Colours that go with white

Chapter 2 · Five plates with white

Chapter 2 · From the bookHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

From the book

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

250

Pyrite Yellow, Peach Red, Sea Green, Nile Blue

#d1b64a · #e94e24 · #00aa95 · #cae7ea

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

268

Light Brown Drab, Raw Sienna, Deep Slate Olive, Nile Blue

#be9f9e · #c07111 · #2f3525 · #cae7ea

Light · button 4.7:1All warmIts page →Open →

Chapter 2 · By ruleNamed harmonies

By rule

Three plates built from white 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

#f2efe6 · #a6a8ae · #f6f3eb · #24262e

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

Light · button 3:1All neutralOpen →

R·02

Analogous

#e5dcd9 · #f2efe6 · #c7c9c1 · #f6f3eb

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

Light · button 3:1All neutralOpen →

R·03

Monochrome with accent

#302e28 · #f2efe6 · #f9f7f1 · #a6a8b0

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

Light · button 3:1All neutralOpen →

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

Plate 01 of 05 · Wada combination 250

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 250

Pyrite Yellow#d1b64a
Peach Red#e94e24
Sea Green#00aa95
Nile Blue#cae7ea

It contains a colour very close to the starting white (Nile Blue) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Pyrite Yellow · Peach Red · Sea Green · Nile 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 pyrite yellow1 part peach red
3 parts peach red1 part sea green
3 parts sea green1 part nile blue
3 parts nile blue1 part pyrite yellow
3 parts pyrite yellow1 part sea green
3 parts peach red1 part nile blue
3 parts sea green1 part pyrite yellow
3 parts nile blue1 part peach red
3 parts pyrite yellow1 part nile blue
3 parts peach red1 part pyrite yellow
3 parts sea green1 part peach red
3 parts nile blue1 part sea 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 #cae7ea, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#cae7ea).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #00aa95, darkened.

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 #2e211c on the background #e7f8fa 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 #149e8b 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 protanopia, 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: #e7f8fa on 60% of the screen, #cae7ea on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #149e8b 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 #2e211c, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #149e8b stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #2e211c.
TemperatureWarm and cool together: let one lead and the other point. Here the background #cae7ea leads, and the accent #149e8b is the first thing the eye will look for.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #cae7ea and #cf360f 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 light ones: works on white and on screen; in print it loses body, so push the ink a notch.

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 code250

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 250 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #e7f8fa;
  --superficie: #cae7ea;
  --texto: #2e211c;
  --tinta: #2e211c;
  --texto-suave: #735f58;
  --titular: #cf360f;
  --acento: #149e8b;
  --acento-texto: #2e211c;
  --enlace: #127c6d;
  --borde: #c6d4d6;
  --apoyo-1: #d1b64a;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #d1b64a;
  --lamina-2: #e94e24;
  --lamina-3: #00aa95;
  --lamina-4: #cae7ea;

  --acento-50: #e9faf6;
  --acento-100: #d4f1ea;
  --acento-200: #b1e1d6;
  --acento-300: #85cbbd;
  --acento-400: #51b3a2;
  --acento-500: #149e8b;
  --acento-600: #057e6e;
  --acento-700: #0b6256;
  --acento-800: #01493f;
  --acento-900: #003029;
  --neutro-50: #f5f7f6;
  --neutro-100: #e8eceb;
  --neutro-200: #d2d8d7;
  --neutro-300: #b8c0be;
  --neutro-400: #9ba5a3;
  --neutro-500: #7f8b89;
  --neutro-600: #66726f;
  --neutro-700: #4f5957;
  --neutro-800: #3a4240;
  --neutro-900: #252b2a;

  --boton: #149e8b;
  --boton-encima: #098a79;
  --boton-pulsado: #067768;
  --boton-apagado: #c6d6d2;
  --foco: #149e8b;

  --exito: #457942;
  --aviso: #9e8b47;
  --error: #a55747;
  --info: #3470ad;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #132521;
    --superficie: #1c322e;
    --borde: #314c46;
    --texto: #e6f0ee;
    --tinta: #e6f0ee;
    --texto-suave: #a7b3b0;
    --acento: #26a894;
    --acento-texto: #1b2623;
  }
}

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 · green
Green is the colour of rest, so as an accent it points at nothing: the eye accepts it and moves on. If this palette needs something to stop the eye, this is not it. § 802
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 #d1b64a · #e94e24
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
Adjacent #d1b64a · #00aa95
Adjacent on the circle, with nothing between them. Ordinary and agreeable: it says little, and it does not offend. § 829
With a neutral #d1b64a · #cae7ea
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
Characteristic #e94e24 · #00aa95
Characteristic by geometry — there is a colour skipped between the two. But Goethe judges only four pairs in this group, and this is not one of them. § 823
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 #e94e24 · #cae7ea
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #00aa95 · #cae7ea
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 02 of 05 · Wada combination 268

All five ↑

The plate, as printedHaishoku Sōkan · 1933

Wada combination 268

Light Brown Drab#be9f9e
Raw Sienna#c07111
Deep Slate Olive#2f3525
Nile Blue#cae7ea

It contains a colour very close to the starting white (Nile Blue) and has been in use for almost a century. The original colours are called Light Brown Drab · Raw Sienna · Deep Slate Olive · Nile 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 raw sienna
3 parts raw sienna1 part deep slate olive
3 parts deep slate olive1 part nile blue
3 parts nile blue1 part light brown drab
3 parts light brown drab1 part deep slate olive
3 parts raw sienna1 part nile blue
3 parts deep slate olive1 part light brown drab
3 parts nile blue1 part raw sienna
3 parts light brown drab1 part nile blue
3 parts raw sienna1 part light brown drab
3 parts deep slate olive1 part raw sienna
3 parts nile blue1 part deep slate olive

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 #cae7ea, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. From the plate, as is (#cae7ea).
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #c07111, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 9.7:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #232421 on the background #e7f8fa 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 #a25b00 stands 4.7:1 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: #e7f8fa on 60% of the screen, #cae7ea on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #a25b00 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 #232421, 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 #2f3525, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #a25b00 stands 4.7:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #f2f7f8.
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: #cae7ea and #2f3525 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 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 code268

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 268 — bluenze.com/paletas */
:root {
  --fondo: #e7f8fa;
  --superficie: #cae7ea;
  --texto: #232421;
  --tinta: #232421;
  --texto-suave: #626460;
  --titular: #2f3525;
  --acento: #a25b00;
  --acento-texto: #f2f7f8;
  --enlace: #a55f05;
  --borde: #c6d4d6;
  --apoyo-1: #be9f9e;

  /* la lámina de Wada, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #be9f9e;
  --lamina-2: #c07111;
  --lamina-3: #2f3525;
  --lamina-4: #cae7ea;

  --acento-50: #fff5ec;
  --acento-100: #ffe7d4;
  --acento-200: #fccea8;
  --acento-300: #eeb27c;
  --acento-400: #db934e;
  --acento-500: #c37725;
  --acento-600: #a25b00;
  --acento-700: #834902;
  --acento-800: #613500;
  --acento-900: #402301;
  --neutro-50: #f8f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #edeae8;
  --neutro-200: #dbd6d3;
  --neutro-300: #c3bdb9;
  --neutro-400: #a9a29c;
  --neutro-500: #908781;
  --neutro-600: #766e68;
  --neutro-700: #5d5651;
  --neutro-800: #443f3b;
  --neutro-900: #2d2926;

  --boton: #a25b00;
  --boton-encima: #894c01;
  --boton-pulsado: #713f03;
  --boton-apagado: #beada0;
  --foco: #a25b02;

  --exito: #1c7e27;
  --aviso: #a28a13;
  --error: #bc4532;
  --info: #1170b9;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #2a1f16;
    --superficie: #392b20;
    --borde: #544436;
    --texto: #f6ece5;
    --tinta: #f6ece5;
    --texto-suave: #b9afa7;
    --acento: #d38432;
    --acento-texto: #2c221a;
  }
}

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

How each pair readsZur Farbenlehre · 1810

How each pair reads on the circle

Adjacent #be9f9e · #c07111
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 · #2f3525
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #be9f9e · #cae7ea
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #c07111 · #2f3525
Next to black, a colour from the active side gains energy. § 831
With a neutral #c07111 · #cae7ea
Next to white, a colour from the active side loses force. § 831
With a neutral #2f3525 · #cae7ea
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 03 of 05 · Complementary

All five ↑

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

Complementary

Accent#f2efe6
Support#a6a8ae
Background#f6f3eb
Text#24262e

The starting white 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 #f2efe61 part #a6a8ae
3 parts #a6a8ae1 part #f6f3eb
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #24262e
3 parts #24262e1 part #f2efe6
3 parts #f2efe61 part #f6f3eb
3 parts #a6a8ae1 part #24262e
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #f2efe6
3 parts #24262e1 part #a6a8ae
3 parts #f2efe61 part #24262e
3 parts #a6a8ae1 part #f2efe6
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #a6a8ae
3 parts #24262e1 part #f6f3eb

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 #f6f3eb, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #f6f3eb, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #f2efe6, 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 #8f8d84 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

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, #e5e2da on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #8f8d84 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 #24262e, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #8f8d84 stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #232425.
TemperatureAll neutral: the brand will be recognised by its type and its spacing, not its colour. If you need a call-out, bring in a single accent from outside and don't scatter it.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e5e2da and #24262e 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: #e5e2da;
  --texto: #232425;
  --tinta: #232425;
  --texto-suave: #636365;
  --titular: #24262e;
  --acento: #8f8d84;
  --acento-texto: #232425;
  --enlace: #716e66;
  --borde: #d3d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #a6a8ae;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #f2efe6;
  --lamina-2: #a6a8ae;
  --lamina-3: #f6f3eb;
  --lamina-4: #24262e;

  --acento-50: #f7f6f5;
  --acento-100: #ecebe8;
  --acento-200: #d8d7d3;
  --acento-300: #c0beb8;
  --acento-400: #a5a39b;
  --acento-500: #8f8d84;
  --acento-600: #717067;
  --acento-700: #595750;
  --acento-800: #41403a;
  --acento-900: #2b2a26;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d8d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c0beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a5a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8b8980;
  --neutro-600: #717067;
  --neutro-700: #595750;
  --neutro-800: #41403a;
  --neutro-900: #2b2a26;

  --boton: #8f8d84;
  --boton-encima: #7d7b72;
  --boton-pulsado: #6a6968;
  --boton-apagado: #d3d3d1;
  --foco: #948e65;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #222220;
    --superficie: #2f2e2c;
    --borde: #474744;
    --texto: #eeeeed;
    --tinta: #eeeeed;
    --texto-suave: #b1b0af;
    --acento: #98968d;
    --acento-texto: #242423;
  }
}

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 stays at rest: it neither advances nor recedes. Restful, but it points at nothing on its own.

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 #f2efe6 · #a6a8ae
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #f6f3eb
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #24262e
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #a6a8ae · #f6f3eb
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #a6a8ae · #24262e
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f6f3eb · #24262e
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#e5dcd9
Accent#f2efe6
Text#c7c9c1
Background#f6f3eb

The starting white 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 #e5dcd91 part #f2efe6
3 parts #f2efe61 part #c7c9c1
3 parts #c7c9c11 part #f6f3eb
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #e5dcd9
3 parts #e5dcd91 part #c7c9c1
3 parts #f2efe61 part #f6f3eb
3 parts #c7c9c11 part #e5dcd9
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #f2efe6
3 parts #e5dcd91 part #f6f3eb
3 parts #f2efe61 part #e5dcd9
3 parts #c7c9c11 part #f2efe6
3 parts #f6f3eb1 part #c7c9c1

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 #f6f3eb, lightened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #f6f3eb, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #f2efe6, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 1.5:1: does not read.Falls short
On screen, the text #232423 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 #8f8d84 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

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, #e5e2da on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #8f8d84 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 1.5:1). That is why body text goes in #232423, a near-neutral ink tinted with the palette's hue: it is not in the book, and it is needed.
The buttonThe accent #8f8d84 stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #232423.
TemperatureAll neutral: the brand will be recognised by its type and its spacing, not its colour. If you need a call-out, bring in a single accent from outside and don't scatter it.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e5e2da and #6d6f68 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: #e5e2da;
  --texto: #232423;
  --tinta: #232423;
  --texto-suave: #636362;
  --titular: #6d6f68;
  --acento: #8f8d84;
  --acento-texto: #232423;
  --enlace: #716e66;
  --borde: #d3d1ce;
  --apoyo-1: #e5dcd9;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #e5dcd9;
  --lamina-2: #f2efe6;
  --lamina-3: #c7c9c1;
  --lamina-4: #f6f3eb;

  --acento-50: #f7f6f5;
  --acento-100: #ecebe8;
  --acento-200: #d8d7d3;
  --acento-300: #c0beb8;
  --acento-400: #a5a39b;
  --acento-500: #8f8d84;
  --acento-600: #717067;
  --acento-700: #595750;
  --acento-800: #41403a;
  --acento-900: #2b2a26;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d8d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c0beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a5a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8b8980;
  --neutro-600: #717067;
  --neutro-700: #595750;
  --neutro-800: #41403a;
  --neutro-900: #2b2a26;

  --boton: #8f8d84;
  --boton-encima: #7d7b72;
  --boton-pulsado: #6a6968;
  --boton-apagado: #d3d3d1;
  --foco: #948e65;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #222220;
    --superficie: #2f2e2c;
    --borde: #474744;
    --texto: #eeeeed;
    --tinta: #eeeeed;
    --texto-suave: #b1b0af;
    --acento: #98968d;
    --acento-texto: #242423;
  }
}

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 stays at rest: it neither advances nor recedes. Restful, but it points at nothing on its own.

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 #e5dcd9 · #f2efe6
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #e5dcd9 · #c7c9c1
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #e5dcd9 · #f6f3eb
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #c7c9c1
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #f6f3eb
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #c7c9c1 · #f6f3eb
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 05 of 05 · Monochrome with accent

All five ↑

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

Monochrome with accent

Text#302e28
Accent#f2efe6
Background#f9f7f1
Support#a6a8b0

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 #302e281 part #f2efe6
3 parts #f2efe61 part #f9f7f1
3 parts #f9f7f11 part #a6a8b0
3 parts #a6a8b01 part #302e28
3 parts #302e281 part #f9f7f1
3 parts #f2efe61 part #a6a8b0
3 parts #f9f7f11 part #302e28
3 parts #a6a8b01 part #f2efe6
3 parts #302e281 part #a6a8b0
3 parts #f2efe61 part #302e28
3 parts #f9f7f11 part #f2efe6
3 parts #a6a8b01 part #f9f7f1

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 #f9f7f1, darkened.
30% SurfaceCards, bands, headers. This is where the book's colour lives. The plate's #f9f7f1, darkened.
10% AccentOnly what gets clicked. The plate's #f2efe6, darkened.

The roles the plate doesn’t carry

Measured, before and after

On the plate, the best pair of colours reads at 12.6:1: AAA, reads with room to spare.Passes
On screen, the text #242423 on the background #f6f5f1 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 #8f8d84 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

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: #f6f5f1 on 60% of the screen, #e8e6e0 on 30% (cards, bands, headers) and #8f8d84 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 #242423, 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 #302e28, where size forgives.
The buttonThe accent #8f8d84 stands 3.0:1 apart from the background: it works as a button, with text in #242423.
TemperatureAll neutral: the brand will be recognised by its type and its spacing, not its colour. If you need a call-out, bring in a single accent from outside and don't scatter it.
How manyFour colours demand discipline: #e8e6e0 and #302e28 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: #f6f5f1;
  --superficie: #e8e6e0;
  --texto: #242423;
  --tinta: #242423;
  --texto-suave: #646362;
  --titular: #302e28;
  --acento: #8f8d84;
  --acento-texto: #242423;
  --enlace: #716e66;
  --borde: #d2d1cf;
  --apoyo-1: #a6a8b0;

  /* la lámina, tal cual */
  --lamina-1: #302e28;
  --lamina-2: #f2efe6;
  --lamina-3: #f9f7f1;
  --lamina-4: #a6a8b0;

  --acento-50: #f7f6f5;
  --acento-100: #ecebe8;
  --acento-200: #d8d7d3;
  --acento-300: #c0beb8;
  --acento-400: #a5a39b;
  --acento-500: #8f8d84;
  --acento-600: #717067;
  --acento-700: #595750;
  --acento-800: #41403a;
  --acento-900: #2b2a26;
  --neutro-50: #f7f6f5;
  --neutro-100: #ecebe8;
  --neutro-200: #d8d7d3;
  --neutro-300: #c0beb8;
  --neutro-400: #a5a39b;
  --neutro-500: #8b8980;
  --neutro-600: #717067;
  --neutro-700: #595750;
  --neutro-800: #41403a;
  --neutro-900: #2b2a26;

  --boton: #8f8d84;
  --boton-encima: #7d7b72;
  --boton-pulsado: #6a6968;
  --boton-apagado: #d3d3d1;
  --foco: #948e65;

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

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --fondo: #222220;
    --superficie: #2f2e2c;
    --borde: #474744;
    --texto: #eeeeed;
    --tinta: #eeeeed;
    --texto-suave: #b1b0af;
    --acento: #98968d;
    --acento-texto: #242423;
  }
}

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 stays at rest: it neither advances nor recedes. Restful, but it points at nothing on its own.

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 #302e28 · #f2efe6
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #302e28 · #f9f7f1
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #302e28 · #a6a8b0
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #f9f7f1
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f2efe6 · #a6a8b0
A neutral with a colour that has no side on the circle. Goethe has nothing to say here. § 831
With a neutral #f9f7f1 · #a6a8b0
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.

What goes with white

Five palettes with white, each with a reason.

Pyrite Yellow, Peach Red, Sea Green, Nile Blue

Light Brown Drab, Raw Sienna, Deep Slate Olive, Nile Blue

Complementary

Analogous

Monochrome with accent

Wada combination 250

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

Wada combination 268

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