Dark Olive
Dark Olive is a richly saturated yellow shade with RGB(53, 46, 10) and hex code #352E0A, reading as dark at a glance.
HEX
#352E0A
RGB
53, 46, 10
HSL
50°, 68%, 12%
CMYK
0%, 13%, 81%, 79%
LAB
19, -2, 23
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Description
- •Dark Olive (#352E0A) is a warm-toned yellow color defined by RGB values of 53, 46, 10 and HSL values of 50 degrees hue, 68% saturation, and 12% lightness. At 12% lightness it appears dark, and its richly saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #0A1135 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #26350A and #35180A for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a yellow shade, Dark Olive tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: optimism, caution, and energy. Yellow reflects the most visible light of any hue to the human eye, which is why it is used heavily for warning signs and attention-grabbing accents.
Hue family
yellow
Saturation level
richly saturated
Lightness level
dark
Temperature
warm
Because Dark Olive is richly saturated and dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the yellow family, colors like Dark Olive are commonly associated with optimism, caution, and energy, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
yellow
Common associations
optimism, caution, and energy
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Dark Olive is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the yellow family it belongs to has a long design history. Yellow reflects the most visible light of any hue to the human eye, which is why it is used heavily for warning signs and attention-grabbing accents.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(50, 68%, 12%), Dark Olive has a relative luminance of about 0.03 on a 0-1 scale, which generally poses low risk for common color vision deficiencies, though pairing with sufficient lightness contrast is still recommended.
Technology specific
- Dark Olive (#352E0A) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since highly saturated colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Dark Olive with white text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 13.6:1). Reserve it for smaller accent areas rather than large backgrounds since high saturation can overwhelm at scale.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
alert or highlight states
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Dark Olive works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its richly saturated and dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with white text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 13.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #0A1135 (complementary) and #0A352E/#2E0A35 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens