Colour comparison

Saints vs 49ers colors

New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers and their primary colours sit 4.19:1 apart in lightness with a perceptual difference of 75.0. 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.

Saints vs 49ers

Clear
Colour difference
ΔE 75.0
Lightness contrast
4.19:1

The same two colours in greyscale — what a monochrome feed, and a viewer with colour vision deficiency, has to work with.

The two palettes

New Orleans Saints National Football League
Old Gold #D3BC8D
Black #101820

All Saints values →

San Francisco 49ers National Football League
Red #AA0000
Gold #B3995D

All 49ers values →

Every cross-team pairing

4 measured
Contrast for every Saints colour against every 49ers colour
Saints colour #AA0000 #B3995D
#D3BC8D 4.19:1 Large text only 1.49:1 Fails
#101820 2.31:1 Fails 6.50:1 AA
Saints on 49ers
Strongest pairing

Black on Gold is the highest-contrast combination across the two palettes. Use it for anything carrying text.

6.50:1 AA
Saints on 49ers
Weakest pairing

Old Gold on Gold is the lowest-contrast combination, and the one a designer reaches for by accident when both teams want their signature colour.

1.49:1 Fails

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 Saints and 49ers the two figures are ΔE 75.0 and 4.19:1, which together give a verdict of clear. Both measurements are comfortable, so these two read as distinct teams in every medium.

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 Saints or 49ers colours into the design studio, add your own artwork, and check the result for print problems before committing to a run.

Every other Saints comparison

30 matchups

Every other 49ers comparison

30 matchups