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Working guides for designers.
Long-form articles on color theory, palette use, and the Japanese tradition behind the dictionary. Each piece links to specific palette + collection pages so you can move from idea to implementation in one click.
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Color theory · Long read · 5 min
Heian Court Color Theory: Kasane, Kinjiki, and the Seasonal Palette
How the Heian imperial court systematised colour into layered-robe combinations (kasane no irome), forbidden pigments (kinjiki), and a 12-month seasonal calendar — with the 1933 Wada palettes that hold the same logic.
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Color theory · Long read · 5 min
The Four Reds: Kurenai, Akane, Shu, Entan
Why Japanese tradition distinguishes safflower crimson from madder from vermilion from lead red — and which to reach for when the brief asks for 'a Japanese red.' Pigments, meaning, and four working palettes.
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Color theory · Long read · 5 min
Wabi-Sabi Color Theory: The Beauty of Things That Have Aged
What it actually means for color when a tradition values age over newness, asymmetry over balance, and imperfection over polish. Tea-room palette, three exemplars, and the anti-patterns to avoid.
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Color theory · Long read · 5 min
Japandi Color Theory: Where Restraint Meets Light
How Japanese and Scandinavian color traditions converge — and which palettes from the Wada dictionary actually fit the Japandi brief. Three working palettes, three anti-patterns, and the three-axis test.
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Color theory · Long read · 5 min
Scandinavian Color Theory: A Working Guide
What Scandinavian color tradition actually is — beyond IKEA-white — plus the hygge divergence, three palettes from the dictionary that fit, and the all-grey trap to avoid.
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Reference · Glossary · 12 min
Japanese Color Glossary: 20 Traditional Named Colors
Twenty canonical traditional Japanese colour names with pigment origin, cultural register, and modern usage. Anchored for jump-linking — single-page reference complementing the per-color detail pages.
More articles coming soon — wabi-sabi color theory, the three Japanese reds, brand colors that age well. Subscribe via the RSS feed or newsletter to get them as they ship.