Willow Tree
Willow Tree is a muted orange shade with RGB(158, 143, 102) and hex code #9E8F66, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#9E8F66
RGB
158, 143, 102
HSL
44°, 22%, 51%
CMYK
0%, 9%, 35%, 38%
LAB
60, -1, 24
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Description
- •Willow Tree (#9E8F66) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 158, 143, 102 and HSL values of 44 degrees hue, 22% saturation, and 51% lightness. At 51% lightness it appears medium-light, and its muted character makes it well suited for backgrounds, text, or supporting UI elements. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #66759E for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #919E66 and #9E7366 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Willow Tree tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability. Orange sits between red and yellow on the wheel and is often associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and affordability in branding.
Hue family
orange
Saturation level
muted
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Willow Tree is muted and medium-light, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Willow Tree are commonly associated with creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
orange
Common associations
creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Willow Tree is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the orange family it belongs to has a long design history. Orange sits between red and yellow on the wheel and is often associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and affordability in branding.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(44, 22%, 51%), Willow Tree has a relative luminance of about 0.28 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
- Willow Tree (#9E8F66) 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 Willow Tree with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 6.6:1). 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
Willow Tree works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its muted and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 6.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #66759E (complementary) and #669E8F/#8F669E (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens