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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)#766EC83.5 Middle blue purple#8B72BE7.7 Medium purple#9370DB11.5 mediumpurple#9370DB11.5 Amethyst#9966CC13.2 Royal purple#7851A913.4 Liberty#545AA714.4 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC14.7 Purple mountain majesty#9678B616.1 Slate blue#6A5ACD18.1 slateblue#6A5ACD18.1 Savoy blueblu Savoia#4B61D118.3

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#8372CB #BACB72

AnalogousIts neighbours

#8372CB #728ECB #AE72CB

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#8372CB #CB8272 #72CB82

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#8372CB #CBAE72 #8ECB72

TintsLighter

#8372CB #B0A6DE #DEDAF1 #F2F1F9

ShadesDarker

#8372CB #5A45BA #45348D #2F2461

Contrast with text

White text 4.01:1large text only

Black text 5.23:1passes 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.