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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 Mauve

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.

Mauve#E0B0FF14.5 Wisteria#C9A0DC14.5 Maximum blue purple#ACACE614.8 Middle blue purple#8B72BE15.7 Purple mountain majesty#9678B616.7 Lavender (floral)#B57EDC17 African violet#B284BE17.4 Cornflower blue#6495ED18.6 cornflowerblue#6495ED18.6 Violet-blue (Crayola)#766EC819.2 Bright lilac#D891EF19.6 plum#DDA0DD19.7

Harmonies

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel

#AC9CED #DDED9C

AnalogousIts neighbours

#AC9CED #9CB4ED #D59CED

TriadicThree evenly spaced

#AC9CED #EDAC9C #9CEDAC

Split complementaryEither side of its opposite

#AC9CED #EDD59C #B4ED9C

TintsLighter

#AC9CED #DFD8F8 #F1EEFC #F1EEFB

ShadesDarker

#AC9CED #8168E3 #5634DA #3D20B1

Contrast with text

White text 2.4:1fails

Black text 8.73:1passes 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.