Cognac
Cognac (#D48C46) is a light, moderately saturated orange with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 30° and a lightness of 70%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.
About this color
What Cognac looks like, feels like and where it works.
Description
Cognac (#D48C46) is a light, moderately saturated orange with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 30° and a lightness of 70%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.
Psychology
Orange keeps the warmth of red with less aggression. It reads as friendly, social and optimistic, and tends to make a product feel affordable and approachable. As a light shade, Cognac feels airy and gentle.
Meaning
Orange is linked to autumn, harvest and sunsets, to enthusiasm and creativity, and in the Netherlands to the royal House of Orange.
Why use this color
Cognac is an easy supporting color. Dark text is easy to read on it, so it works as a surface, highlight or card background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.
Applications
- Consumer apps and onboarding
- Fitness and energy brands
- Autumn and harvest campaigns
- Buttons that should feel inviting
History
English had no word for the color until the fruit reached Europe; before that it was called yellow-red. The color name orange appears in English in the 1500s.
Accessibility
White text on Cognac has a contrast ratio of 2.74:1 (fails); black text has 7.63:1 (AAA). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Red and green are the pair most often confused in color blindness, so never use this color alone to mean success or error: add an icon or label.
Variations of Cognac
Tailwind-style scale
Color harmonies of Cognac
Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.
Color blindness simulator
These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.