Colours that go with brown

Chapter 2 · Five plates with brown

Chapter 2 · From the bookHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

From the book

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

160

Sulphine Yellow, Pale Raw Umber, Dark Medici Blue

#c7a308 · #79522c · #567178

Dark · button 3:1All warmIts page →Open →

234

Cinnamon Buff, Pale Raw Umber, Pale King's Blue

#fcca7f · #79522c · #b6daea

Light · button 3:1Warm and coolIts page →Open →

Chapter 2 · By ruleNamed harmonies

By rule

Three plates built from brown 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

#7a4a2b · #769db9 · #faf1ec · #172934

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

Light · button 6.7:1Warm and coolOpen →

R·02

Analogous

#9e696c · #7a4a2b · #3e3805 · #faf1ec

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

Light · button 6.7:1All warmOpen →

R·03

Monochrome with accent

#412716 · #7a4a2b · #f6e4da · #6e9ebf

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

Light · button 6.7:1Warm 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 160

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 160

Sulphine Yellow#c7a308
Pale Raw Umber#79522c
Dark Medici Blue#567178

It contains a colour very close to the starting brown (Pale Raw Umber) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Sulphine Yellow · Pale Raw Umber · Dark Medici 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 sulphine yellow1 part pale raw umber
3 parts pale raw umber1 part dark medici blue
3 parts dark medici blue1 part sulphine yellow
3 parts sulphine yellow1 part dark medici blue
3 parts pale raw umber1 part sulphine yellow
3 parts dark medici blue1 part pale raw umber

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 #79522c, darkened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#79522c).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. From the plate, as is (#567178).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 2.8:1: does not read.Falls short
On screen, the text #f2ede4 on the background #2c1f14 gives 13.7:1: AAA, reads with room to spare. APCA gives Lc 94: good for small text, the kind you read a paragraph of.Passes
The accent #567178 stands 3.0:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.7:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes
Under deuteranopia, your accent and your background drop to 2.9:1. The button stops standing out: give it a border, change the lightness, or don't rely on colour alone to mark it.Falls short

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: #2c1f14 on 60% of the screen, #79522c on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #567178 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 2.8:1). That is why body text goes in #f2ede4, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #567178 stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #fdf5ef.
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 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 dark ones: it needs light text and large surfaces; in small pieces it clogs.

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 code160

The same plate, by day

The same colour, by day.

The palette is born dark; this is its light version. The background is not pure white: it carries a little of its hue, just as the dark one was not black.

A button

Take it with you

/* Wada combination 160 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #2c1f14;
  --superficie: #79522c;
  --texto: #f2ede4;
  --tinta: #f2ede4;
  --texto-suave: #b7b0a2;
  --titular: #c7a308;
  --acento: #567178;
  --acento-texto: #fdf5ef;
  --enlace: #749097;
  --borde: #544436;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #c7a308;
  --lamina-2: #79522c;
  --lamina-3: #567178;

  --acento-50: #f3f7f8;
  --acento-100: #e4ecef;
  --acento-200: #ccd9dd;
  --acento-300: #afc1c6;
  --acento-400: #8fa7ae;
  --acento-500: #728d95;
  --acento-600: #567178;
  --acento-700: #445b61;
  --acento-800: #304348;
  --acento-900: #1e2c30;
  --neutro-50: #f5f7f7;
  --neutro-100: #e8eced;
  --neutro-200: #d2d8da;
  --neutro-300: #b7c0c2;
  --neutro-400: #9aa5a8;
  --neutro-500: #7f8b8e;
  --neutro-600: #667275;
  --neutro-700: #4f595c;
  --neutro-800: #394143;
  --neutro-900: #252b2d;

  --boton: #567178;
  --boton-encima: #67838a;
  --boton-pulsado: #829398;
  --boton-apagado: #36393a;
  --foco: #04778a;

  --exito: #83b87e;
  --aviso: #cbb570;
  --error: #ea9582;
  --info: #7daef0;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: light) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #f1f6f7;
    --superficie: #e3e9eb;
    --borde: #cbd3d5;
    --texto: #212425;
    --tinta: #212425;
    --texto-suave: #606465;
    --acento: #567178;
    --acento-texto: #f4f7f8;
  }
}

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 · orange
Orange fills a surface with energy and never lets go. It works if the rest of the palette keeps quiet; otherwise it tires before the first screenful is over. § 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

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #c7a308 · #79522c
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
With a neutral #c7a308 · #567178
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #79522c · #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 02 of 05 · Wada combination 234

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 234

Cinnamon Buff#fcca7f
Pale Raw Umber#79522c
Pale King's Blue#b6daea

It contains a colour very close to the starting brown (Pale Raw Umber) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Cinnamon Buff · Pale Raw Umber · Pale King'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 cinnamon buff1 part pale raw umber
3 parts pale raw umber1 part pale king's blue
3 parts pale king's blue1 part cinnamon buff
3 parts cinnamon buff1 part pale king's blue
3 parts pale raw umber1 part cinnamon buff
3 parts pale king's blue1 part pale raw umber

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 #fcca7f, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 4.6:1: AA, it reads.Passes
On screen, the text #29221d 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 #b0853d stands 3.0:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.6:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes
Under deuteranopia, your accent and your background drop to 2.8:1. The button stops standing out: give it a border, change the lightness, or don't rely on colour alone to mark it.Falls short

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 #b0853d 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 #29221d, 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 #79522c, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #b0853d stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #29221d.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #b6daea leads, and the accent #b0853d 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 code234

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 234 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #e8f8ff;
  --superficie: #b6daea;
  --texto: #29221d;
  --tinta: #29221d;
  --texto-suave: #6b615a;
  --titular: #79522c;
  --acento: #b0853d;
  --acento-texto: #29221d;
  --enlace: #8e671f;
  --borde: #c3d4dc;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #fcca7f;
  --lamina-2: #79522c;
  --lamina-3: #b6daea;

  --acento-50: #fff5e9;
  --acento-100: #fae8d3;
  --acento-200: #eed3b1;
  --acento-300: #dbb988;
  --acento-400: #c59c5e;
  --acento-500: #b0853d;
  --acento-600: #8f6923;
  --acento-700: #725114;
  --acento-800: #553b09;
  --acento-900: #392701;
  --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: #b0853d;
  --boton-encima: #9c732c;
  --boton-pulsado: #876323;
  --boton-apagado: #dbd1c5;
  --foco: #b9820d;

  --exito: #3b7a3a;
  --aviso: #a08a3a;
  --error: #ad5240;
  --info: #1270b8;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #282015;
    --superficie: #372d1f;
    --borde: #514535;
    --texto: #f3ede5;
    --tinta: #f3ede5;
    --texto-suave: #b7afa7;
    --acento: #ba8e46;
    --acento-texto: #29231b;
  }
}

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 · 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 #fcca7f · #79522c
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
Characteristic #fcca7f · #b6daea
Yellow and blue, with green skipped. Goethe finds it poor: red is missing, and the nearness of green leaves it slight. § 819
Opposite #79522c · #b6daea
Opposite on the circle: together they complete what the eye asks for on its own. It is the only category Goethe approves without reservation. § 810

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#7a4a2b
Support#769db9
Background#faf1ec
Text#172934

The starting brown 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 #7a4a2b1 part #769db9
3 parts #769db91 part #faf1ec
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #172934
3 parts #1729341 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #faf1ec
3 parts #769db91 part #172934
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #1729341 part #769db9
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #172934
3 parts #769db91 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #769db9
3 parts #1729341 part #faf1ec

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 #faf1ec, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #faf1ec, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. From the plate, as is (#7a4a2b).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 13.4:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #212426 on the background #f9f4f1 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 #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 6.7:1 (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: #f9f4f1 on 60% of the screen, #e9e0db on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #7a4a2b 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 #212426, 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 #172934, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #f8f6f5.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #e9e0db leads, and the accent #7a4a2b is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e9e0db and #172934 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: #f9f4f1;
  --superficie: #e9e0db;
  --texto: #212426;
  --tinta: #212426;
  --texto-suave: #606466;
  --titular: #172934;
  --acento: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-texto: #f8f6f5;
  --enlace: #7a4a2b;
  --borde: #d5d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #769db9;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #7a4a2b;
  --lamina-2: #769db9;
  --lamina-3: #faf1ec;
  --lamina-4: #172934;

  --acento-50: #fff4ee;
  --acento-100: #fbe7dd;
  --acento-200: #f0d1c0;
  --acento-300: #dfb69e;
  --acento-400: #ca987a;
  --acento-500: #b37d5b;
  --acento-600: #966444;
  --acento-700: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-800: #5a3822;
  --acento-900: #3e2413;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edeae9;
  --neutro-200: #dbd6d3;
  --neutro-300: #c4bdb9;
  --neutro-400: #aaa19d;
  --neutro-500: #918782;
  --neutro-600: #776e69;
  --neutro-700: #5d5651;
  --neutro-800: #453f3b;
  --neutro-900: #2e2926;

  --boton: #7a4a2b;
  --boton-encima: #673a1c;
  --boton-pulsado: #522c13;
  --boton-apagado: #9f958f;
  --foco: #89420e;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2a1f1a;
    --superficie: #382c24;
    --borde: #53443a;
    --texto: #f4ece9;
    --tinta: #f4ece9;
    --texto-suave: #b7afab;
    --acento: #c18967;
    --acento-texto: #29221e;
  }
}

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 · 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

Opposite #7a4a2b · #769db9
Opposite on the circle: together they complete what the eye asks for on its own. It is the only category Goethe approves without reservation. § 810
With a neutral #7a4a2b · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #7a4a2b · #172934
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #769db9 · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the passive side gains in liveliness. § 831
With a neutral #769db9 · #172934
Next to black, a colour from the passive side loses. § 831
With a neutral #faf1ec · #172934
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

Support#9e696c
Accent#7a4a2b
Text#3e3805
Background#faf1ec

The starting brown 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 #9e696c1 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #3e3805
3 parts #3e38051 part #faf1ec
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #9e696c
3 parts #9e696c1 part #3e3805
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #faf1ec
3 parts #3e38051 part #9e696c
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #9e696c1 part #faf1ec
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #9e696c
3 parts #3e38051 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #3e3805

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 #faf1ec, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #faf1ec, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. From the plate, as is (#7a4a2b).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 10.6:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #26241c on the background #f9f4f1 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 #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 6.7:1 (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: #f9f4f1 on 60% of the screen, #e9e0db on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #7a4a2b 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 #26241c, 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 #3e3805, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #f8f6f5.
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: #e9e0db and #3e3805 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: #f9f4f1;
  --superficie: #e9e0db;
  --texto: #26241c;
  --tinta: #26241c;
  --texto-suave: #666359;
  --titular: #3e3805;
  --acento: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-texto: #f8f6f5;
  --enlace: #7a4a2b;
  --borde: #d5d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #9e696c;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #9e696c;
  --lamina-2: #7a4a2b;
  --lamina-3: #3e3805;
  --lamina-4: #faf1ec;

  --acento-50: #fff4ee;
  --acento-100: #fbe7dd;
  --acento-200: #f0d1c0;
  --acento-300: #dfb69e;
  --acento-400: #ca987a;
  --acento-500: #b37d5b;
  --acento-600: #966444;
  --acento-700: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-800: #5a3822;
  --acento-900: #3e2413;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edeae9;
  --neutro-200: #dbd6d3;
  --neutro-300: #c4bdb9;
  --neutro-400: #aaa19d;
  --neutro-500: #918782;
  --neutro-600: #776e69;
  --neutro-700: #5d5651;
  --neutro-800: #453f3b;
  --neutro-900: #2e2926;

  --boton: #7a4a2b;
  --boton-encima: #673a1c;
  --boton-pulsado: #522c13;
  --boton-apagado: #9f958f;
  --foco: #89420e;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2a1f1a;
    --superficie: #382c24;
    --borde: #53443a;
    --texto: #f4ece9;
    --tinta: #f4ece9;
    --texto-suave: #b7afab;
    --acento: #c18967;
    --acento-texto: #29221e;
  }
}

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

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #9e696c · #7a4a2b
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
Characteristic #9e696c · #3e3805
Yellow and red, with orange skipped between them. The characteristic pair he thinks best: serene and magnificent. § 820
With a neutral #9e696c · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Adjacent #7a4a2b · #3e3805
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
With a neutral #7a4a2b · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #3e3805 · #faf1ec
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#412716
Accent#7a4a2b
Background#f6e4da
Support#6e9ebf

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 #4127161 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #f6e4da
3 parts #f6e4da1 part #6e9ebf
3 parts #6e9ebf1 part #412716
3 parts #4127161 part #f6e4da
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #6e9ebf
3 parts #f6e4da1 part #412716
3 parts #6e9ebf1 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #4127161 part #6e9ebf
3 parts #7a4a2b1 part #412716
3 parts #f6e4da1 part #7a4a2b
3 parts #6e9ebf1 part #f6e4da

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 #f6e4da, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#f6e4da).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. From the plate, as is (#7a4a2b).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 11.1:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #282320 on the background #fef3ed 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 #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 6.7:1 (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: #fef3ed on 60% of the screen, #f6e4da on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #7a4a2b 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 #282320, 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 #412716, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #7a4a2b stands 6.7:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #f9f6f4.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #f6e4da leads, and the accent #7a4a2b is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #f6e4da and #412716 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: #fef3ed;
  --superficie: #f6e4da;
  --texto: #282320;
  --tinta: #282320;
  --texto-suave: #69625e;
  --titular: #412716;
  --acento: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-texto: #f9f6f4;
  --enlace: #7a4a2b;
  --borde: #d9d0cb;
  --apoyo-1: #6e9ebf;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #412716;
  --lamina-2: #7a4a2b;
  --lamina-3: #f6e4da;
  --lamina-4: #6e9ebf;

  --acento-50: #fff4ee;
  --acento-100: #fbe7dd;
  --acento-200: #f0d1c0;
  --acento-300: #dfb69e;
  --acento-400: #ca987a;
  --acento-500: #b37d5b;
  --acento-600: #966444;
  --acento-700: #7a4a2b;
  --acento-800: #5a3822;
  --acento-900: #3e2413;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edeae9;
  --neutro-200: #dbd6d3;
  --neutro-300: #c4bdb9;
  --neutro-400: #aaa19d;
  --neutro-500: #918782;
  --neutro-600: #776e69;
  --neutro-700: #5d5651;
  --neutro-800: #453f3b;
  --neutro-900: #2e2926;

  --boton: #7a4a2b;
  --boton-encima: #673a1c;
  --boton-pulsado: #522c13;
  --boton-apagado: #9f958f;
  --foco: #89420e;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2a1f1a;
    --superficie: #382c24;
    --borde: #53443a;
    --texto: #f4ece9;
    --tinta: #f4ece9;
    --texto-suave: #b7afab;
    --acento: #c18967;
    --acento-texto: #29221e;
  }
}

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 and 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

Same sector #412716 · #7a4a2b
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 #412716 · #f6e4da
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Opposite #412716 · #6e9ebf
Opposite on the circle: together they complete what the eye asks for on its own. It is the only category Goethe approves without reservation. § 810
With a neutral #7a4a2b · #f6e4da
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Opposite #7a4a2b · #6e9ebf
Opposite on the circle: together they complete what the eye asks for on its own. It is the only category Goethe approves without reservation. § 810
With a neutral #f6e4da · #6e9ebf
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 brown

Five palettes with brown, each with a reason.

Sulphine Yellow, Pale Raw Umber, Dark Medici Blue

Cinnamon Buff, Pale Raw Umber, Pale King's Blue

Complementary

Analogous

Monochrome with accent

Wada combination 160

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, by day

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 234

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

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

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

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

The same plate, at night

Take it with you