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Pulsing Tabebuia

#9bb017
Notes

Pulsing Tabebuia (#9BB017) is a true yellow with a warm character. It leans warm, pulling light toward red, orange, and yellow. Naturally inviting, it suits editorial and hospitality contexts. Its HSL profile (68°, 77%, 39%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary blue. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#9bb017
RGB
rgb(155, 176, 23)
HSL
hsl(68, 77%, 39%)
HWB
hwb(68 9% 31%)
OKLCH
oklch(71.6% 0.162 118.1)
HSV
hsv(68, 87%, 69%)
LAB
lab(68.08% -25.04 66.31)
LCH
lch(68.08% 70.88 110.69)
CMYK
cmyk(12%, 0%, 87%, 31%)

Etymology

Pulsing
adjective

The progressive participle of pulse, to throb. Used as a color modifier for hues that read as if they were alternating between two states of luminance — the vibration of a high-saturation color against a contrasting background. Sits in the bright-bucket center alongside electric, with the implication of optical motion rather than static luminance.

Tabebuia
noun

The genus Tabebuia (now reclassified as Handroanthus) — South American flowering trees whose pendulous racemes of yellow trumpet-flowers cover the canopy in early spring. The color refers to a T. chrysantha (national tree of Venezuela) in bloom: a saturated, slightly red yellow with the satin finish of large trumpet-shaped flowers.

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 explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

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.

#9bb017
Original
#bca600
Protanopia
#baa72a
Deuteranopia
#a5a696
Tritanopia
#a0a0a0
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

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.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
2.44:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
8.62:1

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