Showa era
Orange Yellow & Antwarp Blue
Plate 114 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Orange Yellow, Antwarp Blue.
#fcb315
yellow · 8 palettes
Orange Yellow
About Orange Yellow
Orange Yellow is a mid-tone, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #fcb315 — that is
RGB 252, 179, 21, or HSL 41°, 97%, 54%.
It holds 11.6:1 contrast against dark, so Orange Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.8:1; on black 11.6:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Orange Yellow appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with Antwarp Blue, Olive Ocher and Cerulian Blue.
Colours that go with Orange Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Orange Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#fcb315 #155EFC
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#fcb315 #FC3F15 #D2FC15
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#fcb315 #15FCB3 #B315FC
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#fcb315 #15D2FC #3F15FC
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Orange Yellow
Orange Yellow is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 41°, 97%, 54%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (11.6:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#155EFC) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#FC3F15 and #D2FC15) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Orange Yellow
Orange Yellow 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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