Purple `#800080`

Purple (#800080) is a dark, saturated magenta with an OKLCH hue of 328°, lightness 0.42 and chroma 0.193. It sits on the transitional side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.

Color values

HEX	`#800080`
RGB	`rgb(128, 0, 128)`
HSL	`hsl(300, 100%, 25%)`
HSV	`hsv(300, 100%, 50%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 100%, 0%, 50%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(29.8 58.9 -36.5)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.421 0.193 328)`

How Purple behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Purple shifts subtly: leans toward pink; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #810078 — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: leans toward pink
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #82017e — ΔE 0.6, shifts subtly: leans toward pink
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #800080 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
North light / shade (~7500K diffuse blue-sky light): → #800082 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 9.42:1 and against black 2.23:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.

Palettes built from Purple

Tonal

One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.

#cf7bcc · #ac4eaa · #800080 · #5b005b · #2d002d · #080009

Analogous

The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.

#b1416b · #9b2675 · #800080 · #5c017e · #3a0074 · #1b0062

Shifted

The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.

#e08989 · #e34553 · #995151 · #800080 · #580058 · #320032

Contrast

One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.

#56e579 · #ad77aa · #7f607d · #800080 · #4c174b · #260825

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#e6f7e8 · #b8a1b6 · #5e6a60 · #800080 · #432d42 · #000200

Bright Accent

This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.

#ebf5ec · #c1ccc2 · #93a094 · #172719 · #000600 · #800080

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#dfd6b1 · #7dbc30 · #be729e · #516b53 · #800080 · #1f050e

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#c5f5f1 · #d7d986 · #669d86 · #566954 · #800080 · #1e050c

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#fff1ce · #d0a300 · #007481 · #800080 · #003e45 · #0d0600

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#ffeee2 · #f08e33 · #007c30 · #800080 · #003a57 · #000200

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#983996 · #AF5DAD · #C780C3 · #DDA3DA · #F4C5F1

Shades

#6C006C · #590059 · #460046 · #340034 · #240024

Muted

#772476 · #6D346B · #623F60

Using Purple

Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.