Colour news
Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youColour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youPigments and dyesSoulfly: Aftershock 2026Seeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26Seeing colourTony Chess ObituarySeeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision ModelCraft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessoriesPigments 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 formFestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youColour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youPigments and dyesSoulfly: Aftershock 2026Seeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26Seeing colourTony Chess ObituarySeeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision ModelCraft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessoriesPigments 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 formFestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11
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)#766EC89.8Middle blue purple#8B72BE10.3Lavender (floral)#B57EDC13.9Medium purple#9370DB14.3mediumpurple#9370DB14.3Purple mountain majesty#9678B616.2Cornflower blue#6495ED16.8cornflowerblue#6495ED16.8Amethyst#9966CC17.2Liberty#545AA720.1African violet#B284BE20.5Royal purple#7851A920.5

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel
AnalogousIts neighbours
TriadicThree evenly spaced
Split complementaryEither side of its opposite
TintsLighter
ShadesDarker

Contrast with text

White text 3.13:1large text only
Black text 6.72:1passes 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.