Split Complementary Color Palette
One anchor plus the two hues adjacent to its complement — strong contrast with softer edges than a pure complementary pair. Palette anchors: #1E5F9E, #F0A63C, #E86A4A.
split-complementarybalanced
#1E5F9E
#F0A63C
#E86A4A
#F5F5F5
#1B2A4A
#1e5f9e #f0a63c #e86a4a #f5f5f5 #1b2a4a
#1E5F9E #F0A63C #E86A4A #F5F5F5 #1B2A4A
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #F5F5F5 | |
| surface | #F0A63C | |
| text | #1B2A4A | |
| text-muted | #1E5F9E | |
| primary | #1E5F9E | |
| secondary | #F0A63C | |
| accent | #E86A4A |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #f5f5f5;
--surface: #f0a63c;
--text: #1b2a4a;
--text-muted: #1e5f9e;
--primary: #1e5f9e;
--secondary: #f0a63c;
--accent: #e86a4a;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #1E5F9E | #F0A63C | #E86A4A | #F5F5F5 | #1B2A4A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1E5F9E | 1.0 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 2.2 |
| #F0A63C | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 6.9 |
| #E86A4A | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 4.5 |
| #F5F5F5 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 13.0 |
| #1B2A4A | 2.2 | 6.9 | 4.5 | 13.0 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
#1E5F9E
rgb(30, 95, 158)
#F0A63C
rgb(240, 166, 60)
#E86A4A
rgb(232, 106, 74)
#F5F5F5
Whitesmoke
#1B2A4A
Navy Blue
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the split complementary color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #1E5F9E, #F0A63C, #E86A4A, #F5F5F5, #1B2A4A.
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.