Red
- 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
Harmony in contrast
Harmony in contrast
Light & moderate
Lightness 73 (range 48–95)
Colorfulness 0.087
Average OKLCH lightness (0–100) and chroma (colorfulness).
Triadic
Three hues evenly spaced around the wheel.
A heuristic based on the painter’s color wheel. Wada’s combinations often ignore textbook rules, which is part of their appeal.
Warm & cool
Reds, oranges and yellows count as warm; greens, blues and violets as cool.
ΔE 21
Closest pair ΔE 21.1 · average ΔE 41.5
CIEDE2000 color difference. Below about 10 colors look related; above 30 they are clearly distinct.
AaBest text pair: Pale Lemon Yellow on Red (6.2:1)
| Contrast | WCAG | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|
| AaAaRed · Pale Lemon Yellow | 6.2:1AA | 74 / 78 |
| AaAaRed · Calamine Blue | 3.9:1AA large | 47 / 49 |
| AaAaRed · Warm Gray | 2.8:1Low | 31 / 32 |
| AaAaPale Lemon Yellow · Calamine Blue | 1.6:1Low | 28 / 25 |
| AaAaPale Lemon Yellow · Warm Gray | 2.2:1Low | 45 / 40 |
| AaAaCalamine Blue · Warm Gray | 1.4:1Low | 16 / 14 |
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. 261 */
:root {
--red: #a72144; /* Red */
--pale-lemon-yellow: #ffefae; /* Pale Lemon Yellow */
--calamine-blue: #78cdd0; /* Calamine Blue */
--warm-gray: #a1a39a; /* Warm Gray */
}
/* Tailwind CSS v4 – Sanzo Wada, combination No. 261 */
@theme {
--color-red: #a72144;
--color-pale-lemon-yellow: #ffefae;
--color-calamine-blue: #78cdd0;
--color-warm-gray: #a1a39a;
}
{
"id": 261,
"source": "Sanzo Wada, A Dictionary of Color Combinations",
"colors": [
{
"name": "Red",
"hex": "#a72144",
"rgb": [
167,
33,
68
],
"cmyk": [
30,
100,
70,
10
]
},
{
"name": "Pale Lemon Yellow",
"hex": "#ffefae",
"rgb": [
255,
239,
174
],
"cmyk": [
0,
4,
38,
0
]
},
{
"name": "Calamine Blue",
"hex": "#78cdd0",
"rgb": [
120,
205,
208
],
"cmyk": [
50,
0,
20,
0
]
},
{
"name": "Warm Gray",
"hex": "#a1a39a",
"rgb": [
161,
163,
154
],
"cmyk": [
37,
28,
36,
3
]
}
]
}