Scientific Figure Accessibility Kit
The Okabe-Ito colorblind-safe palette with exact HEX, RGB and CMYK values, ready to copy as CSS, matplotlib, R, JSON, CSV or SVG code. Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Everything is generated in your browser — no sign-up, nothing uploaded.
:root {
--oi-black: #000000;
--oi-orange: #E69F00;
--oi-sky-blue: #56B4E9;
--oi-bluish-green: #009E73;
--oi-yellow: #F0E442;
--oi-blue: #0072B2;
--oi-vermillion: #D55E00;
--oi-reddish-purple: #CC79A7;
}
| Name | HEX | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 |
| Orange | #E69F00 | 230, 159, 0 | 0, 50, 100, 0 |
| Sky blue | #56B4E9 | 86, 180, 233 | 80, 0, 0, 0 |
| Bluish green | #009E73 | 0, 158, 115 | 97, 0, 75, 0 |
| Yellow | #F0E442 | 240, 228, 66 | 10, 5, 90, 0 |
| Blue | #0072B2 | 0, 114, 178 | 100, 50, 0, 0 |
| Vermillion | #D55E00 | 213, 94, 0 | 0, 80, 100, 0 |
| Reddish purple | #CC79A7 | 204, 121, 167 | 10, 70, 0, 0 |
CMYK values are Okabe & Ito's own published figures, transcribed from a single faithful reproduction (NYU Siegal Lab); RGB and HEX are dual-source confirmed. Verify CMYK against your print workflow if exact color matters.
About the Okabe-Ito palette
The palette was created by Masataka Okabe and Kei Ito for Color Universal Design. It is eight colors (black plus seven chromatic colors) chosen empirically to stay distinguishable under the common forms of color vision deficiency — by avoiding the yellow-green confusion range and varying brightness and saturation. It is empirically colorblind-safe, not mathematically guaranteed, and Bang Wong's 2011 Nature Methods column popularized a 7-color subset without being the originator.
Original reference: Okabe & Ito, Color Universal Design (jfly).
How to use it well
- For four or fewer categories, start with orange, sky blue, blue and vermillion — the quartet with the highest pairwise contrast under CVD simulation.
- Do not rely on color alone: pair it with distinct line styles, markers or textures so the figure survives grayscale printing.
- Avoid using red and green together, and keep yellow off thin lines and small text where it disappears on white.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Okabe-Ito palette free to use?
Yes. The palette is published for open use in Color Universal Design and is used across scientific style guides. The download files here are provided for you to drop straight into your figures and code.
Is it really colorblind-safe?
It was designed empirically to stay distinguishable under deuteranopia, protanopia and tritanopia, and is the most widely recommended default in science. It is not a mathematical guarantee, so still avoid color-only encoding and test your figure in a CVD simulator.
Which format should I download?
Use CSS for web figures, matplotlib or R for plotting code, CSV or JSON to import into other tools, and SVG for a ready-made swatch strip. All contain the same eight verified colors.
Are the CMYK values reliable for print?
They are Okabe & Ito's own published CMYK figures, but transcribed from a single reproduction, so confirm them against your print workflow if exact color is critical. The RGB and HEX values are confirmed by multiple independent sources.
Want the full guide to applying colorblind-safe color in figures?
Read the Okabe-Ito reference guide