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Pulsing Pīta

#fdad53
Notes

Pulsing Pīta (#FDAD53) is a true orange 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 (32°, 98%, 66%) 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
#fdad53
RGB
rgb(253, 173, 83)
HSL
hsl(32, 98%, 66%)
HWB
hwb(32 33% 1%)
OKLCH
oklch(80.9% 0.141 66.5)
HSV
hsv(32, 67%, 99%)
LAB
lab(76.92% 21.17 56.68)
LCH
lch(76.92% 60.51 69.52)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 32%, 67%, 1%)

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.

Pīta
noun

The Sanskrit word for yellow — used in Vedic texts for the yellow of saffron-dyed monks' robes, the gold of pītāmbara (yellow upper-garment of Krishna), and the saffron of Hindu tilak. The color refers to pīta-dyed silk in a temple offering: a saturated, slightly red-shifted yellow with the matte finish of plant-and-mordant dye.

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.

#fdad53
Original
#c7b349
Protanopia
#dac555
Deuteranopia
#ff9a99
Tritanopia
#b8b8b8
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
1.86:1
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
11.28:1

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