# #cba81a

A color — warm, vivid, playful, bold. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#cba81a`
- RGB: rgb(203, 168, 26)
- HSL: hsl(48, 77%, 45%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.742 0.147 93.1)
- Relative luminance: 0.4078
- Nearest named color: goldenrod (#daa520, Δ 2.542) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/goldenrod
- Moods: warm, vivid, playful, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/cba81a

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #e2ba1d, #e5c338, #e8c94f, #ebd066, #efd981, #f2df97, #f4e6ae, #f7edc4, #fbf5df, #fefcf6
- Shades (toward black): #b99918, #a78a16, #957b13, #836c11, #715d0f, #5a4b0c, #483c09, #362d07, #241e05, #120f02

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #1a3ecb
- Analogous: #cb4f1a, #96cb1a
- Triadic: #1acba8, #a81acb
- Split-complementary: #1a96cb, #4f1acb
- Tetradic: #1acb4f, #1a3ecb, #cb1a96

## Colors that go with #cba81a

Named partners (harmony on the OKLCH wheel, co-occurrence in curated palettes and brand systems, and the neutrals that carry it), best first:

- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the body-text near-black for #cba81a: its slight blue cast keeps type crisp beside a warm colour where pure #000 looks heavy. Seen in: Disney (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/disney-com), Campus (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/friendly#campus), Mint Modern (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/modern#mint-modern), Paper & Pine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#paper-and-pine). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Cornflower Blue** #6495ed [harmony, pool: complementary] — Cornflower Blue sits directly opposite #cba81a on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Gopro (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gopro-com), Mastodon hosted on mastodon.social (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mastodon-social), Ahrefs (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/ahrefs-com), Blueprint (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/technical#blueprint). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cornflowerblue
- **Deep Sky Blue** #00bfff [harmony, pool: split] — Deep Sky Blue is a split-complement of #cba81a: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Mistral AI (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mistral-ai), Learning App (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#learning-app), Blueprint (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/technical#blueprint), Salesforce (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/salesforce-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/deepskyblue
- **Cadet Blue** #5f9ea0 [pool] — Designers have shipped Cadet Blue with #cba81a: 4 real palettes, including Open House and Paper & Pine, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Open House (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#open-house), Paper & Pine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#paper-and-pine), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal), Estate (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#estate). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cadetblue
- **Champagne** #f7e7ce [pool] — 6 real palettes, including Midnight Luxe and Forest Floor put Champagne beside #cba81a, as that palette's text colour. Seen in: Midnight Luxe (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#midnight-luxe), Forest Floor (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#forest-floor), Bramble (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#bramble), Woodsmoke (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#woodsmoke). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/champagne
- **Crimson** #dc143c [pool] — Crimson is paired with #cba81a in 4 real palettes, including Tequila Sunrise and Retro Pop, as the lead colour. Seen in: Tequila Sunrise (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#tequila-sunrise), Retro Pop (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#retro-pop), Burger King (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bk-com), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [pool] — Dark Olive Green shows up next to #cba81a in 5 real palettes, including Forest Floor and Farmers Market, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Forest Floor (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#forest-floor), Farmers Market (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#farmers-market), Undergrowth (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#undergrowth), Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Denim** #1560bd [pool] — Designers have shipped Denim with #cba81a: 9 real palettes, including Open House and Gopro's brand system, as the lead colour. Seen in: Open House (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#open-house), Gopro (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gopro-com), Campus (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/friendly#campus), Wikipedia (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wikipedia-org). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/denim

## Contrast (WCAG 2.x, as text)

- On white (#ffffff): 2.29:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #8c7412 (4.54:1); AA: background → #404040 (4.52:1); AAA: text → #68560d (7.18:1); AAA: background → #212121 (7.02:1)
- On black (#000000): 9.16:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Ledger Dark** (dark, luxury, technical) — #c9a227, #7c8aa5, #34d399, #0c1222, #e8edf5 — Gold on midnight is the private-banking cue; the mint accent keeps it from feeling old-money stuffy. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/c9a227-7c8aa5-34d399-0c1222-e8edf5 — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark
- **Sapphire & Gold** (jewel-tones, luxury, cool, elegant) — #1e3a8a, #c9a227, #0e7490, #f7f6f2, #111827 — Deep sapphire and gold with a teal — old-money jewel tones on an ivory ground; heraldic without a crest. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/1e3a8a-c9a227-0e7490-f7f6f2-111827 — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/jewel-tones
- **Candlelight** (wedding, warm, luxury, elegant) — #7a1f2e, #c9a227, #f2d7c9, #fffaf3, #2e1a1a — Burgundy, gold and a blush on warm white — the evening wedding set; burgundy carries the formality, blush the softness. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/7a1f2e-c9a227-f2d7c9-fffaf3-2e1a1a — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/wedding

## Fonts for this mood

- warm: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/warm
- playful: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/playful
- bold: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/bold

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/cba81a-c4c09c-62aacb-2a2d1f-f1ece9?lock=0&style=vibrant
(Humans lock/regenerate in the tool; the URL is the state — read `lock=` back to see what they kept.)

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets colors endpoint for the same engine:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/colors/mcp
- Tools: `analyze_color` (e.g. `analyze_color({ color: "#cba81a" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.