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Frenetic Curcuma

#bcb206
Notes

Frenetic Curcuma (#BCB206) 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 (57°, 94%, 38%) 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
#bcb206
RGB
rgb(188, 178, 6)
HSL
hsl(57, 94%, 38%)
HWB
hwb(57 2% 26%)
OKLCH
oklch(74.8% 0.158 105.5)
HSV
hsv(57, 97%, 74%)
LAB
lab(71.25% -11.99 72.45)
LCH
lch(71.25% 73.44 99.40)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 5%, 97%, 26%)

Etymology

Frenetic
adjective

Greek phrenitikós, frenzied — adjectival suffix -ic, derived from phrēn (mind). As a color modifier, frenetic implies a saturated-and-frenzied-and-active quality, the bright color of Hyper-Color-and-Memphis-Group 1980s-design saturated-and-active visual-rhythm. Sits at the bright-and-active end of the grid, parallel to frantic and manic in usage.

Curcuma
noun

The Linnaean genus name for turmeric — Curcuma longa — used in pigment vocabulary for the pure curcumin yellow extracted from the rhizome. Curcuma as a color refers specifically to the pigment isolated from C. longa: a saturated, slightly cool deep yellow with the matte finish of plant-derived pigment. The botanical-Latin cousin of haldi.

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.

#bcb206
Original
#c3ab00
Protanopia
#c6b121
Deuteranopia
#cba597
Tritanopia
#a8a8a8
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
2.21:1
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
9.51:1

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