What Colors Make Navy Blue? How to Make Navy Blue?

What Colors Make Navy Blue?

What Colors Make Navy Blue?
Adding varying amounts of the color black to the pacifistic color blue you will get navy blue.

Navy is a dark shade of the color blue. It is a dark color that is used in many applications because of its quietness and tolerance when paired with other colors. It is widely known to the western world as a neutral color along with khaki and beige but have you ever wonder what constitutes a navy color or how to produce one in mixing paints and pigments?

The color blue is one of the three primary colors. It is one of the colors most pleasing to the eye because it does not have an aggressive effect. It is a color associated with tranquility and rationality. In the natural world, it is the color that portrays the sky and the sea and is a very common natural pigmentation in many animals and plants. It is also a color with a variety of meanings and associations across many cultures and traditions. 

Black is a neutral or achromatic color, it does not have a hue. It is the darkest color and it is often associated with darkness and evil. Black is the complete absence of light on visible surfaces or devoid of color. It is a contrast to the color white which signifies the complete presence of all colors. If a material can absorb visible light, it’s pigment appears as black. When a hue is added a black color it becomes darker thus it is called a shade of that hue. 

Adding varying amounts of the tenebrous color black to the pacifistic color blue you will get navy blue. Saturating the quiet vividness of blue with the opaqueness of black produces a somber shade of blue that will render a multi-functional use in the modern world. 

What Two Colors Make Navy Blue?

Navy blue is an absolutely dark shade of blue. It has an array of versions based on varying amounts of black added to the mix. In the paint pigments, however, you can achieve this by mixing equal amounts of orange paint to your pre-existing blue paint. Just make sure though that the blue you are using is pure blue and not the pre-mixed variant. 

The word navy obviously adopted from the word that means ocean-borne military forces. The name however that is used to label the color pigment in earlier times is marine blue. The word navy is used because it is a standard color of the uniforms of naval forces around the world at that time popularized by the Royal Navy. 

Cultural Associations

The navy blue color is widely associated with the military all over the world. The British Navy first introduced the color in their uniforms. In return, the naval forces around the world standardize the use of the color in their own uniforms cemented the association of the color with the name. Over time, the navies replaced the color with black because of the tendency of the color navy of the fabric to fade thus making it more practical to use and reproduce albeit retained the name navy. Today, a darker variant is used in many marine uniforms. 

In the ’80s, navy blue is one of the initial standard HTML color used in we display of computers. Today, many professional sports teams utilized the color to visualize their branding in their uniforms and merchandise, like the US national football teams and the basketball team Dallas Mavericks. 

Color Psychology

The color has been used to associate sailor culture and the ocean that’s why it is used to portray the less dominant nature of the military. Using this notion, people mainly correlate this color with rational authority and benevolent power. The use of this color by naval officers strongly suggests this association.  With the notion that blue is a color linked with rationality then mixed with the powerful black, one can suggest a leader that is driven by logic, not passion. 

Along with the correlation to authority and power, the navy is commonly used as a color of many corporate brands because of the fact that it is the color of stability and trust. The color exudes an effect of confidence and yet rooted in order and harmony. Today, many companies include shades of navy blue in their corporate offices to evoke this notion.

Navy is also a color of secrecy, mystery, and twilight. The somberness of this color is tampered with by the mystery of its darkness because of the color of the nighttime. It is the color of the unknown, evokes a sense of fear and yet assurance that taking the risk of facing darkness will mean that one is also near the light of the day and new beginnings.

Use of the Color

Because of the seriousness and severity associated with the color black, many designers substitute black with navy blue to use as the darker color to their designs as a standard. 

Navy is widely used by many graphic designers in their designs because it is popular among corporate brands to portray stability and trust. It is widely utilized that it became over-used and rendered too safe that’s why many designers are very careful in using this color and creatively juxtaposing this color with less common colors in their color palettes. Navy blue is best complemented by the color Salmon (#ff8c69). The seriousness and stability of navy blue are balanced by the lightness and freedom of salmon. This combination is perfect as a wedding motif and can be used in posters, invitations, and dress codes. 

Interior designers are very careful in using this color as it cannot be used as a base color because it is too dark and can darken a room. Instead, designers used this color as an accent on fabric pieces or as an accent wall to complement a too stark and bland white wall. The use of navy in throw pillows gives a minimalistic masculine effect and is perfect for male clients. 

There is no field that makes this color popular than the world of fashion. Navy is the most popular shade that is commonly chosen in suits. Many world leaders choose this color of their suits when visiting a foreign affairs conference because of its association with trust and authority. It is also an international standard as a neutral color along with khaki and beige to substitute the achromatic colors black, white, and grey. This neutrality is the reason it is very popular as a chosen color by males because it is safe and can be paired with almost any color. 

Also read What are Warm and Cool Colors?

What Colors Make Navy Blue? How to Make Navy Blue?

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