Colours that go with beige

Chapter 2 · Five plates with beige

Chapter 2 · From the bookHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

From the book

The two Wada combinations that contain the book colours closest to beige, measured in Lab. They have been in use for almost a century: the harmony is already proven.

167

Ecru, Pale King's Blue, Vandar Poel's Blue

#ccb79a · #b6daea · #0b4769

Light · button 3.1:1Warm and coolIts page →Open →

249

Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue

#7f3223 · #ccb79a · #dbb62c · #567178

Light · button 4.8:1All warmIts page →Open →

Chapter 2 · By ruleNamed harmonies

By rule

Three plates built from beige with a rule that can be explained: the opposite, the neighbours or a single hue with an accent. None of them comes from a roll of the dice.

R·01

Complementary

#d8c9a8 · #7c869c · #f7f3eb · #222630

The starting beige and the one opposite it on the wheel, plus a light neutral and a dark version for background and text.

Light · button 3.1:1Warm and coolOpen →

R·02

Analogous

#f7d5cd · #d8c9a8 · #a3a88c · #f7f3eb

The starting beige and its two neighbours on the wheel, plus a neutral that lets them breathe.

Light · button 3.1:1Warm and coolOpen →

R·03

Monochrome with accent

#342d1d · #d8c9a8 · #ece7dd · #7a86a0

One hue in three lights and a small accent opposite it.

Light · button 3.1:1Warm and coolOpen →

Strip: the colours in equal parts, as in kimono sample books. It is the quickest reading for comparing.

Plate 01 of 05 · Wada combination 167

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 167

Ecru#ccb79a
Pale King's Blue#b6daea
Vandar Poel's Blue#0b4769

It contains a colour very close to the starting beige (Ecru) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Ecru · Pale King's Blue · Vandar Poel's Blue.

3 colours in equal parts, as in the book. It is the inspiration, not the interface. Click one to copy it.

See this combination →

Plate · MixesThree parts to one

The three colours, mixed two by two

3 parts ecru1 part pale king's blue
3 parts pale king's blue1 part vandar poel's blue
3 parts vandar poel's blue1 part ecru
3 parts ecru1 part vandar poel's blue
3 parts pale king's blue1 part ecru
3 parts vandar poel's blue1 part pale king's blue

This is where the in-betweens the plate doesn’t carry come from: borders, card backgrounds, disabled states. The mix is done in OKLab, which is closer to mixing paint than to averaging numbers. Click the result to copy it.

On screen · the split60 · 30 · 10

Adapted for screen

The same hue as the plate with the lightness moved to where an interface needs it: the background rests, the surface keeps the colour from the book and the accent earns the button. Each role says which colour it comes from and what was done to it. Click any to copy.

60% BackgroundWhere the eye rests: most of the screen. The plate's #b6daea, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#b6daea).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #ccb79a, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 6.7:1: AA, it reads.Passes
On screen, the text #1f242a on the background #e8f8ff gives 14.3:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 97: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #9b876c stands 3.1:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.5:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes

Out in the worldAdapted

This is the plate with a whole screen to fill.

This paragraph is here so you can see real text on a real background, which is where half of the pretty palettes fall over. If it's hard to read, now you know. And this is a link.

A card

Secondary surfaces use the support colour. If it doesn't separate from the background, the hierarchy is gone.

Adapted: the background rests, the surface keeps the plate’s colour and the accent earns the button.

How to use it

ProportionDistribute, don't equalise: #e8f8ff on 60% of the screen, #b6daea on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #9b876c on 10%, only on buttons and links. A colour loses force the more surface it covers; what looks intense on the plate softens at full screen.
TextBody text goes in #1f242a, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue, even though the plate had a pair that read: a saturated colour as text tires by the third line. The book's colour enters through the heading, in #0b4769, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #9b876c stands 3.1:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #1f242a.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #b6daea leads, and the accent #9b876c is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyThree colours is the comfortable measure: background, text and one accent. Don't add a fourth unless it earns its place by contrast or by hue.
In the dictionaryIn the dictionary it sits among the contrasting-hue sets: hues deliberately set against each other. The contrast is already there; don't force it with shadows or blacks. It is one of the mixed-light ones: it already brings hierarchy. Keep it on screen: lightest at the back, darkest in front.

The kit · ramps and statesFor the design system

The kit

A brand needs four colours; an interface needs a good deal more. This is what you'd otherwise invent by hand once you take four hex codes into the editor.

Click any swatch to copy it.

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The kit · night and code167

The same plate, at night

The same colour, at night.

The background isn’t pure black: it carries a little of the accent’s hue. That’s what separates a designed dark mode from one that looks like a fault.

A button

Take it with you

/* Wada combination 167 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #e8f8ff;
  --superficie: #b6daea;
  --texto: #1f242a;
  --tinta: #1f242a;
  --texto-suave: #5d646b;
  --titular: #0b4769;
  --acento: #9b876c;
  --acento-texto: #1f242a;
  --enlace: #806e53;
  --borde: #c3d4dc;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #ccb79a;
  --lamina-2: #b6daea;
  --lamina-3: #0b4769;

  --acento-50: #faf6f1;
  --acento-100: #f1eae2;
  --acento-200: #e1d6c8;
  --acento-300: #cbbca9;
  --acento-400: #b3a089;
  --acento-500: #9b876c;
  --acento-600: #7f6d53;
  --acento-700: #64553f;
  --acento-800: #4a3e2c;
  --acento-900: #32281b;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edebe8;
  --neutro-200: #dad7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c2bdb8;
  --neutro-400: #a8a29c;
  --neutro-500: #8e8880;
  --neutro-600: #756f67;
  --neutro-700: #5b5650;
  --neutro-800: #433f3a;
  --neutro-900: #2d2926;

  --boton: #9b876c;
  --boton-encima: #88755b;
  --boton-pulsado: #736451;
  --boton-apagado: #d3cfcb;
  --foco: #a8844c;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b48;
  --error: #a45747;
  --info: #3670ac;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #25211c;
    --superficie: #322d28;
    --borde: #4c463f;
    --texto: #f0edea;
    --tinta: #f0edea;
    --texto-suave: #b3b0ad;
    --acento: #a79377;
    --acento-texto: #262320;
  }
}

Open the card →Post on LinkedIn →

Goethe’s readingWhat it conveys

What this combination conveys, and why.

Wada tells you which colours go together. Goethe, a century earlier, explains why a combination means something or means nothing, and what each colour does depending on how much of the screen it takes. His circle has six colours and three oppositions, and every verdict below carries the paragraph it comes from.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

The palette crosses both sides of the circle, active and passive. It carries the most tension and most needs one of the two to lead.

Surface · blue
Blue recedes: it draws the eye inward rather than coming out to meet it. It holds a large surface without fighting whatever sits on top. § 781
Accent · yellow
Yellow points, but it loses the moment the ground stops being smooth and bright. On screen that means shadows, gradients and small type on top. § 771
Heading · blue
Blue recedes, and an accent is asked to do the opposite. As a link it only has to be distinguishable; as a primary button it needs contrast to do the work the colour will not. § 781

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Characteristic #ccb79a · #b6daea
Yellow and blue, with green skipped. Goethe finds it poor: red is missing, and the nearness of green leaves it slight. § 819
Characteristic #ccb79a · #0b4769
Yellow and blue, with green skipped. Goethe finds it poor: red is missing, and the nearness of green leaves it slight. § 819
Same sector #b6daea · #0b4769
Both fall in the same sector of the circle. There is no hue contrast, so whatever separates them will have to be lightness. § 832
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.

Criteria taken from Zur Farbenlehre (1810), in Eastlake's 1840 translation, which is public domain. The explanations are ours: from a book you take the substance, not the wording. The light values usually credited to Goethe for working out surface proportions are not in the Farbenlehre — they are Itten's, 1961, and that is how they are credited in the adaptation rules.

Plate 02 of 05 · Wada combination 249

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 249

Hay's Russet#7f3223
Ecru#ccb79a
Olive Ocher#dbb62c
Dark Medici Blue#567178

It contains a colour very close to the starting beige (Ecru) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Hay's Russet · Ecru · Olive Ocher · Dark Medici Blue.

4 colours in equal parts, as in the book. It is the inspiration, not the interface. Click one to copy it.

See this combination →

Plate · MixesThree parts to one

The four colours, mixed two by two

3 parts hay's russet1 part ecru
3 parts ecru1 part olive ocher
3 parts olive ocher1 part dark medici blue
3 parts dark medici blue1 part hay's russet
3 parts hay's russet1 part olive ocher
3 parts ecru1 part dark medici blue
3 parts olive ocher1 part hay's russet
3 parts dark medici blue1 part ecru
3 parts hay's russet1 part dark medici blue
3 parts ecru1 part hay's russet
3 parts olive ocher1 part ecru
3 parts dark medici blue1 part olive ocher

This is where the in-betweens the plate doesn’t carry come from: borders, card backgrounds, disabled states. The mix is done in OKLab, which is closer to mixing paint than to averaging numbers. Click the result to copy it.

On screen · the split60 · 30 · 10

Adapted for screen

The same hue as the plate with the lightness moved to where an interface needs it: the background rests, the surface keeps the colour from the book and the accent earns the button. Each role says which colour it comes from and what was done to it. Click any to copy.

60% BackgroundWhere the eye rests: most of the screen. The plate's #ccb79a, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#ccb79a).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #dbb62c, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 4.5:1: AA, it reads.Passes
On screen, the text #2e211d on the background #fff3e4 gives 14.2:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 96: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #806a01 stands 4.8:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.5:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes

Out in the worldAdapted

This is the plate with a whole screen to fill.

This paragraph is here so you can see real text on a real background, which is where half of the pretty palettes fall over. If it's hard to read, now you know. And this is a link.

A card

Secondary surfaces use the support colour. If it doesn't separate from the background, the hierarchy is gone.

Adapted: the background rests, the surface keeps the plate’s colour and the accent earns the button.

How to use it

ProportionDistribute, don't equalise: #fff3e4 on 60% of the screen, #ccb79a on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #806a01 on 10%, only on buttons and links. A colour loses force the more surface it covers; what looks intense on the plate softens at full screen.
TextBody text goes in #2e211d, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue, even though the plate had a pair that read: a saturated colour as text tires by the third line. The book's colour enters through the heading, in #7f3223, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #806a01 stands 4.8:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #fbf6f0.
TemperatureAll warm: close and unified, but to make something stand out don't rely on colour, rely on light: the important thing darker or lighter than its surroundings.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #ccb79a and #7f3223 are the base, the other two are detail. If in doubt, drop the support colour before the accent.
In the dictionaryIn the dictionary it sits among the contrasting-hue sets: hues deliberately set against each other. The contrast is already there; don't force it with shadows or blacks. It is one of the pale ones: muted tones that get along; running text needs an ink from outside, near black.

The kit · ramps and statesFor the design system

The kit

A brand needs four colours; an interface needs a good deal more. This is what you'd otherwise invent by hand once you take four hex codes into the editor.

Click any swatch to copy it.

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The kit · night and code249

The same plate, at night

The same colour, at night.

The background isn’t pure black: it carries a little of the accent’s hue. That’s what separates a designed dark mode from one that looks like a fault.

A button

Take it with you

/* Wada combination 249 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #fff3e4;
  --superficie: #ccb79a;
  --texto: #2e211d;
  --tinta: #2e211d;
  --texto-suave: #715f5b;
  --titular: #7f3223;
  --acento: #806a01;
  --acento-texto: #fbf6f0;
  --enlace: #866e05;
  --borde: #dbd0c1;
  --apoyo-1: #567178;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #7f3223;
  --lamina-2: #ccb79a;
  --lamina-3: #dbb62c;
  --lamina-4: #567178;

  --acento-50: #fdf6e6;
  --acento-100: #f6eacf;
  --acento-200: #e8d6aa;
  --acento-300: #d3bc7f;
  --acento-400: #bba151;
  --acento-500: #a08727;
  --acento-600: #806a01;
  --acento-700: #685603;
  --acento-800: #4d3f02;
  --acento-900: #332902;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d9d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c1beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a6a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8c8880;
  --neutro-600: #736f67;
  --neutro-700: #5a5750;
  --neutro-800: #42403a;
  --neutro-900: #2c2a26;

  --boton: #806a01;
  --boton-encima: #6c5902;
  --boton-pulsado: #594900;
  --boton-apagado: #b5afa0;
  --foco: #806a08;

  --exito: #2f7c31;
  --aviso: #a18a2a;
  --error: #b44d3a;
  --info: #0b70b9;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #262115;
    --superficie: #342e1e;
    --borde: #4d4634;
    --texto: #f2ede4;
    --tinta: #f2ede4;
    --texto-suave: #b5b0a6;
    --acento: #ae9435;
    --acento-texto: #27231a;
  }
}

Open the card →Post on LinkedIn →

Goethe’s readingWhat it conveys

What this combination conveys, and why.

Wada tells you which colours go together. Goethe, a century earlier, explains why a combination means something or means nothing, and what each colour does depending on how much of the screen it takes. His circle has six colours and three oppositions, and every verdict below carries the paragraph it comes from.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

The whole palette sits on the active side of the circle: the colours that advance, warm and push outward.

Surface · yellow
Yellow across a large surface is a gamble. It is the least forgiving colour: the slightest drift towards green turns gold into dirt, and on screen that drift is supplied by compression or a gradient. § 770
Accent · yellow
Yellow points, but it loses the moment the ground stops being smooth and bright. On screen that means shadows, gradients and small type on top. § 771
Heading · orange
Orange in a small patch is the accent that needs no explaining: it advances, it is seen, and it does not need size to do it. § 775

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #7f3223 · #ccb79a
Adjacent on the circle, with no colour between them to keep them apart. They are saved by proportion: one has to lead and the other to follow. § 828
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
Adjacent #7f3223 · #dbb62c
Adjacent on the circle, with no colour between them to keep them apart. They are saved by proportion: one has to lead and the other to follow. § 828
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
With a neutral #7f3223 · #567178
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
Same sector #ccb79a · #dbb62c
Both fall in the same sector of the circle. There is no hue contrast, so whatever separates them will have to be lightness. § 832
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
With a neutral #ccb79a · #567178
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #dbb62c · #567178
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831

Criteria taken from Zur Farbenlehre (1810), in Eastlake's 1840 translation, which is public domain. The explanations are ours: from a book you take the substance, not the wording. The light values usually credited to Goethe for working out surface proportions are not in the Farbenlehre — they are Itten's, 1961, and that is how they are credited in the adaptation rules.

Plate 03 of 05 · Complementary

All five ↑

The plate, as printedRule of harmony · not in the book

Complementary

Accent#d8c9a8
Support#7c869c
Background#f7f3eb
Text#222630

The starting beige and the one opposite it on the wheel, plus a light neutral and a dark version for background and text. For brands that want attention: the accent jumps out because the eye reads it as the opposite of everything else.

The colours the rule gives, raw and in equal parts. It is the starting point, not the interface. Click one to copy it.

Plate · MixesThree parts to one

The four colours, mixed two by two

3 parts #d8c9a81 part #7c869c
3 parts #7c869c1 part #f7f3eb
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #222630
3 parts #2226301 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #f7f3eb
3 parts #7c869c1 part #222630
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #2226301 part #7c869c
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #222630
3 parts #7c869c1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #7c869c
3 parts #2226301 part #f7f3eb

This is where the in-betweens the plate doesn’t carry come from: borders, card backgrounds, disabled states. The mix is done in OKLab, which is closer to mixing paint than to averaging numbers. Click the result to copy it.

On screen · the split60 · 30 · 10

Adapted for screen

60% BackgroundWhere the eye rests: most of the screen. The plate's #f7f3eb, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #f7f3eb, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #d8c9a8, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 13.6:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #232425 on the background #f7f5f0 gives 14.2:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 97: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #96896a stands 3.1:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.5:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes

Out in the worldAdapted

This is the plate with a whole screen to fill.

This paragraph is here so you can see real text on a real background, which is where half of the pretty palettes fall over. If it's hard to read, now you know. And this is a link.

A card

Secondary surfaces use the support colour. If it doesn't separate from the background, the hierarchy is gone.

Adapted: the background rests, the surface keeps the plate’s colour and the accent earns the button.

How to use it

ProportionDistribute, don't equalise: #f7f5f0 on 60% of the screen, #e6e2da on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #96896a on 10%, only on buttons and links. A colour loses force the more surface it covers; what looks intense on the plate softens at full screen.
TextBody text goes in #232425, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue, even though the plate had a pair that read: a saturated colour as text tires by the third line. The book's colour enters through the heading, in #222630, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #96896a stands 3.1:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #232425.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #e6e2da leads, and the accent #96896a is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e6e2da and #222630 are the base, the other two are detail. If in doubt, drop the support colour before the accent.

The kit · ramps and statesFor the design system

The kit

A brand needs four colours; an interface needs a good deal more. This is what you'd otherwise invent by hand once you take four hex codes into the editor.

Click any swatch to copy it.

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The kit · night and codeR·01

The same plate, at night

The same colour, at night.

The background isn’t pure black: it carries a little of the accent’s hue. That’s what separates a designed dark mode from one that looks like a fault.

A button

Take it with you

/* Complementary — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #f7f5f0;
  --superficie: #e6e2da;
  --texto: #232425;
  --tinta: #232425;
  --texto-suave: #626365;
  --titular: #222630;
  --acento: #96896a;
  --acento-texto: #232425;
  --enlace: #7c6f52;
  --borde: #d3d1cd;
  --apoyo-1: #7c869c;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #d8c9a8;
  --lamina-2: #7c869c;
  --lamina-3: #f7f3eb;
  --lamina-4: #222630;

  --acento-50: #f9f6f1;
  --acento-100: #efebe1;
  --acento-200: #ded6c7;
  --acento-300: #c7bda8;
  --acento-400: #aea287;
  --acento-500: #96896a;
  --acento-600: #7a6e51;
  --acento-700: #60563d;
  --acento-800: #473f2b;
  --acento-900: #2f291a;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d9d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c1beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a6a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8d8880;
  --neutro-600: #736f67;
  --neutro-700: #5a5750;
  --neutro-800: #42403a;
  --neutro-900: #2c2a26;

  --boton: #96896a;
  --boton-encima: #847759;
  --boton-pulsado: #70664f;
  --boton-apagado: #d2d0ca;
  --foco: #9e8849;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b48;
  --error: #a45747;
  --info: #3670ac;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #24211c;
    --superficie: #312e27;
    --borde: #4a463e;
    --texto: #efeeea;
    --tinta: #efeeea;
    --texto-suave: #b2b0ac;
    --acento: #a29575;
    --acento-texto: #252320;
  }
}

Open the card →Post on LinkedIn →

Goethe’s readingWhat it conveys

What this combination conveys, and why.

Wada tells you which colours go together. Goethe, a century earlier, explains why a combination means something or means nothing, and what each colour does depending on how much of the screen it takes. His circle has six colours and three oppositions, and every verdict below carries the paragraph it comes from.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

The palette crosses both sides of the circle, active and passive. It carries the most tension and most needs one of the two to lead.

Accent · yellow
Yellow points, but it loses the moment the ground stops being smooth and bright. On screen that means shadows, gradients and small type on top. § 771

What is happening to this palette

Every colour below the point where a colour asserts itself. It is the opposite failure to motley, and Goethe puts it down to fear: for want of going too far, nothing gets said. § 894

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Characteristic #d8c9a8 · #7c869c
Yellow and blue, with green skipped. Goethe finds it poor: red is missing, and the nearness of green leaves it slight. § 819
With a neutral #d8c9a8 · #f7f3eb
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #d8c9a8 · #222630
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #7c869c · #f7f3eb
Next to white, a colour from the passive side gains in liveliness. § 831
With a neutral #7c869c · #222630
Next to black, a colour from the passive side loses. § 831
With a neutral #f7f3eb · #222630
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831

Criteria taken from Zur Farbenlehre (1810), in Eastlake's 1840 translation, which is public domain. The explanations are ours: from a book you take the substance, not the wording. The light values usually credited to Goethe for working out surface proportions are not in the Farbenlehre — they are Itten's, 1961, and that is how they are credited in the adaptation rules.

Plate 04 of 05 · Analogous

All five ↑

The plate, as printedRule of harmony · not in the book

Analogous

Accent#f7d5cd
Support#d8c9a8
Text#a3a88c
Background#f7f3eb

The starting beige and its two neighbours on the wheel, plus a neutral that lets them breathe. For calm brands: everything looks like one family and nothing shouts.

The colours the rule gives, raw and in equal parts. It is the starting point, not the interface. Click one to copy it.

Plate · MixesThree parts to one

The four colours, mixed two by two

3 parts #f7d5cd1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #a3a88c
3 parts #a3a88c1 part #f7f3eb
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #f7d5cd
3 parts #f7d5cd1 part #a3a88c
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #f7f3eb
3 parts #a3a88c1 part #f7d5cd
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #f7d5cd1 part #f7f3eb
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #f7d5cd
3 parts #a3a88c1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #f7f3eb1 part #a3a88c

This is where the in-betweens the plate doesn’t carry come from: borders, card backgrounds, disabled states. The mix is done in OKLab, which is closer to mixing paint than to averaging numbers. Click the result to copy it.

On screen · the split60 · 30 · 10

Adapted for screen

60% BackgroundWhere the eye rests: most of the screen. The plate's #f7f3eb, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #f7f3eb, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #f7d5cd, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 2.2:1: does not read.Falls short
On screen, the text #232420 on the background #f7f5f0 gives 14.3:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 97: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #a3847d stands 3.1:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.7:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes

Out in the worldAdapted

This is the plate with a whole screen to fill.

This paragraph is here so you can see real text on a real background, which is where half of the pretty palettes fall over. If it's hard to read, now you know. And this is a link.

A card

Secondary surfaces use the support colour. If it doesn't separate from the background, the hierarchy is gone.

Adapted: the background rests, the surface keeps the plate’s colour and the accent earns the button.

How to use it

ProportionDistribute, don't equalise: #f7f5f0 on 60% of the screen, #e6e2da on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #a3847d on 10%, only on buttons and links. A colour loses force the more surface it covers; what looks intense on the plate softens at full screen.
TextNo pair on the plate read as text (the best gave 2.2:1). That is why body text goes in #232420, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #a3847d stands 3.1:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #232420.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #e6e2da leads, and the accent #a3847d is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e6e2da and #6a6f55 are the base, the other two are detail. If in doubt, drop the support colour before the accent.

The kit · ramps and statesFor the design system

The kit

A brand needs four colours; an interface needs a good deal more. This is what you'd otherwise invent by hand once you take four hex codes into the editor.

Click any swatch to copy it.

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The kit · night and codeR·02

The same plate, at night

The same colour, at night.

The background isn’t pure black: it carries a little of the accent’s hue. That’s what separates a designed dark mode from one that looks like a fault.

A button

Take it with you

/* Analogous — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #f7f5f0;
  --superficie: #e6e2da;
  --texto: #232420;
  --tinta: #232420;
  --texto-suave: #63645f;
  --titular: #6a6f55;
  --acento: #a3847d;
  --acento-texto: #232420;
  --enlace: #83665f;
  --borde: #d3d1cd;
  --apoyo-1: #d8c9a8;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #f7d5cd;
  --lamina-2: #d8c9a8;
  --lamina-3: #a3a88c;
  --lamina-4: #f7f3eb;

  --acento-50: #fbf5f4;
  --acento-100: #f3e9e7;
  --acento-200: #e4d4d0;
  --acento-300: #d0b9b4;
  --acento-400: #b99d97;
  --acento-500: #a3847d;
  --acento-600: #866962;
  --acento-700: #6a514c;
  --acento-800: #4f3b37;
  --acento-900: #352623;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #eeeae9;
  --neutro-200: #dcd6d4;
  --neutro-300: #c5bcba;
  --neutro-400: #aba19e;
  --neutro-500: #928684;
  --neutro-600: #786d6b;
  --neutro-700: #5f5553;
  --neutro-800: #463e3c;
  --neutro-900: #2e2927;

  --boton: #a3847d;
  --boton-encima: #90726b;
  --boton-pulsado: #78635e;
  --boton-apagado: #d5d0cf;
  --foco: #be796b;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b48;
  --error: #a45747;
  --info: #3670ac;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #26201f;
    --superficie: #342d2b;
    --borde: #4d4543;
    --texto: #f1edec;
    --tinta: #f1edec;
    --texto-suave: #b4b0af;
    --acento: #ae8f88;
    --acento-texto: #262322;
  }
}

Open the card →Post on LinkedIn →

Goethe’s readingWhat it conveys

What this combination conveys, and why.

Wada tells you which colours go together. Goethe, a century earlier, explains why a combination means something or means nothing, and what each colour does depending on how much of the screen it takes. His circle has six colours and three oppositions, and every verdict below carries the paragraph it comes from.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

The whole palette sits on the active side of the circle: the colours that advance, warm and push outward.

Accent · orange
Orange in a small patch is the accent that needs no explaining: it advances, it is seen, and it does not need size to do it. § 775
Heading · yellow
Yellow points, but it loses the moment the ground stops being smooth and bright. On screen that means shadows, gradients and small type on top. § 771

What is happening to this palette

#f7d5cd and #d8c9a8 are neighbours on the circle and only 6 points of lightness apart. This is the failure Goethe describes without naming it: well-chosen colours placed at the wrong value. They vibrate, and neither can be read on top of the other. § 899
Every colour below the point where a colour asserts itself. It is the opposite failure to motley, and Goethe puts it down to fear: for want of going too far, nothing gets said. § 894

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #f7d5cd · #d8c9a8
Adjacent on the circle, with no colour between them to keep them apart. They are saved by proportion: one has to lead and the other to follow. § 828
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
Adjacent #f7d5cd · #a3a88c
Adjacent on the circle, with no colour between them to keep them apart. They are saved by proportion: one has to lead and the other to follow. § 828
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
With a neutral #f7d5cd · #f7f3eb
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Same sector #d8c9a8 · #a3a88c
Both fall in the same sector of the circle. There is no hue contrast, so whatever separates them will have to be lightness. § 832
This verdict is ours. Goethe judges four of the six pairs in this group and says so himself, or one of the two colours sits right between two sectors of the circle.
With a neutral #d8c9a8 · #f7f3eb
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #a3a88c · #f7f3eb
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831

Criteria taken from Zur Farbenlehre (1810), in Eastlake's 1840 translation, which is public domain. The explanations are ours: from a book you take the substance, not the wording. The light values usually credited to Goethe for working out surface proportions are not in the Farbenlehre — they are Itten's, 1961, and that is how they are credited in the adaptation rules.

Plate 05 of 05 · Monochrome with accent

All five ↑

The plate, as printedRule of harmony · not in the book

Monochrome with accent

Text#342d1d
Accent#d8c9a8
Background#ece7dd
Support#7a86a0

One hue in three lights and a small accent opposite it. The one studios use most: the brand is recognised by one colour and the accent does the work of pointing at buttons and links.

The colours the rule gives, raw and in equal parts. It is the starting point, not the interface. Click one to copy it.

Plate · MixesThree parts to one

The four colours, mixed two by two

3 parts #342d1d1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #ece7dd
3 parts #ece7dd1 part #7a86a0
3 parts #7a86a01 part #342d1d
3 parts #342d1d1 part #ece7dd
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #7a86a0
3 parts #ece7dd1 part #342d1d
3 parts #7a86a01 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #342d1d1 part #7a86a0
3 parts #d8c9a81 part #342d1d
3 parts #ece7dd1 part #d8c9a8
3 parts #7a86a01 part #ece7dd

This is where the in-betweens the plate doesn’t carry come from: borders, card backgrounds, disabled states. The mix is done in OKLab, which is closer to mixing paint than to averaging numbers. Click the result to copy it.

On screen · the split60 · 30 · 10

Adapted for screen

60% BackgroundWhere the eye rests: most of the screen. The plate's #ece7dd, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#ece7dd).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #d8c9a8, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 11.0:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #252321 on the background #f8f5ef gives 14.3:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 97: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #96896a stands 3.1:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.5:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes

Out in the worldAdapted

This is the plate with a whole screen to fill.

This paragraph is here so you can see real text on a real background, which is where half of the pretty palettes fall over. If it's hard to read, now you know. And this is a link.

A card

Secondary surfaces use the support colour. If it doesn't separate from the background, the hierarchy is gone.

Adapted: the background rests, the surface keeps the plate’s colour and the accent earns the button.

How to use it

ProportionDistribute, don't equalise: #f8f5ef on 60% of the screen, #ece7dd on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #96896a on 10%, only on buttons and links. A colour loses force the more surface it covers; what looks intense on the plate softens at full screen.
TextBody text goes in #252321, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue, even though the plate had a pair that read: a saturated colour as text tires by the third line. The book's colour enters through the heading, in #342d1d, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #96896a stands 3.1:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #252321.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #ece7dd leads, and the accent #96896a is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #ece7dd and #342d1d are the base, the other two are detail. If in doubt, drop the support colour before the accent.

The kit · ramps and statesFor the design system

The kit

A brand needs four colours; an interface needs a good deal more. This is what you'd otherwise invent by hand once you take four hex codes into the editor.

Click any swatch to copy it.

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The kit · night and codeR·03

The same plate, at night

The same colour, at night.

The background isn’t pure black: it carries a little of the accent’s hue. That’s what separates a designed dark mode from one that looks like a fault.

A button

Take it with you

/* Monochrome with accent — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #f8f5ef;
  --superficie: #ece7dd;
  --texto: #252321;
  --tinta: #252321;
  --texto-suave: #65635f;
  --titular: #342d1d;
  --acento: #96896a;
  --acento-texto: #252321;
  --enlace: #7c6f52;
  --borde: #d4d1cc;
  --apoyo-1: #7a86a0;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #342d1d;
  --lamina-2: #d8c9a8;
  --lamina-3: #ece7dd;
  --lamina-4: #7a86a0;

  --acento-50: #f9f6f1;
  --acento-100: #efebe1;
  --acento-200: #ded6c7;
  --acento-300: #c7bda8;
  --acento-400: #aea287;
  --acento-500: #96896a;
  --acento-600: #7a6e51;
  --acento-700: #60563d;
  --acento-800: #473f2b;
  --acento-900: #2f291a;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d9d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c1beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a6a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8d8880;
  --neutro-600: #736f67;
  --neutro-700: #5a5750;
  --neutro-800: #42403a;
  --neutro-900: #2c2a26;

  --boton: #96896a;
  --boton-encima: #847759;
  --boton-pulsado: #70664f;
  --boton-apagado: #d2d0ca;
  --foco: #9e8849;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b48;
  --error: #a45747;
  --info: #3670ac;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #24211c;
    --superficie: #312e27;
    --borde: #4a463e;
    --texto: #efeeea;
    --tinta: #efeeea;
    --texto-suave: #b2b0ac;
    --acento: #a29575;
    --acento-texto: #252320;
  }
}

Open the card →Post on LinkedIn →

Goethe’s readingWhat it conveys

What this combination conveys, and why.

Wada tells you which colours go together. Goethe, a century earlier, explains why a combination means something or means nothing, and what each colour does depending on how much of the screen it takes. His circle has six colours and three oppositions, and every verdict below carries the paragraph it comes from.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

The palette crosses both sides of the circle, active and passive. It carries the most tension and most needs one of the two to lead.

Accent · yellow
Yellow points, but it loses the moment the ground stops being smooth and bright. On screen that means shadows, gradients and small type on top. § 771

What is happening to this palette

Every colour below the point where a colour asserts itself. It is the opposite failure to motley, and Goethe puts it down to fear: for want of going too far, nothing gets said. § 894

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

With a neutral #342d1d · #d8c9a8
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #342d1d · #ece7dd
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #342d1d · #7a86a0
Next to black, a colour from the passive side loses. § 831
With a neutral #d8c9a8 · #ece7dd
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Characteristic #d8c9a8 · #7a86a0
Yellow and blue, with green skipped. Goethe finds it poor: red is missing, and the nearness of green leaves it slight. § 819
With a neutral #ece7dd · #7a86a0
Next to white, a colour from the passive side gains in liveliness. § 831

Criteria taken from Zur Farbenlehre (1810), in Eastlake's 1840 translation, which is public domain. The explanations are ours: from a book you take the substance, not the wording. The light values usually credited to Goethe for working out surface proportions are not in the Farbenlehre — they are Itten's, 1961, and that is how they are credited in the adaptation rules.

What goes with beige

Five palettes with beige, each with a reason.

Ecru, Pale King's Blue, Vandar Poel's Blue

Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue

Complementary

Analogous

Monochrome with accent

Wada combination 167

The three colours, mixed two by two

Adapted for screen

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

How to use it

The kit

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The same plate, at night

Take it with you

What this combination conveys, and why.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

How each pair reads on the circle

Wada combination 249

The four colours, mixed two by two

Adapted for screen

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

How to use it

The kit

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The same plate, at night

Take it with you

What this combination conveys, and why.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

How each pair reads on the circle

Complementary

The four colours, mixed two by two

Adapted for screen

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

How to use it

The kit

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The same plate, at night

Take it with you

What this combination conveys, and why.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

What is happening to this palette

How each pair reads on the circle

Analogous

The four colours, mixed two by two

Adapted for screen

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

How to use it

The kit

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts

The same plate, at night

Take it with you

What this combination conveys, and why.

What it conveys, by where each colour landed

What is happening to this palette

How each pair reads on the circle

Monochrome with accent

The four colours, mixed two by two

Adapted for screen

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

How to use it

The kit

The accent’s tints

The neutrals, tinted with the accent

Button states and alerts