Showa era · solemn · warm · austere

Orange & Black

Plate 46 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Orange, Black.

Orange

#f37420

Black

#111314

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About this combination

Combination 46 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A two-colour pairing of Orange, Black, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 46 of Wada's 348 anchors Orange and Black in the orange family — a 2-colour grouping with a solemn, warm, austere character, recorded in Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations (six volumes; Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint), and in the public domain by age. Its strongest pairing — Orange on Black — reaches a contrast ratio of 6.50:1, meeting the WCAG AA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.

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Taking Orange & Black off the screen

A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this palette 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.

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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.

    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.

    Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau

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<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/wada-046-orange-black/" width="320" height="80" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden;" title="Orange & Black color palette — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

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Questions about Orange & Black

What colors are in the "Orange & Black" palette?
Orange & Black contains 2 colors: Orange (#f37420), Black (#111314). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).
When was the "Orange & Black" palette created?
This palette is from Sanzo Wada's 1933 reference work "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). The source work is in the public domain.
What style or era does the "Orange & Black" palette belong to?
Orange & Black is associated with the showa era and emphasizes orange tones. Plate 46 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Orange, Black.
Can I use the "Orange & Black" palette in my own design?
Yes. The source palette by Sanzo Wada (1933) is in the public domain. This page's curation and metadata are CC BY 4.0 licensed — attribution to colorcombinations.org appreciated but not required for the colors themselves.

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