Commanders vs Cardinals colors
Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals and their primary colours sit 1.70:1 apart in lightness with a perceptual difference of 24.0. Every cross-team pairing is measured below.
These values are not yet verified
The colour values on this page are illustrative placeholders used while the site is being built. Each one must be traced to the team's own published brand assets and dated before it is presented as fact — see the method page. Do not use these figures for print or production yet.
Commanders vs Cardinals
Marginal- Colour difference
- ΔE 24.0
- Lightness contrast
- 1.70:1
The same two colours in greyscale — what a monochrome feed, and a viewer with colour vision deficiency, has to work with.
The two palettes
Every cross-team pairing
6 measured| Commanders colour | #97233F | #000000 | #FFB612 |
|---|---|---|---|
| #5A1414 | 1.70:1 Fails | 1.54:1 Fails | 7.74:1 AAA |
| #FFB612 | 4.55:1 AA | 11.95:1 AAA | 1.00:1 Fails |
Gold on Black is the highest-contrast combination across the two palettes. Use it for anything carrying text.
Gold on Yellow is the lowest-contrast combination, and the one a designer reaches for by accident when both teams want their signature colour.
What the verdict means
A colour clash takes two measurements, not one. Perceptual difference says how far apart two colours look to the eye with hue included; lightness contrast says what survives when colour is removed. Judged on lightness alone, a navy and a purple can score identically to navy against itself, which is plainly wrong. Judged on hue alone, two colours that separate clearly in colour can merge completely in a monochrome broadcast.
For Commanders and Cardinals the two figures are ΔE 24.0 and 1.70:1, which together give a verdict of marginal. They are separable close up but lose their edge at distance or at small size.
The National Football League divides its thirty-two teams between two conferences, and uniform colour is regulated more tightly here than in any other major league: a team must register its colours with the league, and opposing teams are required to wear contrasting jerseys so that broadcast audiences can tell them apart.
Design with either palette
Take Commanders or Cardinals colours into the design studio, add your own artwork, and check the result for print problems before committing to a run.