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Phosphorescent Resin

#a6b21a
Notes

Phosphorescent Resin (#A6B21A) is a true yellow with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (65°, 75%, 40%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. 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
#a6b21a
RGB
rgb(166, 178, 26)
HSL
hsl(65, 75%, 40%)
HWB
hwb(65 10% 30%)
OKLCH
oklch(73.0% 0.159 114.6)
HSV
hsv(65, 85%, 70%)
LAB
lab(69.49% -21.24 67.17)
LCH
lch(69.49% 70.45 107.55)
CMYK
cmyk(7%, 0%, 85%, 30%)

Etymology

Phosphorescent
adjective

Greek phōsphóros, light-bringer — adjectival suffix -escent. As a color modifier, phosphorescent implies a saturated-and-cool-glow-after-stimulation quality, the bright cool-green-blue color of Cu-doped-ZnS glow-in-the-dark photoluminescent surfaces. Sits at the bright-and-cool end of the grid, parallel to fluorescent and luminous in usage.

Resin
noun

Plant-secreted aromatic compounds — pine sap, frankincense, copal, dammar — used as the binder for varnishes, the source of incense, and the pigment-binder for medieval European paint. The color refers to fresh pine resin on bark: a saturated, slightly cool pale gold-yellow with the slight translucency of fresh tree sap.

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

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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.

#a6b21a
Original
#c0a900
Protanopia
#bfab2b
Deuteranopia
#b2a798
Tritanopia
#a4a4a4
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
2.33:1
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
9.00:1

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