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Rousing Risotto

#a9b102
Notes

Rousing Risotto (#A9B102) is a true yellow with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (63°, 98%, 35%) 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
#a9b102
RGB
rgb(169, 177, 2)
HSL
hsl(63, 98%, 35%)
HWB
hwb(63 1% 31%)
OKLCH
oklch(72.9% 0.162 113.0)
HSV
hsv(63, 99%, 69%)
LAB
lab(69.39% -19.86 70.84)
LCH
lch(69.39% 73.57 105.66)
CMYK
cmyk(5%, 0%, 99%, 31%)

Etymology

Rousing
adjective

Old English rūsan, to rush — present-participle of rouse. As a color modifier, rousing implies a saturated-and-wakening-and-active quality, the bright color of dawn-chorus-and-morning-bell atmospheric-and-aural stimulation. Sits at the bright-and-active end of the grid, parallel to awakening and invigorating in usage.

Risotto
noun

The northern Italian rice dish — particularly the saffron-tinted risotto alla milanese, traditionally served alongside osso buco in Lombard cuisine. The color refers to a fresh-cooked saffron risotto on a white plate: a saturated, slightly red-shifted deep yellow with the matte finish of cooked Arborio rice and saffron. Warmer than polenta.

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.

#a9b102
Original
#bfa800
Protanopia
#bfab20
Deuteranopia
#b5a596
Tritanopia
#a3a3a3
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
2.34:1
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
8.98:1

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