Showa era
Light Porcelain Green & Olympic Blue
Plate 44 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Porcelain Green, Olympic Blue.
#5a82b3
blue · 7 palettes
Olympic Blue
About Olympic Blue
Olympic Blue is a mid-tone, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #5a82b3 — that is
RGB 90, 130, 179, or HSL 213°, 37%, 53%.
It holds 5.3:1 contrast against dark, so Olympic Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 4.0:1; on black 5.3:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Olympic Blue appears in 7 combinations — most often paired with Light Porcelain Green, Dark Tyrian Blue and Pansy Purple.
Colours that go with Olympic Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Olympic Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#5a82b3 #B38B5A
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#5a82b3 #5AAEB3 #5F5AB3
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#5a82b3 #B35A82 #82B35A
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#5a82b3 #B35F5A #AEB35A
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Olympic Blue
Olympic Blue is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 213°, 37%, 53%), 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 (5.3:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#B38B5A) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#5AAEB3 and #5F5AB3) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Olympic Blue
Olympic Blue 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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