t clear, Crayola introduced the shade name “gray-blue” in the late 1950s as a distinct color in their crayon collection.

Contrast checker

Color simulations

The hexadecimal color #6A89A7, known as blue-gray, has RGB values of R:106, G:137, B:167 and CMYK values of C:37, M:18, Y:0, K:35.