Carmine Red
Neutral Gray
Black

No. 221

3-color combination

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Colors

Carmine Red

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Neutral Gray

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Black

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 221 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. 221 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 contrastNeutral Gray · 3.7:1

Harmony in contrastBlack · 9.9:1

Harmony in contrastCarmine Red · 3.7:1

Harmony in contrastNeutral Gray · 9.9:1

Analysis

Character

Dark & muted

Lightness 49 (range 18–80)
Colorfulness 0.057

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessCarmine RedNeutral GrayBlack

Accented neutral

Neutral colors with a single colored accent.

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

Temperature

Warm

  • Carmine RedWarm
  • Neutral GrayNeutral
  • BlackNeutral

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

Distinctness

ΔE 35

Closest pair ΔE 34.5 · average ΔE 47.4

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Black on Neutral Gray (10.0:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaCarmine Red · Neutral Gray3.7:1AA large45 / 47
AaAaCarmine Red · Black2.7:1Low19 / 21
AaAaNeutral Gray · Black10.0:1AAA66 / 68

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. 221 */
:root {
  --carmine-red: #a62c37; /* Carmine Red */
  --neutral-gray: #b6bfc1; /* Neutral Gray */
  --black: #111314; /* Black */
}

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