#CCAD60Desert (#CCAD60) is a light, soft yellow with an OKLCH hue of 88°, lightness 0.76 and chroma 0.103. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #CCAD60 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(204, 173, 96) |
| HSL | hsl(43, 51%, 59%) |
| HSV | hsv(43, 53%, 80%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 15%, 53%, 20%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(71.9 1.7 43.4) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.759 0.103 88) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Desert shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#d1a857 — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#d2ad5d — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#ccad60 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#ccae62 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Desert in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 2.16:1 and against black 9.71:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#fff1cf · #e3c67f · #ccad60 · #947935 · #6d5614 · #473500
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#d0e0a4 · #cdc780 · #ccad60 · #c39458 · #b57e56 · #a36955
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#ccad60 · #829a7c · #8a7131 · #36652b · #4d3a00 · #142a0e
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#dcd3bd · #ccad60 · #9d8d67 · #3f5491 · #3d3110 · #1f1703
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#edf2fc · #ccad60 · #9a9487 · #575a60 · #2a2417 · #000103
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#edf2fd · #c3c9d6 · #969caa · #1b2233 · #01020f · #ccad60
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#c4d9b7 · #ccad60 · #78a875 · #9740d6 · #25365e · #1e061a
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#b0ded5 · #ccad60 · #a28bd4 · #435a6c · #2f3958 · #0e1004
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#dbf8fd · #ccad60 · #50a3af · #784377 · #3a113a · #000304
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ddf9f2 · #ccad60 · #57a695 · #415693 · #430c25 · #00000c
#D4B977 · #DCC58C · #E4D1A1 · #EDDDB6 · #F5E9CB
#A98D47 · #876E2E · #665116 · #473500 · #281C00
#C6AE74 · #C0AF86 · #BBB096
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.