Sweetwood
Sweetwood is a moderately saturated orange shade with RGB(195, 159, 135) and hex code #C39F87, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#BDA289
RGB
189, 162, 137
HSL
29°, 28%, 64%
CMYK
0%, 14%, 28%, 26%
LAB
68, 6, 17
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Description
- •Sweetwood (#C39F87) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 195, 159, 135 and HSL values of 24 degrees hue, 33% saturation, and 65% lightness. At 65% lightness it appears medium-light, and its moderately saturated character makes it well suited for backgrounds, text, or supporting UI elements. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #87ABC3 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #C3BD87 and #C3878D for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Sweetwood 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
moderately saturated
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Sweetwood is moderately saturated and medium-light, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Sweetwood 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
- 1Sweetwood 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(24, 33%, 65%), Sweetwood has a relative luminance of about 0.38 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
- Sweetwood (#C39F87) 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 Sweetwood with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 8.6:1). 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
Sweetwood works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its moderately saturated and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 8.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #87ABC3 (complementary) and #87C39F/#9F87C3 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens