Skip to content

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)#766EC810.6 Medium purple#9370DB11.7 mediumpurple#9370DB11.7 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC11.7 Middle blue purple#8B72BE12.1 Amethyst#9966CC15 Purple mountain majesty#9678B618.3 Bright lilac#D891EF19.1 Cornflower blue#6495ED19.2 cornflowerblue#6495ED19.2 Royal purple#7851A920.3 Slate blue#6A5ACD21.7

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#9986E4 #D1E486

AnalogousIts neighbours

#9986E4 #86A2E4 #C886E4

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#9986E4 #E49986 #86E499

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#9986E4 #E4C886 #A2E486

TintsLighter

#9986E4 #CAC0F1 #F1EEFB #F1EFFB

ShadesDarker

#9986E4 #6E54D9 #4A2BC5 #372092

Contrast with text

White text 3.05:1large text only

Black text 6.88:1passes 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.