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Direct Nori

#a5e8a6
Notes

Direct Nori (#A5E8A6) is a soft green with a pastel character. It reads calm and airy, with enough chroma to feel intentional rather than washed out. Its HSL profile (121°, 59%, 78%) places it in the balanced band at a light lightness. It works as a background wash, large-area fill, or soft illustration tone. Add a darker ink of the same hue when you need type over it. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary violet. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#a5e8a6
RGB
rgb(165, 232, 166)
HSL
hsl(121, 59%, 78%)
HWB
hwb(121 65% 9%)
OKLCH
oklch(86.9% 0.112 144.9)
HSV
hsv(121, 29%, 91%)
LAB
lab(86.24% -33.71 25.57)
LCH
lch(86.24% 42.31 142.81)
CMYK
cmyk(29%, 0%, 28%, 9%)

Etymology

Direct
adjective

From the Latin directus, straight — used as a color modifier since the eighteenth century for hues that read as straightforward and unambiguous. Direct red, direct green: moderate-to-high saturation combined with optical clarity. Sits at the crisp-bucket center alongside clear and frank.

Nori
noun

The Japanese name for Pyropia and Porphyra edible seaweeds — pressed into the dried sheets used for makizushi sushi rolls and onigiri rice balls. Nori color refers to a fresh sheet of toasted nori: a deep, slightly cool dark green with the slight optical translucency of pressed marine alga.

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

Click any swatch to explore

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.

#a5e8a6
Original
#ebdca2
Protanopia
#e0d5aa
Deuteranopia
#9ee4d6
Tritanopia
#d5d5d5
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).
Failon White
1.43:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
14.69:1

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