Squared Solstice
Squared Solstice (#616B2C) is a deep yellow with an earthy character. It leans grounded and natural, the kind of color that plays well with wood, clay, linen, and warm neutrals. Its HSL profile (70°, 42%, 30%) places it in the balanced band at a dark lightness. It works well as a headline, icon, or deep background in an otherwise light layout, pairing cleanly with cream, bone, and warm neutrals. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary indigo. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.
Etymology
Latin quadrātus, four-sided — past-participle of square. As a color modifier, squared implies a clear-and-rectilinear-and-orthogonal quality where the hue carries the visual register of right-angle architectural-and-grid alignment. Sits at the crisp-and-balanced end of the grid, parallel to aligned and plumb in usage.
The astronomical event when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost extent (around June 21 and December 21). Solstice refers specifically to the warm gold-yellow of midsummer light at the longest day: a saturated, slightly cool warm yellow with the optical brightness of solar light at peak elevation.
Closest matches
The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.
Variations
Click any swatch to exploreHarmonies
Accessibility
How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.
The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.