Showa era
Violet Red & Dull Blue Violet
Plate 9 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Violet Red, Dull Blue Violet.
#642d5e
purple · 1 palette
Violet Red
About Violet Red
Violet Red is a deep, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #642d5e — that is
RGB 100, 45, 94, or HSL 307°, 38%, 28%.
It holds 10.1:1 contrast against white, so Violet Red works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 10.1:1; on black 2.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Violet Red appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Dull Blue Violet.
Colours that go with Violet Red
From a standard colour wheel, Violet Red anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#642d5e #2D6433
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#642d5e #4E2D64 #642D43
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#642d5e #5E642D #2D5E64
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#642d5e #43642D #2D644E
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Violet Red
Violet Red is a deep, muted tone (HSL 307°, 38%, 28%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (10.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#2D6433) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4E2D64 and #642D43) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Violet Red off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
See price on Amazon -
...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
See price on Amazon -
...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
See price on Amazon
Amazon Associates affiliate links — your price is unchanged and a small commission keeps the archive free. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Palettes with Violet Red
Violet Red appears in 1 combination from the archive. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Violet Red
- What is the hex code for Violet Red?
- Violet Red is #642d5e. It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Violet Red look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Violet Red (#642d5e) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 10.10:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 2.08:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Violet Red come from?
- Violet Red is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued purple pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Violet Red in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#642d5e) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
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
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
- CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
See what's inside
Launching soon. The free archive stays free, always.