What colors are in the "Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1" palette?

Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1 contains 3 colors: Ivory Buff (#ebd3a2), Yellow Ocher (#e2b540), Deep Lyons Blue (#1c4286). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).

When was the "Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1" palette created?

This palette is from Sanzo Wada's 1933 reference work "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada documented historical Japanese color combinations from the showa era and earlier periods. The source work is in the public domain.

What style or era does the "Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1" palette belong to?

Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes yellow tones. Plate 126 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Yellow Ocher, Deep Lyons Blue.

Can I use the "Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1" palette in my own design?

Yes. The source palette by Sanzo Wada (1933) is in the public domain. This page's curation and metadata are CC BY 4.0 licensed — attribution to colorcombinations.org appreciated but not required for the colors themselves.

Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1 — The Dictionary of Color Combinations

About this combination

Combination 126 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 3-colour grouping of Ivory Buff, Yellow Ocher, Deep Lyons Blue, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 126 of Wada's 348 anchors Ivory Buff, Yellow Ocher and Deep Lyons Blue in the yellow family — a 3-colour grouping with a refined, cool character, recorded in the Showa-era volumes of Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, where these shikisai names have sat in the public domain for generations. Its strongest pairing — Ivory Buff on Deep Lyons Blue — reaches a contrast ratio of 6.61:1, meeting the WCAG AA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.

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Details

Era: Showa
Dominant hue: yellow
Moods: refined, cool
Colors: 3

Accessibility

WCAG contrast ratios between every color pair. Use the strongest combinations for text; the weakest ones make good decorative backgrounds.

Strongest pair: Ivory Buff on Deep Lyons Blue — 6.61:1 (AA)

Ivory Buff·Yellow Ocher1.32:1Fail
Ivory Buff·Deep Lyons Blue6.61:1AA
Yellow Ocher·Deep Lyons Blue5.02:1AA

How to read this

AAA: Passes WCAG 2.1 AAA for normal text — the highest accessibility bar.
AA: Passes WCAG 2.1 AA for normal text. Standard production requirement.
AA Large: Passes WCAG 2.1 AA for large text only (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). Avoid for body copy.
Fail: Below WCAG 2.1 AA. Fine for decorative use — not for text.

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Related combinations

Three palettes with a similar feel.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

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Yellow & Deep Lyons Blue

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Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1

About this combination

Historical context

Embed this palette

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Wabi-Sabi Color Theory: The Beauty of Things That Have Aged

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Isabella Color & Green Blue

Yellow & Deep Lyons Blue