← Shades of purple

Purple Illusion

Purple Illusion (#B8B8F8) is a light, moderately saturated purple with a cool feel. It has a hue angle of 240° and a lightness of 81%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.

#B8B8F8Purple Illusion
Conversion

What Purple Illusion looks like, feels like and where it works.

Description

Purple Illusion (#B8B8F8) is a light, moderately saturated purple with a cool feel. It has a hue angle of 240° and a lightness of 81%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.

Psychology

Purple mixes the energy of red with the calm of blue. It suggests imagination, creativity and luxury; soft lavenders feel romantic, deep violets feel premium. As a light shade, Purple Illusion feels airy and gentle.

Meaning

Purple has long stood for royalty, ceremony and spirituality, and today for creativity and individuality.

Why use this color

Purple Illusion is an easy supporting color. Dark text is easy to read on it, so it works as a surface, highlight or card background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.

Applications
  • Beauty and wellness
  • Creative tools and entertainment
  • Premium and luxury positioning
  • Gradients paired with blue or pink
History

Tyrian purple, made from sea snails, was so costly it became tied to emperors. In 1856 William Perkin accidentally made mauveine, the first synthetic dye, and purple became affordable.

Accessibility

White text on Purple Illusion has a contrast ratio of 1.86:1 (fails); black text has 11.24:1 (AAA). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Do not rely on color alone to carry meaning: pair it with text, an icon or a pattern.

ShadesMixed with black: darker and richer.
TintsMixed with white: lighter and softer.
TonesMixed with gray: quieter and less saturated.
HuesThe same lightness and strength, turned around the wheel.
TemperaturesPushed cooler on the left, warmer on the right.
50#F6F6FE100#E9EAFA200#D7D8F5300#B8B8F8400#9B9BD3500#807FBB600#69689F700#535281800#3E3D64900#2D2C4B950#18182D
Analogous
Complementary
Split complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square

Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.

#B8B8F8
Typical visionAs most people see it
#A7C0FB
ProtanopiaReduced sensitivity to red
#A5BCF6
DeuteranopiaReduced sensitivity to green
#A9C3CE
TritanopiaReduced sensitivity to blue
#BEBEBE
AchromatopsiaNo color, only light and dark

These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.

White textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
1.86:1
AAAAA
Normal textFailFail
Large textFailFail
Black textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
11.24:1
AAAAA
Normal textAAAAA
Large textAAAAA
Open the contrast checker