Pastel Yellow

Pastel colors belong to a pale group of colors. Their softness and warmth are achieved by mixing the primary color with a quantity of white. In this case, a more soothing version of color yellow, the pastel yellow, will be achieved if a small amount of yellow is mixed into a white base. The pastel yellow hex code is #FDFD96.

Pastel yellow is also referred to as a light shade of yellow-green. Other colors that are related to pastel yellow are yellow, amber, freesia.

Even though lemon yellow (#FFF44F) and pastel yellow are often used interchangeably, these two colors are significantly different in terms of saturation, at least when considering the hex chart used by web designers and developers. While lemon yellow represents a more vivid, bright and saturated shade of yellow, its counterpart, pastel yellow, is defined as a hue with low to medium saturation.

PASTEL YELLOW

HEX: #FDFD96

RGB: (253,253,150)

CMYK: (0,0,41,1)

The history of pastel yellow

It is said that the pastel medium was first produced in northern Italy in the 15th century. It is believed that it had been used by Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. During that period, there were only three colors in their palette (black, white, and red),  whereas today there are more than 1,600 hues available on the market.

Pastel colors gained popularity in the 18th century. Throughout that time, or what is now known as the Rococo era, pastels were embraced by fashion, architecture, interior design. Creamy warm colors were favored by Marie Antoinette, well know for her use of light, pastel colors throughout her homes and her clothing. Later on, soft tones were linked to the frivolity of the ancien régime, which is why pastels became briefly unpopular after the French Revolution.

During the 50s, pastel trend resurrected in the US. It became associated with American housewives as a symbol of consumerism and glamour. Powdery pastels became fashionable again in the 80s, thanks to the very popular series-Miami Vice, which was responsible for major fashion changes at that time. In the art world, reemergence of pastels was noticed through the growing popularity of Agnes Martin, best known for her paintings of grids laid over pastel backgrounds.

The history of color yellow begins during the Stone Age, when yellow ochre pigment was used for decorating human bodies and cave walls. Once considered the color of the sun and gold, yellow was later on associated with negative personality traits, which led to diminished popularity of this color.

The color psychology of pastel yellow

It is said that pastels evoke a sense of calmness and balance. Because of their low saturation, they appear delicate and mellow. According to color psychology, these shades sometimes even equate with sanity. Pastel colors, more than any other color palette, suggest romance and tenderness. It is believed that people who chose pastels for their living area have a friendly, positive and sensitive personality. As stated in Goethe’s Farbenlehre (1810), people prefer pastels when they want to stay neutral and don’t want to express their opinion.

Unlike yellow, which is regarded as a cautionary, overwhelming color, pastel yellow is considered gentle and soft. Its muted hue refers to innocence. It is considered as a timeless  gender-neutral baby color and it is usually the first choice for expecting parents when they choose nursery colors, especially in the cases when the parents still don’t know the sex of the baby. However, despite the fact that pastel yellow is considered a gender-neutral color, it is more often preferred by women.

The use of pastel yellow

Yellow color is associated with warmth, happiness, coziness. However, bright yellow shades are not recommended for decorating the entire room as they can be very intense for the human eye. They can also create feelings of frustration and irritability. On the other hand, pastel yellow can create a peaceful and soothing interior, with calming vibes. That is another reason why pastel yellow is often used for decorating children’s bedroom.

When used alone, a single pastel hue usually doesn’t lead to a stunning visual effect due to its low saturation. A pastel color will go well with the complementary primary or secondary color. In this case, pastel yellow will go well with pastel purple because yellow’s complementary color (the color sitting opposite to it on a color wheel) is purple. Other colors that pair well with pastel yellow are white, dusty rose, lilac, black, periwinkle, along with other pastel colors.  

Pastel yellow is typically seen on baby related products, skincare products, in dessert shops. It can also be used as a background in photography as it can create a fun and sunny effect on a viewer. Unlike bright shades of yellow, which can lead to visual fatigue when used as a background on computer monitors, pastel yellow can be used for websites because it provides the view that is easy on the eyes.

Information about Pastel Yellow / #FDFD96

In a RGB color space (made from three colored lights for red, green, and blue), hex #FDFD96 is made of 99.2% red, 99.2% green and 58.8% blue. In a CMYK color space (also known as process color, or four color, and used in color printing), hex #FDFD96 is made of 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 41% yellow and 1% black. Pastel Yellow has a hue angle of 60 degrees, a saturation of 96.3% and a lightness of 79%.

Color conversion

The hexadecimal color #FDFD96 has RGB values of R: 99.2, G: 99.2, B: 58.8 and CMYK values of C: 0, M: 0, Y: 0.41, K:0.01.

  VALUE CSS
HEX

 

fdfd96

 

#fdfd96

 

RGB DECIMAL

 

253, 253, 150

 

rgb(253, 253, 150)

 

RGB PERCENTAGE

 

99.2, 99.2, 58.8

 

rgb(99.2%, 99.2%, 58.8%)

 

CMYK

 

0, 0, 41, 1

 

 
HSL

 

60°, 96.3, 79

 

hsl(60°, 96.3%, 79%)

 

HSV (OR HSB)

 

60°, 40.7, 99.2

 

 
WEB SAFE

 

ffff99

 

#ffff99

 

CIE-LAB

 

97.364, -14.322, 49.189

 

 
XYZ

 

81.14, 93.337, 42.59

 

 
XYY

 

0.374, 0.43, 93.337

 

 
CIE-LCH

 

97.364, 51.232, 106.234

 

 
CIE-LUV

 

97.364, 4.91, 68.045

 

 
HUNTER-LAB

 

96.611, -14.217, 37.625

 

 
BINARY

 

11111101, 11111101, 10010110

 

 

 

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