Showa era
Yellow Ocher & Violet
Plate 42 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Ocher, Violet.
#4f4086
blue · 12 palettes
Violet
About Violet
Violet is a deep, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #4f4086 — that is
RGB 79, 64, 134, or HSL 253°, 35%, 39%.
It holds 8.7:1 contrast against white, so Violet works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 8.7:1; on black 2.4:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Violet appears in 12 combinations — most often paired with Carmine Red, Vandyke Red and Yellow Ocher.
Colours that go with Violet
From a standard colour wheel, Violet anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#4f4086 #778640
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#4f4086 #405486 #724086
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#4f4086 #864F40 #40864F
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#4f4086 #867240 #548640
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Violet
Violet is a deep, muted tone (HSL 253°, 35%, 39%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (8.7:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#778640) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#405486 and #724086) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Violet 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.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Formula Guide – Coated & Uncoated | Professional PMS Color Matching System for Print, Packaging & Graphic Design | GP1601B
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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 Passport Photo 2
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
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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 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
View on Amazon
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Palettes with Violet
Violet appears in 12 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 Violet
- What is the hex code for Violet?
- Violet is #4f4086. It appears in 12 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Violet look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Violet (#4f4086) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 8.71:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 2.41:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Violet come from?
- Violet 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 Violet in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#4f4086) 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 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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