Salvia Blue
Deep Indigo
Neutral Gray

No. 139

3-color combination

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Colors

Salvia Blue

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Deep Indigo

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Neutral Gray

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 139 in use

The palette applied to simple layouts. Colors are assigned to roles automatically; try other arrangements.

Color study

A dictionary of color

Background, surface, text and accent, taken from one of Wada’s combinations.

ExploreLearn more

Combination No. 139 as a living room

Painted following the 60-30-10 rule: about 60% wall color, 30% for the sofa, 10% for cushions, throw and vase. A fourth color goes to the rug and curtains; otherwise they stay undyed. Floor and ceiling stay neutral; the print shows the whole palette.

Readable text pairs

Harmony in contrastDeep Indigo · 8.0:1

Harmony in contrastNeutral Gray · 9.9:1

Harmony in contrastSalvia Blue · 8.0:1

Harmony in contrastDeep Indigo · 9.9:1

Analysis

Character

Medium & muted

Lightness 58 (range 19–80)
Colorfulness 0.040

Average OKLCH lightness (0–100) and chroma (colorfulness).

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessSalvia BlueDeep IndigoNeutral Gray

Monochromatic

Variations of a single hue.

A heuristic based on the painter’s color wheel. Wada’s combinations often ignore textbook rules, which is part of their appeal.

Temperature

Cool

  • Salvia BlueCool
  • Deep IndigoCool
  • Neutral GrayNeutral

Reds, oranges and yellows count as warm; greens, blues and violets as cool.

Distinctness

ΔE 12

Closest pair ΔE 11.8 · average ΔE 44.0

CIEDE2000 color difference. Below about 10 colors look related; above 30 they are clearly distinct.

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Deep Indigo on Neutral Gray (9.9:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaSalvia Blue · Deep Indigo8.0:1AAA56 / 57
AaAaSalvia Blue · Neutral Gray1.2:1Low8 / 10
AaAaDeep Indigo · Neutral Gray9.9:1AAA67 / 66

WCAG 2 contrast ratio for text, and APCA lightness contrast (Lc) for each text/background direction.

Similar combinations

The closest palettes in perceptual color space (OKLab).

Export

Copy the palette as code or download it as an image.

/* Sanzo Wada, combination No. 139 */
:root {
  --salvia-blue: #97acc8; /* Salvia Blue */
  --deep-indigo: #051230; /* Deep Indigo */
  --neutral-gray: #b6bfc1; /* Neutral Gray */
}

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