# #ddb42c

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

## Values

- Hex: `#ddb42c`
- RGB: rgb(221, 180, 44)
- HSL: hsl(46, 72%, 52%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.785 0.149 90.7)
- Relative luminance: 0.482
- Nearest named color: Baklava (#efb435, Δ 2.991) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/baklava
- Moods: warm, vivid, playful, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/ddb42c

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #e0bb42, #e3c254, #e7ca6a, #ead07b, #edd891, #f1e0a7, #f4e6b9, #f7eecf, #faf4e0, #fefcf6
- Shades (toward black): #cea622, #b8941e, #a7861b, #917418, #7b6314, #655110, #4f400d, #3d310a, #272006, #120e03

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #2c56dd
- Analogous: #dd5b2c, #aedd2c
- Triadic: #2cddb4, #b42cdd
- Split-complementary: #2caedd, #5b2cdd
- Tetradic: #2cdd5b, #2c56dd, #dd2cae

## Colors that go with #ddb42c

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 #ddb42c: 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), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal), Campus (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/friendly#campus), Mint Modern (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/modern#mint-modern). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Cornflower Blue** #6495ed [harmony, pool: complementary] — Cornflower Blue sits directly opposite #ddb42c 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), Blueprint (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/technical#blueprint), Ahrefs (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/ahrefs-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cornflowerblue
- **Deep Sky Blue** #00bfff [harmony, pool: split] — Deep Sky Blue is a split-complement of #ddb42c: 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), Blueprint (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/technical#blueprint), Salesforce (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/salesforce-com), Learning App (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#learning-app). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/deepskyblue
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 4 real palettes, including Binance's brand system and League of Legends's brand system put Blue beside #ddb42c, as the accent. Seen in: Binance (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/binance-com), League of Legends (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/leagueoflegends-com), Lexus (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/lexus-com), Bumble (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bumble-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **Cadet Blue** #5f9ea0 [pool] — Designers have shipped Cadet Blue with #ddb42c: 4 real palettes, including Open House and Coastal, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Open House (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#open-house), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal), Diner (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#diner), Paper & Pine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#paper-and-pine). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cadetblue
- **Champagne** #f7e7ce [pool] — 6 real palettes, including Midnight Luxe and Forest Floor put Champagne beside #ddb42c, 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), Coffee Bar (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#coffee-bar), Bramble (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#bramble). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/champagne
- **Crimson** #dc143c [pool] — Crimson is paired with #ddb42c in 8 real palettes, including Tequila Sunrise and McDonald's's brand system, as the lead colour. Seen in: Tequila Sunrise (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#tequila-sunrise), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com), Tabloid (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#tabloid), Retro Pop (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#retro-pop). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [pool] — Dark Olive Green shows up next to #ddb42c in 5 real palettes, including Farmers Market and Undergrowth, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Farmers Market (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#farmers-market), Undergrowth (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#undergrowth), Forest Floor (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#forest-floor), Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen

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

- On white (#ffffff): 1.97:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #8c7117 (4.68:1); AA: background → #474747 (4.71:1); AAA: text → #695511 (7.22:1); AAA: background → #2b2b2b (7.17:1)
- On black (#000000): 10.64:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Mid-Century** (vintage, retro, warm, muted) — #d9822b, #2f6f73, #e6b33d, #f7efdf, #2b2622 — Tangerine, teal and mustard on cream — the 1960s lounge trio, one of the few retro palettes with real hue contrast. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/d9822b-2f6f73-e6b33d-f7efdf-2b2622 — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vintage

## 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/ddb42c-c4bf9c-62adcb-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: "#ddb42c" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.