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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)#766EC811.6 Cornflower blue#6495ED13.3 cornflowerblue#6495ED13.3 Middle blue purple#8B72BE15.5 Medium purple#9370DB15.8 mediumpurple#9370DB15.8 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC18.2 Bleu de France#318CE718.8 Dodger blue#1E90FF19.4 dodgerblue#1E90FF19.4 Navy blue (Crayola)#1974D219.5 UCLA Blue#2D68C419.7

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#898CEC #ECE889

AnalogousIts neighbours

#898CEC #89BDEC #B789EC

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#898CEC #EC898C #8CEC89

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#898CEC #ECB789 #BDEC89

TintsLighter

#898CEC #C6C8F6 #EDEEFC #EEEFFC

ShadesDarker

#898CEC #5459E3 #2329D7 #1A1FA2

Contrast with text

White text 2.99:1fails

Black text 7.03:1passes AAA

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.