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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)#766EC813.3 Cornflower blue#6495ED14.4 cornflowerblue#6495ED14.4 Middle blue purple#8B72BE14.9 Medium purple#9370DB16.7 mediumpurple#9370DB16.7 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC16.7 Purple mountain majesty#9678B619.9 Amethyst#9966CC20.5 Bleu de France#318CE720.9 Mauve#E0B0FF21.7 Maximum blue purple#ACACE622

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#9591EE #E9EE91

AnalogousIts neighbours

#9591EE #91BBEE #C491EE

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#9591EE #EE9591 #91EE95

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#9591EE #EEC491 #BBEE91

TintsLighter

#9591EE #D1CEF7 #EEEDFC #EFEEFC

ShadesDarker

#9591EE #635CE6 #3027DD #221BAC

Contrast with text

White text 2.78:1fails

Black text 7.56:1passes 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.