What colors are in the "Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1" palette?

Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1 contains 3 colors: Red Orange (#dd4027), Orange Yellow (#fcb315), Violet (#4f4086). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).

When was the "Red Orange & Orange Yellow +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 "Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1" palette belong to?

Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes red tones. Plate 164 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Orange Yellow, Violet.

Can I use the "Red Orange & Orange Yellow +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.

Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1 — The Dictionary of Color Combinations

About this combination

Combination 164 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 3-colour grouping of Red Orange, Orange Yellow, Violet, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 164 of Wada's 348 anchors Red Orange, Orange Yellow and Violet in the red family — a 3-colour grouping with a refined, warm 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 — Orange Yellow on Violet — reaches a contrast ratio of 4.81:1, 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: red
Moods: refined, warm
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: Orange Yellow on Violet — 4.81:1 (AA)

Red Orange·Orange Yellow2.40:1Fail
Red Orange·Violet2.01:1Fail
Orange Yellow·Violet4.81:1AA

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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Preview

From the editorial · Long read

The Four Reds: Kurenai, Akane, Shu, Entan

Why Japanese tradition distinguishes safflower crimson from madder from vermilion from lead red — and which to reach for when the brief asks for 'a Japanese red.'

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Red Orange & Orange Yellow +1

About this combination

Historical context

Embed this palette

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The Four Reds: Kurenai, Akane, Shu, Entan

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

Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo

Vandyke Red & Pale King's Blue

Eugenia Red | B & Sea Green