Helvetia Blue
- HEX
- RGB
- CMYK
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.
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.
Harmony in contrast
Harmony in contrast
Medium & moderate
Lightness 61 (range 45–76)
Colorfulness 0.083
Average OKLCH lightness (0–100) and chroma (colorfulness).
Free
No classic color-wheel relationship.
A heuristic based on the painter’s color wheel. Wada’s combinations often ignore textbook rules, which is part of their appeal.
Cool
Reds, oranges and yellows count as warm; greens, blues and violets as cool.
ΔE 22
Closest pair ΔE 22.0 · average ΔE 32.9
CIEDE2000 color difference. Below about 10 colors look related; above 30 they are clearly distinct.
AaBest text pair: Grayish Lavender B on Helvetia Blue (3.3:1)
| Contrast | WCAG | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|
| AaAaHelvetia Blue · Grayish Lavender B | 3.3:1AA large | 39 / 41 |
| AaAaHelvetia Blue · Aconite Violet | 1.8:1Low | 15 / 16 |
| AaAaGrayish Lavender B · Aconite Violet | 1.9:1Low | 24 / 22 |
WCAG 2 contrast ratio for text, and APCA lightness contrast (Lc) for each text/background direction.
The closest palettes in perceptual color space (OKLab).
Copy the palette as code or download it as an image.
/* Sanzo Wada, combination No. 187 */
:root {
--helvetia-blue: #005b8d; /* Helvetia Blue */
--grayish-lavender-b: #c0a9b3; /* Grayish Lavender B */
--aconite-violet: #a36aa5; /* Aconite Violet */
}
/* Tailwind CSS v4 – Sanzo Wada, combination No. 187 */
@theme {
--color-helvetia-blue: #005b8d;
--color-grayish-lavender-b: #c0a9b3;
--color-aconite-violet: #a36aa5;
}
{
"id": 187,
"source": "Sanzo Wada, A Dictionary of Color Combinations",
"colors": [
{
"name": "Helvetia Blue",
"hex": "#005b8d",
"rgb": [
0,
91,
141
],
"cmyk": [
100,
62,
19,
10
]
},
{
"name": "Grayish Lavender B",
"hex": "#c0a9b3",
"rgb": [
192,
169,
179
],
"cmyk": [
25,
33,
20,
0
]
},
{
"name": "Aconite Violet",
"hex": "#a36aa5",
"rgb": [
163,
106,
165
],
"cmyk": [
39,
68,
5,
0
]
}
]
}