Sooty Willow Bamboo
Sooty Willow Bamboo is a muted yellow shade with RGB(77, 75, 58) and hex code #4D4B3A, reading as dark at a glance.
HEX
#4D4B3A
RGB
77, 75, 58
HSL
54°, 14%, 26%
CMYK
0%, 3%, 25%, 70%
LAB
32, -2, 10
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Description
- •Sooty Willow Bamboo (#4D4B3A) is a warm-toned yellow color defined by RGB values of 77, 75, 58 and HSL values of 54 degrees hue, 14% saturation, and 26% lightness. At 26% lightness it appears dark, and its muted character makes it well suited for backgrounds, text, or supporting UI elements. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #3A3C4D for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #464D3A and #4D423A for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a yellow shade, Sooty Willow Bamboo 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
muted
Lightness level
dark
Temperature
warm
Because Sooty Willow Bamboo is muted and dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the yellow family, colors like Sooty Willow Bamboo 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
- 1Sooty Willow Bamboo 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(54, 14%, 26%), Sooty Willow Bamboo has a relative luminance of about 0.07 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
- Sooty Willow Bamboo (#4D4B3A) 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 muted colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Sooty Willow Bamboo with white text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 8.8:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
page backgrounds
branding
neutral brand background
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
body text or subtle fill
Purpose
Sooty Willow Bamboo works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its muted and dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with white text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 8.8:1
palette flexibility
combines with #3A3C4D (complementary) and #3A4D4B/#4B3A4D (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens