Lemon Yellow
Green Blue
Helvetia Blue
Warm Gray

No. 259

4-color combination

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Colors

Green Blue

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Warm Gray

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 259 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. 259 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 contrastHelvetia Blue · 6.0:1

Harmony in contrastGreen Blue · 3.1:1

Harmony in contrastLemon Yellow · 3.1:1

Harmony in contrastLemon Yellow · 6.0:1

Analysis

Character

Medium & moderate

Lightness 67 (range 45–93)
Colorfulness 0.100

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessLemon YellowGreen BlueHelvetia BlueWarm 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 & cool

  • Lemon YellowWarm
  • Green BlueCool
  • Helvetia BlueCool
  • Warm GrayNeutral

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

Distinctness

ΔE 24

Closest pair ΔE 23.7 · average ΔE 40.3

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Lemon Yellow on Helvetia Blue (6.0:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaLemon Yellow · Green Blue3.1:1AA large56 / 52
AaAaLemon Yellow · Helvetia Blue6.0:1AA75 / 72
AaAaLemon Yellow · Warm Gray2.1:1Low41 / 37
AaAaGreen Blue · Helvetia Blue1.9:1Low18 / 18
AaAaGreen Blue · Warm Gray1.5:1Low13 / 15
AaAaHelvetia Blue · Warm Gray2.9:1Low33 / 34

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. 259 */
:root {
  --lemon-yellow: #f8ed43; /* Lemon Yellow */
  --green-blue: #099197; /* Green Blue */
  --helvetia-blue: #005b8d; /* Helvetia Blue */
  --warm-gray: #a1a39a; /* Warm Gray */
}

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