Showa era
Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo
Plate 6 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Grenadine Pink, Deep Indigo.
#051230
blue · 7 palettes
Deep Indigo
About Deep Indigo
Deep Indigo is a deep, vivid blue tone. Its hex value is #051230 — that is
RGB 5, 18, 48, or HSL 222°, 81%, 10%.
It holds 18.5:1 contrast against white, so Deep Indigo works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 18.5:1; on black 1.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Deep Indigo appears in 7 combinations — most often paired with Grenadine Pink, Madder Brown and Salvia Blue.
Colours that go with Deep Indigo
From a standard colour wheel, Deep Indigo anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#051230 #302305
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#051230 #052730 #0E0530
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#051230 #300512 #123005
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#051230 #300E05 #273005
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Deep Indigo
Deep Indigo is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 222°, 81%, 10%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (18.5:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#302305) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#052730 and #0E0530) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Deep Indigo
Deep Indigo appears in 7 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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