← Shades of orange

≈ Cognac

#DC9018 is closest to Cognac in our library. Cognac (#DC9018) is a light, moderately saturated orange with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 37° and a lightness of 71%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.

#DC9018≈ Cognac
Conversion

What Cognac looks like, feels like and where it works.

Description

Cognac (#DC9018) is a light, moderately saturated orange with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 37° and a lightness of 71%. 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 2.61:1 (fails); black text has 8.04:1 (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.

ShadesMixed with black: darker and richer.
TintsMixed with white: lighter and softer.
TonesMixed with gray: quieter and less saturated.
HuesThe same lightness and strength, turned around the wheel.
TemperaturesPushed cooler on the left, warmer on the right.
50#FFF5EA100#FCE8D1200#F8D4AB300#ECB574400#DC9018500#B87600600#986107700#784E10800#5C3A06900#452A02950#281600
Analogous
Complementary
Split complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square

Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.

#DC9018
Typical visionAs most people see it
#AA9500
ProtanopiaReduced sensitivity to red
#BCA71D
DeuteranopiaReduced sensitivity to green
#F17D7B
TritanopiaReduced sensitivity to blue
#A0A0A0
AchromatopsiaNo color, only light and dark

These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.

White textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
2.61:1
AAAAA
Normal textFailFail
Large textFailFail
Black textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
8.04:1
AAAAA
Normal textAAAAA
Large textAAAAA
Open the contrast checker
#DC9018 Color — closest to Cognac (HEX, RGB, Shades) · Tintly