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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)#766EC810.8 Medium purple#9370DB14.1 mediumpurple#9370DB14.1 Cornflower blue#6495ED14.8 cornflowerblue#6495ED14.8 Middle blue purple#8B72BE15.4 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC17.3 Amethyst#9966CC18.8 Savoy blueblu Savoia#4B61D119.5 UCLA Blue#2D68C419.6 True Blue#2D68C419.6 Navy blue (Crayola)#1974D219.8

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#8989EB #EBEB89

AnalogousIts neighbours

#8989EB #89BAEB #BA89EB

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#8989EB #EB8989 #89EB89

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#8989EB #EBBA89 #BAEB89

TintsLighter

#8989EB #C6C6F5 #EEEEFC #EEEEFB

ShadesDarker

#8989EB #5555E2 #2424D6 #1B1BA1

Contrast with text

White text 3.07:1large text only

Black text 6.84:1passes 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.