Nearest-color comparison
Indigo #4B0082 vs Imperial Purple #602F6B: RGB distance 56.4 and contrast 1.3:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Indigo and Imperial Purple are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 56.4. Imperial Purple is lighter by 0.0247, and Indigo is more saturated by 61 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.3:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Indigo and Imperial Purple across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
purple color
Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple with hue 275°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0311. Beside Imperial Purple, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 12.95:1.
purple color
Imperial Purple is #602F6B, a cool purple with hue 289°, saturation 39% and luminance 0.0558. Beside Indigo, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 9.92:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Indigo and Imperial Purple, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "indigo",
"name": "Indigo",
"hex": "#4B0082",
"rgb": [
75,
0,
130
],
"hsl": [
275,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
42,
100,
0,
49
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0311,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.62,
"white": 12.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
"description": "Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple color with jewel tone character. Compared with Imperial Purple, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/indigo/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json"
},
{
"slug": "imperial-purple",
"name": "Imperial Purple",
"hex": "#602F6B",
"rgb": [
96,
47,
107
],
"hsl": [
289,
39,
30
],
"cmyk": [
10,
56,
0,
58
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0558,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.12,
"white": 9.92
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.92
},
"description": "Imperial Purple is #602F6B, a cool purple color with balanced character. Compared with Indigo, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/imperial-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/imperial-purple.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 56.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 61,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0247,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Imperial Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Indigo"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.3,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Indigo",
"background": "#4B0082",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
{
"color": "Imperial Purple",
"background": "#602F6B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.92
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Indigo is better when the design needs jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B0082.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Imperial Purple is better when the design needs balanced purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #602F6B.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/indigo-vs-imperial-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/imperial-purple.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "indigo-vs-imperial-purple",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Indigo vs Imperial Purple",
"verdict": "Indigo and Imperial Purple are visually related colors. Imperial Purple is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.3:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Indigo and Imperial Purple are different purple colors with HEX values #4B0082 and #602F6B. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 56.4, their contrast ratio is 1.3:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 56.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "indigo",
"name": "Indigo",
"hex": "#4B0082",
"rgb": [
75,
0,
130
],
"hsl": [
275,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
42,
100,
0,
49
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0311,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.62,
"white": 12.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
"description": "Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple color with jewel tone character. Compared with Imperial Purple, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/indigo/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json"
},
{
"slug": "imperial-purple",
"name": "Imperial Purple",
"hex": "#602F6B",
"rgb": [
96,
47,
107
],
"hsl": [
289,
39,
30
],
"cmyk": [
10,
56,
0,
58
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0558,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.12,
"white": 9.92
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.92
},
"description": "Imperial Purple is #602F6B, a cool purple color with balanced character. Compared with Indigo, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/imperial-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/imperial-purple.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 56.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 61,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0247,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Imperial Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Indigo"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.3,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Indigo",
"background": "#4B0082",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
{
"color": "Imperial Purple",
"background": "#602F6B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.92
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Indigo is better when the design needs jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B0082.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Imperial Purple is better when the design needs balanced purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #602F6B.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/indigo-vs-imperial-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/imperial-purple.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/indigo-vs-imperial-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/indigo-vs-imperial-purple.json"
}