Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a highly saturated, near pure orange shade with RGB(255, 153, 0) and hex code #FF9900, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#FF9900
RGB
255, 153, 0
HSL
36°, 100%, 50%
CMYK
0%, 40%, 100%, 0%
LAB
72, 30, 77
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Description
- •Vitamin C (#FF9900) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 255, 153, 0 and HSL values of 36 degrees hue, 100% saturation, and 50% lightness. At 50% lightness it appears medium-light, and its highly saturated, near pure character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #0066FF for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #E6FF00 and #FF1A00 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Vitamin C 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
highly saturated, near pure
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Vitamin C is highly saturated, near pure and medium-light, it tends to feel bold and attention-grabbing in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Vitamin C 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
- 1Vitamin C 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
Quick actions
Visual perception
- At HSL(36, 100%, 50%), Vitamin C has a relative luminance of about 0.44 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
- Vitamin C (#FF9900) 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 Vitamin C with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 9.8:1). 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
Vitamin C works well for accent elements, buttons, and calls-to-action that need to stand out, given its highly saturated, near pure and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 9.8:1
palette flexibility
combines with #0066FF (complementary) and #00FF99/#9900FF (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens