Mustard Color Palette
Mustard Color Palette built around #DBB42C, a dark warm yellow anchor (WCAG contrast 10.58:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #FCE2A7 | |
| surface | #E1BB46 | |
| text | #715A00 | |
| text-muted | #5369B4 | |
| primary | #DBB42C | |
| secondary | #5369B4 | |
| accent | #E1BB46 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #fce2a7;
--surface: #e1bb46;
--text: #715a00;
--text-muted: #5369b4;
--primary: #dbb42c;
--secondary: #5369b4;
--accent: #e1bb46;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #DBB42C | #FCE2A7 | #715A00 | #5369B4 | #E1BB46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #DBB42C | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 |
| #FCE2A7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 1.4 |
| #715A00 | 3.3 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.6 |
| #5369B4 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| #E1BB46 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the mustard color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #DBB42C, #FCE2A7, #715A00, #5369B4, #E1BB46.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.