We're live on Product Hunt!Support us
ColorArchive

A curated color library with 5,000+ algorithmically generated colors. Browse, search, save favorites, and export palette tokens — no account required.

CollectionsFamiliesBrandsRegionsJournalNotesGuidesFree ResourcesConvertColorblindAboutSupportUpdates
Ready for static export
Privacy·Terms·Refunds·Cookies·Commerce Disclosure
colorarchive.org · © 2026 ColorArchive
Skip to content
ColorArchive
ProLog in
ArchiveAll ColorsCollections
Plum Silk Vivid
Color detail

Plum Silk Vivid

Purple · Hue 270
Hex
#AD71EA
RGB
rgb(173, 113, 234)
HSL
hsl(270, 74%, 68%)
CMYK
cmyk(26%, 52%, 0%, 8%)
Metrics
S 74% · L 68%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
3.3:1AA Large
on black
6.3:1AA
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Plum Silk Vivid (#AD71EA) belongs to the purple family — hue 270°, 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-plum-silk-vivid: #AD71EA;
  --colorarchive-plum-silk-vivid-hsl: hsl(270, 74%, 68%);
  --colorarchive-plum-silk-vivid-rgb: rgb(173, 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 #AD71EA.

  • PlayStationaccent
    Square Purple · #A363D9
    →
  • Figmaprimary
    Figma Purple · #A259FF
    →
  • Redditsecondary
    Periwinkle · #7193FF
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #AD71EA.

  • France (Paris)Seine Steel
    #7E8A93 · River reflectivity in winter
    →
  • MexicoBarragán Earth Pink
    #D77176 · Casa Gilardi, Mexico City (1976)
    →
  • MoroccoMajorelle Blue
    #6050DC · Jacques Majorelle's Marrakech garden, 1937
    →

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
Plum Bloom Vivid
#C295EF · hsl(270, 74%, 76%)
Darker companion
Plum Tone Vivid
#994EE4 · hsl(270, 74%, 60%)
Complementary counterpoint
Lime Silk Vivid
#ADEA71 · hsl(90, 74%, 68%)
Analogous lead
Magenta Silk Vivid
#D671EA · hsl(290, 74%, 68%)
Analogous echo
Amethyst Silk Vivid
#7B71EA · hsl(245, 74%, 68%)
Triadic +120°
Coral Silk Vivid
#EAAD71 · hsl(30, 74%, 68%)
Triadic +240°
Jade Silk Vivid
#71EAAD · hsl(150, 74%, 68%)
Split-comp +150°
Citrine Silk Vivid
#EAEA71 · hsl(60, 74%, 68%)
Split-comp +210°
Emerald Silk Vivid
#71EA71 · hsl(120, 74%, 68%)
Export preview
Base: Plum Silk Vivid #AD71EA
Lighter companion: Plum Bloom Vivid #C295EF
Darker companion: Plum Tone Vivid #994EE4
Complementary counterpoint: Lime Silk Vivid #ADEA71
Analogous lead: Magenta Silk Vivid #D671EA
Analogous echo: Amethyst Silk Vivid #7B71EA
Triadic +120°: Coral Silk Vivid #EAAD71
Triadic +240°: Jade Silk Vivid #71EAAD
Split-comp +150°: Citrine Silk Vivid #EAEA71
Split-comp +210°: Emerald Silk Vivid #71EA71

Compare

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

vsPlum Bloom VividvsPlum Tone VividvsLime Silk VividvsMagenta Silk VividvsAmethyst Silk VividvsCoral Silk Vivid

Nearest neighbors

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

Search by hex
Nearby match
Plum Silk Bright
#AD69F2 · hsl(270, 84%, 68%)
Nearby match
Plum Tone Vivid
#994EE4 · hsl(270, 74%, 60%)
Nearby match
Plum Bloom Vivid
#C295EF · hsl(270, 74%, 76%)
Nearby match
Plum Silk Pure
#AD62F8 · hsl(270, 92%, 68%)
Nearby match
Plum Silk Clear
#AD81D9 · hsl(270, 54%, 68%)
Nearby match
Plum Radiant Vivid
#8A33E1 · hsl(270, 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
AA4.6:1
Lime Ink Faint
#242720
AA4.6:1
Olive Ink Faint
#252720
AA4.6:1
Moss Ink Faint
#232720
AA4.5:1
Moss Ink Muted
#222A1D
AA4.6:1
Chartreuse Ink Faint
#252720
AA4.5:1
Honey Ink Faint
#262720

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#9A9ECF
Protanopia
#9796D5
Tritanopia
#ABC2BD
Ready to build

Turn these colors into design tokens

ColorArchive Pro includes CSS variables, Figma tokens, Tailwind config, and Procreate swatches — ready to drop into any project.

Upgrade to ProFree downloadView collections

Related colors

More from Purple

Search
Violet Ink Faint#212027 · hsl(250, 10%, 14%)Violet Nocturne Faint#302E38 · hsl(250, 10%, 20%)Violet Shadow Faint#43404F · hsl(250, 10%, 28%)Violet Dusk Faint#514E5F · hsl(250, 10%, 34%)Violet Velvet Faint#646076 · hsl(250, 10%, 42%)Violet Core Faint#726E87 · hsl(250, 10%, 48%)Violet Radiant Faint#827E95 · hsl(250, 10%, 54%)Violet Tone Faint#928FA3 · hsl(250, 10%, 60%)