The color book that has been inspiring artists for 90 years: Sanzo Wada's Dictionary of Color Combinations

⏱️ 8 minutes reading time

There are books you buy, leaf through, and put away. And then there are books you reach for again and again for every new project, every new series, every time you stand before a blank canvas and don't know which direction to take. A Dictionary of Color Combinations by Sanzo Wada is such a book.

It was first published in Japan in 1933. More than ninety years later, it is still in print, still on the desks of designers, illustrators, and artists all over the world. That is no coincidence. In this article, I explain why and how you can use it.

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Who was Sanzo Wada?

Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) was a Japanese artist, costume designer, and color theorist. He worked at a time when Japan was modernizing at a rapid pace. Western influences were flowing into the country, but traditional Japanese aesthetics remained deeply rooted in daily life.

Wada moved between both worlds. He studied Western painting, but his sense of color was steeped in Japanese traditions: the muted tones of kimono textiles, the subtle gradations in woodblock prints, the harmony of nature and material. His work as a costume designer for theater and film gave him a sharp eye for how colors function alongside each other, not in isolation but in relation.

The result of years of observation and study was A Dictionary of Color Combinations, a catalog of 348 color combinations composed of over 6,000 individual color swatches.

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What makes this book different?

There are many color theory books. Johannes Itten wrote about color contrasts. Albert Munsell developed a scientific color model. Josef Albers explored how colors influence each other. All are essential, but Wada did something different.

Where other theorists established rules, Wada compiled combinations. No formulas, no color wheels with arrows. Just: this works. Look for yourself.

Each page shows a set of 2 to 6 colors, carefully placed next to each other. No explanation of why they work; you can see that yourself. The palettes are named (often after natural phenomena or materials) and numbered, but otherwise, the book speaks for itself.

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The theory behind the palettes

Wada worked from several principles that you can also see in his palettes:

1. Harmony over contrast

Most palettes in the book are harmonic. They share an undertone, a temperature, an atmosphere. That makes them immediately applicable without being loud. Even the combinations with a strong accent never feel aggressive.

2. Muted colors as a foundation

Wada avoided saturated primary colors. His red is more terracotta. His blue leans toward slate. His yellow is ocher gold. This gives the palettes a timeless, organic quality, and they do not age.

3. Proportion and weight

In every palette, there is a dominant color, a supporting color, and often an accent. That proportion is rarely equal, and that is precisely why it works. A 10% accent does more than a 33% accent.

4. Nature as reference

Many palettes are inspired by seasons, materials, and landscapes. Moss, slate, rice fields, autumn leaves. Wada looked at the world around him and translated that into color.

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Influence and legacy

The book was largely forgotten after World War II. It wasn't until 2010 that it was reissued by Seigensha Art Publishing, and it made a huge impact. Within the design and illustration community, it quickly became a must-have.

Its influence is broad:

• Graphic design: Agencies use Wada's palettes as a starting point for brand identities, especially for brands pursuing an organic, warm, or Japanese aesthetic.
• Fashion: Costume designers and fashion houses, particularly in the Japanese and Scandinavian sectors, refer to the book for seasonal palettes.
• Illustration: A whole generation of digital illustrators (especially on platforms like Procreate and Behance) works explicitly with Wada palettes.
• Interior design: Stylists use the book to compose color combinations for rooms, from paint to textiles to wall art.
• Fine art: Painters use it as a compass when building a coherent series or choosing a limited palette.

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How do you use it when creating art?

This is where it becomes practical. The book is not a decorative piece; it is a working tool. Here are concrete ways to use it:

Building a series around one palette

Choose one combination from the book and use it as a guide for a series of works. Not every work has to contain all the colors, but they share the same language. This gives a series cohesion without every work being identical.

Example: Palette #214 combines a warm off-white, a deep moss green, and a terracotta accent. Use the moss green as the dominant color in work 1, the off-white in work 2, and the terracotta in work 3. Three different works, one recognizable family.

Applying color proportion consciously

Wada's palettes implicitly suggest a proportion. Look at how the swatches are arranged. The broad bar is your dominant (60–70%), the narrower one your sub (20–30%), the small square your accent (5–10%). Translate that proportion directly to your canvas.

Limitation as freedom

One of the biggest pitfalls for artists is having too many color choices. By limiting yourself to a Wada palette of 3 to 4 colors, you force yourself to work with value, texture, and composition instead of using color as an escape route.

Mixing from the palette

Use the colors in the book as target colors, not as exact mixes. Find the closest pigments in your paint box and mix toward the palette. It doesn't have to be exact; it's about the atmosphere and the mutual relationship.

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How do you use it in your interior?

Art on the wall is always a color choice, even if you don't think about it consciously. Wada's palettes can help make that choice more conscious.

Choosing art based on color harmony

Look at the dominant colors in your room (floor, walls, textiles) and find a palette in the book that contains or complements those colors. Then, choose art that falls within that palette. The result is a room that feels like a whole, without everything perfectly matching.

Accent via art

If your room is neutral (off-white, beige, gray), use art as the accent in a Wada palette. A work with deep blue-green or warm terracotta gives the room just enough color without overwhelming it.

Combining multiple works

Do you want to curate a gallery wall? Use one Wada palette as a binder. Works don't have to have the same style. If they share the same color family, they feel like they belong together.

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Wada and the art of negative space

There is an interesting connection between Wada's color philosophy and the Japanese concept of ma (間), the art of the interval. Wada's palettes breathe. They are never full, never overloaded. There is always room for silence, a neutral tone that lets the other colors speak.

In your interior, it works the same way. A work with a Wada palette doesn't need a busy environment. It functions best with space around it: an empty wall, a single object, calm. I wrote about this in more detail in my article on Ma (間): the art of negative space in your interior.

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Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy A Dictionary of Color Combinations?

The book can be ordered directly from Athenaeum Scheltema: Volume 1 and Volume 2. The book is also available through other major online booksellers. Look for the Seigensha Art Publishing edition (2010), which is the most accessible reprint.

Is the book also available digitally?

There are no official digital versions, but there are online databases and tools (such as coolors.co or specific Wada color palette collections on Pinterest) that are based on the book.

Do I need to know color theory to use the book?

No. That is precisely the strength of the book. You don't need to know any theory. You pick a palette that appeals to you and apply it. The theory is already integrated into the selection.

How does Wada differ from other color theories?

Wada does not give rules; he gives examples. Where Itten and Munsell work with systems and formulas, Wada works with intuition and observation. Both approaches are valuable, but Wada is more accessible for practical use.

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Related articles

• Ma (間): The Art of Negative Space in Your Interior
• From book to canvas: how I use A Dictionary of Color Combinations in my work
• More articles on art, color, and interior →

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