What colors are in the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette?

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 contains 4 colors: Spectrum Red (#e31f26), Orange Yellow (#fcb315), Blue (#006eb8), Aconite Violet (#a36aa5). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).

When was the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette created?

This palette is from Sanzo Wada's 1933 reference work "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). The source work is in the public domain.

What style or era does the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette belong to?

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes red tones. Plate 257 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Orange Yellow, Blue, Aconite Violet.

Can I use the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" 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.

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

About this combination

Combination 257 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 4-colour grouping of Spectrum Red, Orange Yellow, Blue, Aconite Violet, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 257 of Wada's 348 anchors Spectrum Red, Orange Yellow, Blue and Aconite Violet in the red family — a 4-colour grouping with a refined, warm, bold character, recorded in Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations (six volumes; Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint), and in the public domain by age. Its strongest pairing — Orange Yellow on Blue — reaches a contrast ratio of 2.96:1, below the WCAG text-contrast floor, so it reads best in decorative blocks rather than text pairings.

Studio

Taking Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 off the screen

A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this palette 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.

Pantone

Color Bridge Guide Set — coated & uncoated

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.

Pentel

Fude Touch brush sign pen

Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
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.

Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Export

One click — no signup, no watermark.

Palette Pro · coming soon Figma variables, Adobe swatches (.ase), Procreate swatches, saved boards →

Details

Era: Showa
Dominant hue: red
Moods: refined, warm, bold
Colors: 4

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 Blue — 2.96:1 (Fail)

Spectrum Red·Orange Yellow2.58:1Fail
Spectrum Red·Blue1.14:1Fail
Spectrum Red·Aconite Violet1.15:1Fail
Orange Yellow·Blue2.96:1Fail
Orange Yellow·Aconite Violet2.25:1Fail
Blue·Aconite Violet1.32:1Fail

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.

Library

Go deeper on colour

The books behind a palette like Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 — colour theory, history and reference designers keep close.

David Scott Kastan with Stephen Farthing

On Color

Yale University Press, 2018.

Ten essays — one per color — pairing cultural history with how each pigment came to mean what it does. A good companion to Victoria Finlay's Color, also on this shelf.

See price on Amazon More about this book

Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Embed this palette

Add this swatch strip to any blog post, Notion page, or website. It links back here automatically.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/wada-257-spectrum-red-orange-yellow/" width="320" height="80" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden;" title="Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 color palette — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

Preview

From the editorial · Long read

What 348 Palettes Reveal: A Data Analysis of Sanzo Wada's Dictionary

The most-used colors, which hues dominate, and how many of the 348 historical combinations are legible enough for screen text — measured from the archive.

Read the article →

Colors that go with these shades

Find partner colors for each tone in this palette.

Other palettes in Color Palettes for Websites.

Heian era

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.

Edo era

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

The faded blue of Shinsengumi jackets against shrine-gate vermillion — restrained power.

Muromachi era

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.

Edo era

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Mid-grade indigo with the quiet sheen of silver — an understated Edo merchant robe.

Muromachi era

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Wild grass yellow tempered by the muted grey favored by the tea master Sen no Rikyū.

Heian era

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Imperial purple set against lunar silver — Heian courtly luxury at its quietest.

See the full color palettes for websites collection →

Questions about Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

What colors are in the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette?: Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 contains 4 colors: Spectrum Red (#e31f26), Orange Yellow (#fcb315), Blue (#006eb8), Aconite Violet (#a36aa5). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).
When was the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette created?: This palette is from Sanzo Wada's 1933 reference work "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). The source work is in the public domain.
What style or era does the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" palette belong to?: Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes red tones. Plate 257 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Orange Yellow, Blue, Aconite Violet.
Can I use the "Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2" 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.

Related combinations

Three palettes with a similar feel.

Showa era

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Plate 241 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow, Isabella Color, Dark Medici Blue.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Plate 242 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Burnt Sienna, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Light Brown Drab & Vinaceous Tawny +2

Plate 244 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Vinaceous Tawny, Andover Green, Antwarp Blue.

Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

About this combination

Historical context

Taking Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2 off the screen

Color Bridge Guide Set — coated & uncoated

ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer

Fude Touch brush sign pen

Embed this palette

Take this palette into Figma, Adobe or Procreate

What 348 Palettes Reveal: A Data Analysis of Sanzo Wada's Dictionary

Find partner colors for each tone in this palette.

Other palettes in Color Palettes for Websites.

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

Questions about Spectrum Red & Orange Yellow +2

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Light Brown Drab & Vinaceous Tawny +2

Looking for a combination we don’t have yet?