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
F9B331
RGB
249, 179, 49
HSL
39, 94%, 58%
HSB
39, 80%, 98%
CMYK
0, 28, 80, 2
LAB
78, 19, 71
LCH
78, 73, 75
OKLCH
0.81, 0.16, 78
XYZ
56, 53, 10
LUV
78, 58, 74
HWB
39, 19%, 2%
Pantone
1235 C
Harmonies
Shades & tints
Similar named colors
Browse every named yellow on shades of yellow, or all families on colors.