Colour news
Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youSeeing 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 1/11FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11FestivalsPhotos of the weekColour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youSeeing 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 1/11FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11FestivalsPhotos of the week
Rang

The colour lab

Close to Purple mountain majesty

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.

Purple mountain majesty#9678B67.1Middle blue purple#8B72BE7.8African violet#B284BE11.4Wisteria#C9A0DC14.8Violet-blue (Crayola)#766EC815.4Fujimurasaki藤紫#875F9A16.1Lavender (floral)#B57EDC16.6Fuji-iro藤色#89729E16.6Maximum blue purple#ACACE617Shion-iro紫苑色#976E9A18.1Blue bell#A2A2D018.8French lilac#86608E19.9

Harmonies

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

Contrast with text

White text 3.17:1large text only
Black text 6.62:1passes 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.