Gristmill
Gristmill is a muted orange shade with RGB(162, 147, 113) and hex code #A29371, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#A29371
RGB
162, 147, 113
HSL
42°, 21%, 54%
CMYK
0%, 9%, 30%, 36%
LAB
61, 0, 20
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Description
- •Gristmill (#A29371) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 162, 147, 113 and HSL values of 42 degrees hue, 21% saturation, and 54% lightness. At 54% 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 #7180A2 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #98A271 and #A27A71 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Gristmill 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 Gristmill is muted and medium-light, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Gristmill 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
- 1Gristmill 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(42, 21%, 54%), Gristmill has a relative luminance of about 0.30 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
- Gristmill (#A29371) 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 Gristmill with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 6.9:1). 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
Gristmill 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 6.9:1
palette flexibility
combines with #7180A2 (complementary) and #71A293/#9371A2 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens