Lemon Yellow
Apricot Orange
Cotinga Purple
Slate Color

No. 253

4-color combination

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Colors

Slate Color

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Combination No. 253 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.

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Combination No. 253 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 contrastCotinga Purple · 11.3:1

Harmony in contrastSlate Color · 8.2:1

Harmony in contrastCotinga Purple · 5.8:1

Harmony in contrastSlate Color · 4.2:1

Harmony in contrastLemon Yellow · 11.3:1

Harmony in contrastApricot Orange · 5.8:1

Harmony in contrastLemon Yellow · 8.2:1

Harmony in contrastApricot Orange · 4.2:1

Analysis

Character

Medium & moderate

Lightness 59 (range 31–93)
Colorfulness 0.116

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessLemon YellowApricot OrangeCotinga PurpleSlate Color

Complementary

Includes hues from opposite sides of the color wheel.

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

Temperature

Warm & cool

  • Lemon YellowWarm
  • Apricot OrangeWarm
  • Cotinga PurpleCool
  • Slate ColorNeutral

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

Distinctness

ΔE 23

Closest pair ΔE 22.7 · average ΔE 55.0

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Lemon Yellow on Cotinga Purple (11.3:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaLemon Yellow · Apricot Orange2.0:1Low37 / 33
AaAaLemon Yellow · Cotinga Purple11.3:1AAA88 / 86
AaAaLemon Yellow · Slate Color8.2:1AAA83 / 80
AaAaApricot Orange · Cotinga Purple5.8:1AA50 / 51
AaAaApricot Orange · Slate Color4.2:1AA large45 / 44
AaAaCotinga Purple · Slate Color1.4:1Low0 / 0

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. 253 */
:root {
  --lemon-yellow: #f8ed43; /* Lemon Yellow */
  --apricot-orange: #f68c50; /* Apricot Orange */
  --cotinga-purple: #501345; /* Cotinga Purple */
  --slate-color: #34454c; /* Slate Color */
}

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