Showa era · refined · warm · bold

Red & Yellow +2

Plate 251 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red, Yellow, Diamine Green, Slate Color.

Red

#a72144

Yellow

#fff200

Diamine Green

#1a7444

Slate Color

#34454c

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About this combination

Combination 251 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 4-colour grouping of Red, Yellow, Diamine Green, Slate Color, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 251 of Wada's 348 anchors Red, Yellow, Diamine Green and Slate Color in the red family — a 4-colour grouping with a refined, warm, bold 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 — Yellow on Slate Color — reaches a contrast ratio of 8.54:1, clearing the WCAG AAA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.

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Taking Red & Yellow +2 off the screen

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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.

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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.

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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 Strathmore 300 Series Tape Bound Watercolor Pad, 140 lb. Cold Press, 11 X 15 inches, White, 12 Sheets (360-111)

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Questions about Red & Yellow +2

What colors are in the "Red & Yellow +2" palette?
Red & Yellow +2 contains 4 colors: Red (#a72144), Yellow (#fff200), Diamine Green (#1a7444), Slate Color (#34454c). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).
When was the "Red & Yellow +2" 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 "Red & Yellow +2" palette belong to?
Red & Yellow +2 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes red tones. Plate 251 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red, Yellow, Diamine Green, Slate Color.
Can I use the "Red & Yellow +2" 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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