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Substantial Muse violet

#a4156e
Notes

Substantial Muse violet (#A4156E) is a true magenta with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (323°, 77%, 36%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary green. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#a4156e
RGB
rgb(164, 21, 110)
HSL
hsl(323, 77%, 36%)
HWB
hwb(323 8% 36%)
OKLCH
oklch(48.2% 0.189 349.4)
HSV
hsv(323, 87%, 64%)
LAB
lab(37.04% 60.61 -13.27)
LCH
lch(37.04% 62.05 347.65)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 87%, 33%, 36%)

Etymology

Substantial
adjective

Latin substantia, substance — adjectival suffix -al, derived from sub-stāre (to stand under). As a color modifier, substantial implies a saturated-and-weighty-and-material quality where the hue carries visual mass and presence. Sits at the bold-and-weighty end of the grid, parallel to weighty and hefty in usage.

Muse
modifier

Latin Musa, goddess-of-inspiration. As a color modifier, muse implies a contemplative-and-inspired-and-poetic quality, the visual register of Helicon-spring-and-Parnassus-muse hand-contemplative-and-inspired-and-poetic Helicon-spring-and-Parnassus-and-Castalian-fount mused-and-contemplative-and-inspired-and-poetic surfaces under Helicon-spring-and-Parnassus-and-Castalian-fount laurel-and-lyre-and-tablet poet's-grove-light. Sits at the modifier-and-mood end of the grid, parallel to mull and brood in usage.

violet
noun

Viola odorata, the European sweet violet — small, fragrant, and the original meaning of the color name in English (the Violet of the rainbow). The color refers to a fresh sweet violet blossom in late winter: a saturated, slightly red-shifted deep blue-purple with the matte finish of small five-petaled flower. Cooler than amethyst, warmer than indigo, with the perfumed weight of a flower used in Roman garlands and Victorian eau de toilette.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

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Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#a4156e
Original
#324770
Protanopia
#5c606b
Deuteranopia
#b10342
Tritanopia
#3a3a3a
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon White
7.21:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon Black
2.91:1

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