Carmine Red
Pale Lemon Yellow
Neutral Gray

No. 228

3-color combination

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Colors

Carmine Red

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Neutral Gray

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 228 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. 228 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 contrastPale Lemon Yellow · 6.0:1

Harmony in contrastNeutral Gray · 3.7:1

Harmony in contrastCarmine Red · 6.0:1

Harmony in contrastCarmine Red · 3.7:1

Analysis

Character

Light & moderate

Lightness 74 (range 49–95)
Colorfulness 0.084

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessCarmine RedPale Lemon YellowNeutral Gray

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.

Temperature

Warm

  • Carmine RedWarm
  • Pale Lemon YellowWarm
  • Neutral GrayNeutral

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

Distinctness

ΔE 24

Closest pair ΔE 24.3 · average ΔE 42.3

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Pale Lemon Yellow on Carmine Red (6.0:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaCarmine Red · Pale Lemon Yellow6.0:1AA73 / 77
AaAaCarmine Red · Neutral Gray3.7:1AA large45 / 47
AaAaPale Lemon Yellow · Neutral Gray1.6:1Low29 / 26

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. 228 */
:root {
  --carmine-red: #a62c37; /* Carmine Red */
  --pale-lemon-yellow: #ffefae; /* Pale Lemon Yellow */
  --neutral-gray: #b6bfc1; /* Neutral Gray */
}

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