Showa era
Seashell Pink & Lemon Yellow
Plate 45 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Seashell Pink, Lemon Yellow.
#f8ed43
yellow · 15 palettes
Lemon Yellow
About Lemon Yellow
Lemon Yellow is a mid-tone, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #f8ed43 — that is
RGB 248, 237, 67, or HSL 56°, 93%, 62%.
It holds 17.2:1 contrast against dark, so Lemon Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.2:1; on black 17.2:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Lemon Yellow appears in 15 combinations — most often paired with Venice Green, Turquoise Green and Seashell Pink.
Colours that go with Lemon Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Lemon Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#f8ed43 #434EF8
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#f8ed43 #F89343 #A8F843
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#f8ed43 #43F8ED #ED43F8
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#f8ed43 #43A9F8 #9243F8
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Lemon Yellow
Lemon Yellow is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 56°, 93%, 62%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (17.2:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#434EF8) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#F89343 and #A8F843) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Lemon Yellow off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Pantone
Color Bridge Guide — coated
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Color Bridge Guide Coated | Pantone to CMYK, RGB & HTML Color Matching Fan Deck for Graphic Design, Branding & Print | GG6103B
View on Amazon -
...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
Display Plus HL colorimeter kit
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite Video Photo Kit with Display Plus HL Colorimeter and ColorChecker Passport Video 2, 10,000 Nit Monitor Calibration, Camera Color Matching
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 24 — Art Nouveau
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
View on Amazon
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Palettes with Lemon Yellow
Lemon Yellow appears in 15 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Lemon Yellow
- What is the hex code for Lemon Yellow?
- Lemon Yellow is #f8ed43. It appears in 15 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Lemon Yellow look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Lemon Yellow (#f8ed43) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.22:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 17.19:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Lemon Yellow come from?
- Lemon Yellow is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued yellow pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Lemon Yellow in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#f8ed43) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
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
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- 378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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