Purple Color Palette
Purple Color Palette built around #800080, a dark neutral purple anchor (WCAG contrast 2.23:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #DCA6D7 | |
| surface | #8E2C8C | |
| text | #4E004E | |
| text-muted | #800080 | |
| primary | #800080 | |
| secondary | #1D631D | |
| accent | #8E2C8C |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #dca6d7;
--surface: #8e2c8c;
--text: #4e004e;
--text-muted: #800080;
--primary: #800080;
--secondary: #1d631d;
--accent: #8e2c8c;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #800080 | #DCA6D7 | #4E004E | #1D631D | #8E2C8C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #800080 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| #DCA6D7 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| #4E004E | 1.6 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| #1D631D | 1.3 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| #8E2C8C | 1.3 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the purple color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #800080, #DCA6D7, #4E004E, #1D631D, #8E2C8C.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.