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Dark Blue Color Palettes

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

6 of 10

4-Color: Blue with Red, Orange, Green

Navy Blue with Red, Orange, Green

Navy Blue with Red, Orange, Green

© J. James
Here's a way to brighten up and add some kick to plain old dark blue.

In addition to Navy (R0G0B128), the specific colors shown here are a bright red (R254G0B4), a mellow orange (R255G161B0), and a spring-fresh green (R4G255B0).

Navy carries the blue symbolism of importance, confidence, power, and authority. Darker blue, like navy, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. To keep this dark blue from being too calm to the point of depression, give it an energetic kick with some red and orange. Although green is a cool color like blue, green with blue produces echoes of nature - water and forest and can denote new beginnings and growth.

You don't have to use these exact shades. Go a touch lighter or darker, or step one spot to the left or the right on the color wheel. These color combinations are just to help you find a suitable color palette using dark blue as the main component.

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