Colours that go with orange

Chapter 2 · Five plates with orange

Chapter 2 · From the bookHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

From the book

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

222

Yellow Ocher, Yellow Orange, Orange Rufous

#e6b730 · #f59c00 · #c46715

Light · button 3.1:1All warmIts page →Open →

244

Light Brown Drab, Vinaceous Tawny, Andover Green, Antwarp Blue

#be9f9e · #c75b16 · #728179 · #006984

Light · button 4.8:1Warm and coolIts page →Open →

Chapter 2 · By ruleNamed harmonies

By rule

Three plates built from orange 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

#d97426 · #05568e · #faf1ec · #10283d

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

Light · button 7:1Warm and coolOpen →

R·02

Analogous

#ff968f · #d97426 · #797200 · #faf1ec

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

Light · button 3:1All warmOpen →

R·03

Monochrome with accent

#4a2000 · #d97426 · #ffe1cf · #005690

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

Light · button 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 222

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 222

Yellow Ocher#e6b730
Yellow Orange#f59c00
Orange Rufous#c46715

It contains a colour very close to the starting orange (Orange Rufous) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Yellow Ocher · Yellow Orange · Orange Rufous.

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 yellow ocher1 part yellow orange
3 parts yellow orange1 part orange rufous
3 parts orange rufous1 part yellow ocher
3 parts yellow ocher1 part orange rufous
3 parts yellow orange1 part yellow ocher
3 parts orange rufous1 part yellow orange

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 #e6b730, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#e6b730).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #f59c00, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 2.1:1: does not read.Falls short
On screen, the text #2c211a on the background #fef4e4 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 #c27b00 stands 3.1:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.8:1 (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: #fef4e4 on 60% of the screen, #e6b730 on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #c27b00 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 2.1:1). That is why body text goes in #2c211a, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #c27b00 stands 3.1:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #2c211a.
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 tone-on-tone sets: colours from one family. Hierarchy comes from light, not hue, so order elements from lightest to darkest. It is one of the dense ones: loaded colours that need plenty of air around them; less is more.

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 code222

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 222 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #fef4e4;
  --superficie: #e6b730;
  --texto: #2c211a;
  --tinta: #2c211a;
  --texto-suave: #716055;
  --titular: #b05908;
  --acento: #c27b00;
  --acento-texto: #2c211a;
  --enlace: #986007;
  --borde: #dcd0bb;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #e6b730;
  --lamina-2: #f59c00;
  --lamina-3: #c46715;

  --acento-50: #fff5eb;
  --acento-100: #ffe7d0;
  --acento-200: #fccfa0;
  --acento-300: #edb370;
  --acento-400: #d9953c;
  --acento-500: #c27b00;
  --acento-600: #9c6308;
  --acento-700: #7b4d03;
  --acento-800: #5b3802;
  --acento-900: #3d2501;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edebe8;
  --neutro-200: #dad6d3;
  --neutro-300: #c3bdb8;
  --neutro-400: #a9a29c;
  --neutro-500: #8f8881;
  --neutro-600: #756e68;
  --neutro-700: #5c5650;
  --neutro-800: #443f3a;
  --neutro-900: #2d2926;

  --boton: #c27b00;
  --boton-encima: #a96b07;
  --boton-pulsado: #915c05;
  --boton-apagado: #dfcebe;
  --foco: #c17c0d;

  --exito: #037f1f;
  --aviso: #a38a05;
  --error: #c43d2a;
  --info: #0a70b9;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #292016;
    --superficie: #382c1f;
    --borde: #534435;
    --texto: #f5ece5;
    --tinta: #f5ece5;
    --texto-suave: #b8afa6;
    --acento: #cf8615;
    --acento-texto: #2b2219;
  }
}

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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 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

What is happening to this palette

#e6b730 and #f59c00 are neighbours on the circle and only 5 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
3 colours at full strength and almost the same lightness. Motley is not having many colours: it is having them all talk at once with nothing deciding the order. § 898
There is nowhere for the eye to rest: no neutral, no muted colour, no green. The whole palette asks for attention at once. § 802

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #e6b730 · #f59c00
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 #e6b730 · #c46715
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
Same sector #f59c00 · #c46715
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 244

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 244

Light Brown Drab#be9f9e
Vinaceous Tawny#c75b16
Andover Green#728179
Antwarp Blue#006984

It contains a colour very close to the starting orange (Vinaceous Tawny) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Light Brown Drab · Vinaceous Tawny · Andover Green · Antwarp 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 light brown drab1 part vinaceous tawny
3 parts vinaceous tawny1 part andover green
3 parts andover green1 part antwarp blue
3 parts antwarp blue1 part light brown drab
3 parts light brown drab1 part andover green
3 parts vinaceous tawny1 part antwarp blue
3 parts andover green1 part light brown drab
3 parts antwarp blue1 part vinaceous tawny
3 parts light brown drab1 part antwarp blue
3 parts vinaceous tawny1 part light brown drab
3 parts andover green1 part vinaceous tawny
3 parts antwarp blue1 part andover green

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 #be9f9e, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#be9f9e).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #c75b16, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 2.5:1: does not read.Falls short
On screen, the text #1c2529 on the background #fff2f2 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 #b54b01 stands 4.8:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.8:1 (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: #fff2f2 on 60% of the screen, #be9f9e on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #b54b01 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 2.5:1). That is why body text goes in #1c2529, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #b54b01 stands 4.8:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #fcf5f5.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #be9f9e leads, and the accent #b54b01 is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #be9f9e and #006984 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 code244

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 244 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #fff2f2;
  --superficie: #be9f9e;
  --texto: #1c2529;
  --tinta: #1c2529;
  --texto-suave: #5a656a;
  --titular: #006984;
  --acento: #b54b01;
  --acento-texto: #fcf5f5;
  --enlace: #b44c02;
  --borde: #dececd;
  --apoyo-1: #728179;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #be9f9e;
  --lamina-2: #c75b16;
  --lamina-3: #728179;
  --lamina-4: #006984;

  --acento-50: #f6f6f6;
  --acento-100: #fee6db;
  --acento-200: #ffcdb3;
  --acento-300: #ffaa7c;
  --acento-400: #ef884e;
  --acento-500: #d96925;
  --acento-600: #b54b01;
  --acento-700: #933d03;
  --acento-800: #6e2c01;
  --acento-900: #481e00;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #eeeae9;
  --neutro-200: #dbd6d4;
  --neutro-300: #c4bdb9;
  --neutro-400: #aaa19d;
  --neutro-500: #918782;
  --neutro-600: #776e69;
  --neutro-700: #5e5551;
  --neutro-800: #453f3b;
  --neutro-900: #2e2926;

  --boton: #b54b01;
  --boton-encima: #993f02;
  --boton-pulsado: #7e3303;
  --boton-apagado: #c1aa9f;
  --foco: #b34d09;

  --exito: #0e7f21;
  --aviso: #a38a0f;
  --error: #c63b29;
  --info: #1c70b6;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2c1f18;
    --superficie: #3c2a22;
    --borde: #574238;
    --texto: #f7ece6;
    --tinta: #f7ece6;
    --texto-suave: #bbaea8;
    --acento: #e97632;
    --acento-texto: #2d211b;
  }
}

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 · red
Red at full surface leaves room for nothing else. It is the colour of gravity and dignity, and in a background that reads as constant weight. § 790
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 · 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

Adjacent #be9f9e · #c75b16
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 #be9f9e · #728179
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
Characteristic #be9f9e · #006984
Blue and red, with violet skipped. It approaches the effect of the violet their mixture would produce. § 821
With a neutral #c75b16 · #728179
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
Opposite #c75b16 · #006984
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 #728179 · #006984
Next to black, a colour from the passive side loses. § 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

Support#d97426
Accent#05568e
Background#faf1ec
Text#10283d

The starting orange 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 #d974261 part #05568e
3 parts #05568e1 part #faf1ec
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #10283d
3 parts #10283d1 part #d97426
3 parts #d974261 part #faf1ec
3 parts #05568e1 part #10283d
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #d97426
3 parts #10283d1 part #05568e
3 parts #d974261 part #10283d
3 parts #05568e1 part #d97426
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #05568e
3 parts #10283d1 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 (#05568e).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 13.5:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #212428 on the background #f9f4f1 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 #05568e stands 7.0:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 7.0:1 (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 #05568e 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 #212428, 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 #10283d, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #05568e stands 7.0:1 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 #05568e is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e9e0db and #10283d 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: #212428;
  --tinta: #212428;
  --texto-suave: #606368;
  --titular: #10283d;
  --acento: #05568e;
  --acento-texto: #f8f6f5;
  --enlace: #05568e;
  --borde: #d5d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #d97426;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #d97426;
  --lamina-2: #05568e;
  --lamina-3: #faf1ec;
  --lamina-4: #10283d;

  --acento-50: #f2f7ff;
  --acento-100: #e1ecff;
  --acento-200: #c6d8f7;
  --acento-300: #a4c0eb;
  --acento-400: #7da5dc;
  --acento-500: #578cc9;
  --acento-600: #3b72ac;
  --acento-700: #05568e;
  --acento-800: #174269;
  --acento-900: #082b4a;
  --neutro-50: #f6f6f8;
  --neutro-100: #eaebee;
  --neutro-200: #d5d7db;
  --neutro-300: #bbbec4;
  --neutro-400: #9fa3ab;
  --neutro-500: #858991;
  --neutro-600: #6b7078;
  --neutro-700: #54575e;
  --neutro-800: #3d4045;
  --neutro-900: #282a2e;

  --boton: #05568e;
  --boton-encima: #0a4572;
  --boton-pulsado: #05355a;
  --boton-apagado: #8f949e;
  --foco: #01568f;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #1b222d;
    --superficie: #262f3c;
    --borde: #3d4758;
    --texto: #eaeef5;
    --tinta: #eaeef5;
    --texto-suave: #adb1b8;
    --acento: #6699d7;
    --acento-texto: #20242b;
  }
}

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 · 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

Opposite #d97426 · #05568e
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 #d97426 · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Opposite #d97426 · #10283d
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 #05568e · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the passive side gains in liveliness. § 831
Same sector #05568e · #10283d
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 #faf1ec · #10283d
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.

Plate 04 of 05 · Analogous

All five ↑

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

Analogous

Accent#ff968f
Support#d97426
Text#797200
Background#faf1ec

The starting orange 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 #ff968f1 part #d97426
3 parts #d974261 part #797200
3 parts #7972001 part #faf1ec
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #ff968f
3 parts #ff968f1 part #797200
3 parts #d974261 part #faf1ec
3 parts #7972001 part #ff968f
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #d97426
3 parts #ff968f1 part #faf1ec
3 parts #d974261 part #ff968f
3 parts #7972001 part #d97426
3 parts #faf1ec1 part #797200

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. The plate's #ff968f, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 4.4:1: only good for large text.Falls short
On screen, the text #262419 on the background #f9f4f1 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 #d5716b stands 3.0:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 4.5:1 (a word needs 4.5:1).Passes
Under deuteranopia, your accent and your background drop to 2.7:1. 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: #f9f4f1 on 60% of the screen, #e9e0db on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #d5716b 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 4.4:1). That is why body text goes in #262419, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #d5716b stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #262419.
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 #797200 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: #262419;
  --tinta: #262419;
  --texto-suave: #676353;
  --titular: #797200;
  --acento: #d5716b;
  --acento-texto: #262419;
  --enlace: #b1524e;
  --borde: #d5d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #d97426;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #ff968f;
  --lamina-2: #d97426;
  --lamina-3: #797200;
  --lamina-4: #faf1ec;

  --acento-50: #fff4f3;
  --acento-100: #ffe5e3;
  --acento-200: #ffcbc6;
  --acento-300: #f4aca6;
  --acento-400: #e48b84;
  --acento-500: #d5716b;
  --acento-600: #b0534f;
  --acento-700: #8e3e3b;
  --acento-800: #6c2b29;
  --acento-900: #4b1a19;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f6;
  --neutro-100: #eeeaea;
  --neutro-200: #dcd6d5;
  --neutro-300: #c5bcbb;
  --neutro-400: #aca19f;
  --neutro-500: #928685;
  --neutro-600: #796d6c;
  --neutro-700: #5f5554;
  --neutro-800: #463e3d;
  --neutro-900: #2f2928;

  --boton: #d5716b;
  --boton-encima: #c05f5a;
  --boton-pulsado: #a7514c;
  --boton-apagado: #e3d0ce;
  --foco: #ed605d;

  --exito: #3d7a3b;
  --aviso: #a08a3c;
  --error: #ab5342;
  --info: #1b70b6;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2e1d1c;
    --superficie: #3e2927;
    --borde: #5a413e;
    --texto: #f7ebea;
    --tinta: #f7ebea;
    --texto-suave: #bbaeac;
    --acento: #de7972;
    --acento-texto: #2d2120;
  }
}

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 · red
Red is the high point of the active side. In a small patch it does exactly what an accent is for: stopping the eye once. § 793
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 #ff968f · #d97426
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 #ff968f · #797200
Yellow and red, with orange skipped between them. The characteristic pair he thinks best: serene and magnificent. § 820
With a neutral #ff968f · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Adjacent #d97426 · #797200
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 #d97426 · #faf1ec
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #797200 · #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#4a2000
Support#d97426
Background#ffe1cf
Accent#005690

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 #4a20001 part #d97426
3 parts #d974261 part #ffe1cf
3 parts #ffe1cf1 part #005690
3 parts #0056901 part #4a2000
3 parts #4a20001 part #ffe1cf
3 parts #d974261 part #005690
3 parts #ffe1cf1 part #4a2000
3 parts #0056901 part #d97426
3 parts #4a20001 part #005690
3 parts #d974261 part #4a2000
3 parts #ffe1cf1 part #d97426
3 parts #0056901 part #ffe1cf

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 #ffe1cf, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#ffe1cf).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. From the plate, as is (#005690).

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 11.3:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #2b221d on the background #fff3eb 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 #005690 stands 7.0:1 from the background (a button needs 3:1) and as a link reaches 7.0:1 (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: #fff3eb on 60% of the screen, #ffe1cf on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #005690 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 #2b221d, 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 #4a2000, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #005690 stands 7.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #fcf5f2.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #ffe1cf leads, and the accent #005690 is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #ffe1cf and #4a2000 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: #fff3eb;
  --superficie: #ffe1cf;
  --texto: #2b221d;
  --tinta: #2b221d;
  --texto-suave: #6d615b;
  --titular: #4a2000;
  --acento: #005690;
  --acento-texto: #fcf5f2;
  --enlace: #005690;
  --borde: #decfc6;
  --apoyo-1: #d97426;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #4a2000;
  --lamina-2: #d97426;
  --lamina-3: #ffe1cf;
  --lamina-4: #005690;

  --acento-50: #f2f7ff;
  --acento-100: #e1ecff;
  --acento-200: #c6d8f8;
  --acento-300: #a4c0ec;
  --acento-400: #7da5de;
  --acento-500: #568ccb;
  --acento-600: #3a72ae;
  --acento-700: #005690;
  --acento-800: #16426b;
  --acento-900: #072b4b;
  --neutro-50: #f6f6f8;
  --neutro-100: #eaebee;
  --neutro-200: #d5d7db;
  --neutro-300: #bbbec4;
  --neutro-400: #9fa3ab;
  --neutro-500: #858991;
  --neutro-600: #6c7078;
  --neutro-700: #54575e;
  --neutro-800: #3d4045;
  --neutro-900: #282a2e;

  --boton: #005690;
  --boton-encima: #074574;
  --boton-pulsado: #02355b;
  --boton-apagado: #8f949f;
  --foco: #005690;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b47;
  --error: #a45747;
  --info: #3570ad;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #1b222d;
    --superficie: #262f3c;
    --borde: #3d4758;
    --texto: #eaeef5;
    --tinta: #eaeef5;
    --texto-suave: #adb1b9;
    --acento: #6599d9;
    --acento-texto: #20242b;
  }
}

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 · 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
Accent · 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
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 #4a2000 · #d97426
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.
Same sector #4a2000 · #ffe1cf
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.
Opposite #4a2000 · #005690
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
Same sector #d97426 · #ffe1cf
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.
Opposite #d97426 · #005690
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
Opposite #ffe1cf · #005690
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.

What goes with orange

Five palettes with orange, each with a reason.

Yellow Ocher, Yellow Orange, Orange Rufous

Light Brown Drab, Vinaceous Tawny, Andover Green, Antwarp Blue

Complementary

Analogous

Monochrome with accent

Wada combination 222

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

What is happening to this palette

How each pair reads on the circle

Wada combination 244

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

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