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Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about you Seeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26 Seeing colourTony Chess Obituary Seeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision Model Craft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessories Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art form FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11 FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11 FestivalsPhotos of the week Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about you Seeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26 Seeing colourTony Chess Obituary Seeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision Model Craft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessories Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art form FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11 FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11 FestivalsPhotos of the week

Rang

The colour lab

Close to Violet-blue (Crayola)

What is this colour called?

The closest names in the swatch book, nearest first. The number is the distance in CIE Lab space: under 2 is hard to tell apart by eye.

Violet-blue (Crayola)#766EC88.1 Middle blue purple#8B72BE9.1 Cornflower blue#6495ED13.9 cornflowerblue#6495ED13.9 Purple mountain majesty#9678B614.9 Liberty#545AA715.3 UCLA Blue#2D68C417.1 True Blue#2D68C417.1 Medium purple#9370DB18 mediumpurple#9370DB18 Navy blue (Crayola)#1974D218.2 Bleu de France#318CE718.8

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#7F7FD2 #D2D27F

AnalogousIts neighbours

#7F7FD2 #7FA8D2 #A87FD2

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#7F7FD2 #D27F7F #7FD27F

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#7F7FD2 #D2A87F #A8D27F

TintsLighter

#7F7FD2 #B4B4E4 #E8E8F7 #F1F1F9

ShadesDarker

#7F7FD2 #5151C2 #38389F #282871

Contrast with text

White text 3.58:1large text only

Black text 5.87:1passes AA

Ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula. 4.5:1 is the usual minimum for body text.

Through colour-blind eyes

Typical vision

Protanopia

Deuteranopia

Tritanopia

No colour

A simulation. Real colour vision varies from person to person.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.