Showa era
Pale King's Blue & Violet Blue
Plate 75 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale King's Blue, Violet Blue.
#40456a
blue · 11 palettes
Violet Blue
About Violet Blue
Violet Blue is a deep, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #40456a — that is
RGB 64, 69, 106, or HSL 233°, 25%, 33%.
It holds 9.2:1 contrast against white, so Violet Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 9.2:1; on black 2.3:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Violet Blue appears in 11 combinations — most often paired with Yellow Orange, Burnt Sienna and Pale King's Blue.
Colours that go with Violet Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Violet Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#40456a #6A6540
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#40456a #405A6A #50406A
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#40456a #6A4045 #456A40
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#40456a #6A5040 #5A6A40
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Violet Blue
Violet Blue is a deep, muted tone (HSL 233°, 25%, 33%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (9.2:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#6A6540) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#405A6A and #50406A) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Violet Blue
Violet Blue appears in 11 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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