Psychology
Yellow is the most luminous color the eye perceives, making it both attention-grabbing and tiring at high saturation. Cognitively it's linked to clarity, optimism, and idea-generation.
Meaning
Sunlight, gold, caution, and intellect all live here. In some Asian traditions yellow signifies imperial power; in Western coding it's the universal hazard color.
Applications
Excellent for highlights, badges, and small accents against dark backgrounds. Soft buttery yellows work well as page backgrounds; high-chroma yellow needs dark ink for legibility.
Conversion
HEX
CAA017
RGB
202, 160, 23
HSL
46, 80%, 44%
HSB
46, 89%, 79%
CMYK
0, 21, 89, 21
LAB
68, 8, 68
LCH
68, 68, 84
OKLCH
0.72, 0.14, 89
XYZ
37, 38, 6
LUV
68, 36, 69
HWB
46, 9%, 21%
Pantone
1235 C
Harmonies
Shades & tints
Similar named colors
Browse every named yellow on shades of yellow, or all families on colors.