Showa era
Orange & Black
Plate 46 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Orange, Black.
#111314
neutral · 23 palettes
Black
About Black
Black is a deep, near-neutral neutral tone. Its hex value is #111314 — that is
RGB 17, 19, 20, or HSL 200°, 8%, 7%.
It holds 18.6:1 contrast against white, so Black works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 18.6:1; on black 1.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Black appears in 23 combinations — most often paired with Orange, Raw Sienna and Yellow.
Colours that go with Black
As a deep near-neutral, Black sits comfortably beside almost any accent — the schemes below show the subtle, reliable pairings from a standard colour wheel.
Complementary
#111314 #141211
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#111314 #111414 #111114
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#111314 #141113 #131411
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#111314 #141112 #141311
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Black
Black is a deep, near-neutral tone (HSL 200°, 8%, 7%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (18.6:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#141211) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#111414 and #111114) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Black
Black appears in 23 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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