Collection · 24 palettes

Modernist Color Palettes

Primary reds, blues, and yellows against ink and white — the Bauhaus impulse, in pigment.

Modernist color is the palette of Bauhaus textile design, De Stijl painting, Russian constructivist posters, and the early-twentieth-century insistence that a color should justify itself with structural reason. The lineage runs through Wada's 1933 catalog: 'shu' (朱 — vermilion lacquer) doing the work of Mondrian's red, 'kon' (紺 — deep indigo) doing the work of Klee's grounded blue, 'ukon' (鬱金 — turmeric yellow) carrying weight against ink black. These palettes share a commitment to clarity over comfort — they're for editorial design, contemporary architecture, art-school identity, modernist furniture brands, and anywhere a brief asks for 'considered, geometric, primary.'

Heian era

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.

Kamakura era

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.

Heian era

Ao & White— 青と白

The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.

Edo era

Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍

Warm turmeric yellow against true indigo — the everyday textile of Japanese farm life.

Kamakura era

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

The dense orange-red of lead oxide pigment struck against ink black.

Edo era

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.

Edo era

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

The faded blue of Shinsengumi jackets against shrine-gate vermillion — restrained power.

Showa era

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Plate 241 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow, Isabella Color, Dark Medici Blue.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Plate 242 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Burnt Sienna, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Light Brown Drab & Vinaceous Tawny +2

Plate 244 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Vinaceous Tawny, Andover Green, Antwarp Blue.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Khaki +2

Plate 248 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Khaki, Grayish Lavender - A, Dark Slate Purple.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Ecru +2

Plate 249 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue.

Showa era

Pyrite Yellow & Peach Red +2

Plate 250 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pyrite Yellow, Peach Red, Sea Green, Nile Blue.

Showa era

Red & Yellow +2

Plate 251 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red, Yellow, Diamine Green, Slate Color.

Showa era

Eugenia Red | B & Raw Sienna +2

Plate 252 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Raw Sienna, Sulphine Yellow, Green Blue.

Showa era

Lemon Yellow & Apricot Orange +2

Plate 253 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Lemon Yellow, Apricot Orange, Cotinga Purple, Slate Color.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Sulpher Yellow +2

Plate 254 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Sulpher Yellow, Olive, Laelia Pink.

Showa era

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

Plate 257 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Orange Yellow, Blue, Aconite Violet.

Showa era

Pale Burnt Lake & Pinkish Cinnamon +2

Plate 258 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Burnt Lake, Pinkish Cinnamon, Olive, Antwarp Blue.

Showa era

Lemon Yellow & Green Blue +2

Plate 259 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Lemon Yellow, Green Blue, Helvetia Blue, Warm Gray.

Showa era

Old Rose & Vinaceous Cinnamon +2

Plate 260 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Old Rose, Vinaceous Cinnamon, Glaucous Green, Sea Green.

Showa era

Red & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Plate 261 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red, Pale Lemon Yellow, Calamine BLue, Warm Gray.

Showa era

Eugenia Red | B & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 262 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Ivory Buff, Citrine, Cossack Green.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Red Orange +2

Plate 264 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Red Orange, Dark Greenish Glaucous, Cerulian Blue.

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From the editorial · Long read

Scandinavian Color Theory: A Working Guide

What Scandinavian color is beyond IKEA-white — Nordic modernism, the hygge divergence, and three palettes from this collection that fit the brief.

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From the archive

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues

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Modernist Color Palettes

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Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

Ao & White— 青と白

Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Light Brown Drab & Vinaceous Tawny +2

Eosine Pink & Khaki +2

Hay's Russet & Ecru +2

Pyrite Yellow & Peach Red +2

Red & Yellow +2

Eugenia Red | B & Raw Sienna +2

Lemon Yellow & Apricot Orange +2

Corinthian Pink & Sulpher Yellow +2

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

Pale Burnt Lake & Pinkish Cinnamon +2

Lemon Yellow & Green Blue +2

Old Rose & Vinaceous Cinnamon +2

Red & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Eugenia Red | B & Ivory Buff +2

Corinthian Pink & Red Orange +2

Embed this collection

Scandinavian Color Theory: A Working Guide

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.