Showa era
Carmine & Helvetia Blue
Plate 39 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Helvetia Blue.
#005b8d
blue · 8 palettes
Helvetia Blue
About Helvetia Blue
Helvetia Blue is a deep, vivid blue tone. Its hex value is #005b8d — that is
RGB 0, 91, 141, or HSL 201°, 100%, 28%.
It holds 7.3:1 contrast against white, so Helvetia Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 7.3:1; on black 2.9:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Helvetia Blue appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with Carmine, Rosolanc Purple and Brown.
Colours that go with Helvetia Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Helvetia Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#005b8d #8D3200
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#005b8d #008D79 #00148D
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#005b8d #8D005B #5B8D00
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#005b8d #8D0014 #8D7900
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Helvetia Blue
Helvetia Blue is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 201°, 100%, 28%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (7.3:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#8D3200) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#008D79 and #00148D) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Helvetia Blue
Helvetia Blue appears in 8 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
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