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Frenetic Mimosa

#e5b237
Notes

Frenetic Mimosa (#E5B237) is a true amber with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (42°, 77%, 56%) 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 azure. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#e5b237
RGB
rgb(229, 178, 55)
HSL
hsl(42, 77%, 56%)
HWB
hwb(42 22% 10%)
OKLCH
oklch(79.0% 0.145 84.9)
HSV
hsv(42, 76%, 90%)
LAB
lab(75.31% 7.13 65.86)
LCH
lch(75.31% 66.25 83.82)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 22%, 76%, 10%)

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.

Mimosa
noun

Two unrelated yellow flowers share this name: the European Acacia dealbata (silver wattle), whose tiny yellow puffballs cover entire trees in late winter, and the cocktail of champagne and orange juice. The color refers to a wattle inflorescence at full bloom: a soft, slightly green-shifted yellow with the powdery finish of pollen-rich flowers. The same name covers the yellow of the brunch drink — a happy etymological coincidence.

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.

#e5b237
Original
#c8b222
Protanopia
#d5bf3d
Deuteranopia
#f8a19a
Tritanopia
#b4b4b4
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
1.95:1
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
10.75:1

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