Aged Gouda
Aged Gouda is a richly saturated orange shade with RGB(221, 153, 68) and hex code #DD9944, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#DD9944
RGB
221, 153, 68
HSL
33°, 69%, 57%
CMYK
0%, 31%, 69%, 13%
LAB
68, 18, 53
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Description
- •Aged Gouda (#DD9944) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 221, 153, 68 and HSL values of 33 degrees hue, 69% saturation, and 57% lightness. At 57% lightness it appears medium-light, and its richly saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #4488DD for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #D4DD44 and #DD4D44 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Aged Gouda 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
richly saturated
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Aged Gouda is richly saturated and medium-light, it tends to feel bold and attention-grabbing in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Aged Gouda 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
- 1Aged Gouda 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(33, 69%, 57%), Aged Gouda has a relative luminance of about 0.39 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
- Aged Gouda (#DD9944) 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 highly saturated colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Aged Gouda with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 8.7:1). Reserve it for smaller accent areas rather than large backgrounds since high saturation can overwhelm at scale.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
alert or highlight states
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Aged Gouda works well for accent elements, buttons, and calls-to-action that need to stand out, given its richly saturated and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 8.7:1
palette flexibility
combines with #4488DD (complementary) and #44DD99/#9944DD (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens