Showa era
Krongbergs Green & Salvia Blue
Plate 29 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Krongbergs Green, Salvia Blue.
#97acc8
blue · 13 palettes
Salvia Blue
Salvia Blue is one of the colors Sanzo Wada used in his 1933 book. Get Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary on Amazon → Affiliate link; your price is unchanged. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
About Salvia Blue
Salvia Blue is a mid-tone, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #97acc8 — that is
RGB 151, 172, 200, or HSL 214°, 31%, 69%.
It holds 9.1:1 contrast against dark, so Salvia Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.3:1; on black 9.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Salvia Blue appears in 13 combinations — most often paired with Sulpher Yellow, Cossack Green and Krongbergs Green.
Colours that go with Salvia Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Salvia Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#97acc8 #C8B397
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#97acc8 #97C5C8 #9A97C8
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#97acc8 #C897AC #ACC897
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#97acc8 #C89A97 #C5C897
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Salvia Blue
Salvia Blue is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 214°, 31%, 69%), 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 (9.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#C8B397) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#97C5C8 and #9A97C8) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Salvia Blue 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.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...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.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...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
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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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
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Amazon Associates affiliate links — your price is unchanged and a small commission keeps the archive free. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Palettes with Salvia Blue
Salvia Blue appears in 13 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 Salvia Blue
- What is the hex code for Salvia Blue?
- Salvia Blue is #97acc8. It appears in 13 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Salvia Blue look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Salvia Blue (#97acc8) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 2.32:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 9.05:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Salvia Blue come from?
- Salvia Blue is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued blue pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Salvia Blue in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#97acc8) 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
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
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- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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