Showa era
Pale Burnt Lake & Yellow Ocher +1
Plate 124 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Burnt Lake, Yellow Ocher, Olive Yellow.
#a6a159
yellow · 4 palettes
Olive Yellow
About Olive Yellow
Olive Yellow is a mid-tone, muted yellow tone. Its hex value is #a6a159 — that is
RGB 166, 161, 89, or HSL 56°, 30%, 50%.
It holds 7.9:1 contrast against dark, so Olive Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.7:1; on black 7.9:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Olive Yellow appears in 4 combinations — most often paired with Pale Burnt Lake, Yellow Ocher and Apricot Orange.
Colours that go with Olive Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Olive Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#a6a159 #595EA6
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#a6a159 #A67A59 #85A659
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#a6a159 #59A6A1 #A159A6
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#a6a159 #5985A6 #7A59A6
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Olive Yellow
Olive Yellow is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 56°, 30%, 50%), 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 (7.9:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#595EA6) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#A67A59 and #85A659) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Olive Yellow
Olive Yellow appears in 4 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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