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Orchid Silk Vivid
Color detail

Orchid Silk Vivid

Purple · Hue 260
Hex
#9971EA
RGB
rgb(153, 113, 234)
HSL
hsl(260, 74%, 68%)
CMYK
cmyk(35%, 52%, 0%, 8%)
Metrics
S 74% · L 68%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
3.6:1AA Large
on black
5.9:1AA
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Orchid Silk Vivid (#9971EA) belongs to the purple family — hue 260°, 74% saturation, 68% lightness. Copy the hex, RGB, or HSL value above, or paste the CSS custom property below into your stylesheet to reference this color directly.

CSS
:root {
  --colorarchive-orchid-silk-vivid: #9971EA;
  --colorarchive-orchid-silk-vivid-hsl: hsl(260, 74%, 68%);
  --colorarchive-orchid-silk-vivid-rgb: rgb(153, 113, 234);
}

AI Color Names

Let AI suggest alternative poetic names for this color in English and Chinese.

Design Context

MysticalCreativeGentle
Common in

Skincare · Meditation · Indie Music

Pairs well with

Soft gold for elegance, mint for freshness, warm white for purity

Design tip

Use for creative and wellness brands. Light purple backgrounds create a dreamy, contemplative atmosphere.

Cultural context ▶

Lavender and lilac represent spirituality, creativity, and gentleness. Associated with aromatherapy and mindfulness.

Color Origins

Purple family

The color of empire, twilight, and tech-luxury.

Heritage

Tyrian purple, extracted from the murex snail in Phoenicia, took 12,000 snails to dye one toga and was the literal definition of expense — Roman law restricted who could wear it. Mauve, the world's first synthetic dye, was discovered by accident in 1856 by an 18-year-old chemistry student trying to make quinine — the discovery launched the chemical-dye industry that funded the modern pharmaceutical industry. Quinacridone violet is the modern fade-resistant standard.

Across cultures

In Catholic liturgy purple marks Lent and Advent — penance and preparation. In Japan murasaki (a deep violet) was the highest court color in the Heian period; The Tale of Genji's Lady Murasaki takes her name from it. In Thailand purple is the mourning color for widows. Across Western culture purple is associated with royalty (because of Tyrian's cost), creativity (because of its rarity), and from the 1960s onward with rock and psychedelia.

In the wild

Cadbury's purple has been trademarked since 2008 (and hard-fought in court). Yahoo, Twitch, Discord, and Linear all use saturated purples as primary brand colors — the choice signals creative-tech where blue would signal corporate-tech. Prince's purple was so associated with him that his estate has trademark issues with the broader color. Stripe's signature indigo (#635BFF) helped redefine fintech away from trust-blue. The Lakers, the Vikings, and most NBA teams' second jerseys use purple to claim a color lane that no other major team owns.

How it reads

Purple sits at the boundary of warm and cool — biologically, our eyes process it as a blend rather than a single hue, which is why it can feel slightly unstable or magical. It reads as premium, creative, slightly counterculture. Light purples (lavender, lilac) read as gentle and feminine in Western convention. Saturated purples read as luxurious, electronic, or theatrical. Deep purples read as nocturnal, regal, or somber. It is one of the colors most commonly avoided by traditional finance and most embraced by creative tools.

This particular tone

A vivid mid-tone — distinctive enough to anchor an identity, saturated enough to demand a quiet supporting palette.

Lightness band: At mid-lightness the hue carries its full character. This is the band where most identity colors live: bright enough to be distinctive at small sizes, deep enough to sit cleanly on a white canvas.

Saturation band: At this saturation the color is doing work. It reads as a brand statement, a sport accessory, or a UI signal. It should be used in small, deliberate doses against quieter neighbors; large fields at this saturation will exhaust the eye.

Brands using a similar color

Within the public brand-guidelines reference catalog, these are the closest matches to #9971EA.

  • PlayStationaccent
    Square Purple · #A363D9
    →
  • Figmaprimary
    Figma Purple · #A259FF
    →
  • Linearprimary
    Linear Indigo · #5E6AD2
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #9971EA.

  • France (Paris)Seine Steel
    #7E8A93 · River reflectivity in winter
    →
  • MoroccoMajorelle Blue
    #6050DC · Jacques Majorelle's Marrakech garden, 1937
    →
  • Greece (Aegean)Olive Silver
    #9CA38F · Olea europaea leaf undersides
    →

Tonal strip

All lightness levels at this hue and saturation. Click any to navigate.

Palette moves

Instead of stopping at one swatch, use nearby, opposite, and tonal neighbors to branch into a broader palette.

Lighter companion
Orchid Bloom Vivid
#B395EF · hsl(260, 74%, 76%)
Darker companion
Orchid Tone Vivid
#804EE4 · hsl(260, 74%, 60%)
Complementary counterpoint
Olive Silk Vivid
#C2EA71 · hsl(80, 74%, 68%)
Analogous lead
Mulberry Silk Vivid
#C271EA · hsl(280, 74%, 68%)
Analogous echo
Iris Silk Vivid
#7171EA · hsl(240, 74%, 68%)
Triadic +120°
Ember Silk Vivid
#EA9971 · hsl(20, 74%, 68%)
Triadic +240°
Seafoam Silk Vivid
#71EA99 · hsl(140, 74%, 68%)
Split-comp +150°
Amber Silk Vivid
#EAD671 · hsl(50, 74%, 68%)
Split-comp +210°
Leaf Silk Vivid
#85EA71 · hsl(110, 74%, 68%)
Export preview
Base: Orchid Silk Vivid #9971EA
Lighter companion: Orchid Bloom Vivid #B395EF
Darker companion: Orchid Tone Vivid #804EE4
Complementary counterpoint: Olive Silk Vivid #C2EA71
Analogous lead: Mulberry Silk Vivid #C271EA
Analogous echo: Iris Silk Vivid #7171EA
Triadic +120°: Ember Silk Vivid #EA9971
Triadic +240°: Seafoam Silk Vivid #71EA99
Split-comp +150°: Amber Silk Vivid #EAD671
Split-comp +210°: Leaf Silk Vivid #85EA71

Compare

See how Orchid Silk Vivid compares side by side with related colors.

vsOrchid Bloom VividvsOrchid Tone VividvsOlive Silk VividvsMulberry Silk VividvsIris Silk VividvsEmber Silk Vivid

Nearest neighbors

The closest archive matches by hue, saturation, and lightness.

Search by hex
Nearby match
Orchid Silk Bright
#9769F2 · hsl(260, 84%, 68%)
Nearby match
Orchid Tone Vivid
#804EE4 · hsl(260, 74%, 60%)
Nearby match
Orchid Bloom Vivid
#B395EF · hsl(260, 74%, 76%)
Nearby match
Orchid Silk Pure
#9462F8 · hsl(260, 92%, 68%)
Nearby match
Orchid Silk Clear
#9F81D9 · hsl(260, 54%, 68%)
Nearby match
Orchid Radiant Vivid
#6D33E1 · hsl(260, 74%, 54%)

Accessible pairings

Archive colors that meet WCAG contrast standards when paired with this color. Use as text-on-background or background-on-text.

Contrast checker
AA4.5:1
Vermillion Ink Muted
#2A201D
AA4.5:1
Vermillion Ink Dust
#2D1F1A
AA4.5:1
Vermillion Ink Soft
#301E18
AA4.5:1
Vermillion Ink Clear
#371A10
AA4.5:1
Vermillion Ink Vivid
#3E1609
AA4.5:1
Ruby Ink Faint
#272120

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#8C8ECF
Protanopia
#8989D5
Tritanopia
#97C2BD
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