Dark Crimson Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #FF4242
RGB: 255, 66, 66
HEX: #E10000
RGB: 225, 0, 0
HEX: #B00000
RGB: 176, 0, 0
HEX: #6D0000
RGB: 109, 0, 0
HEX: #3A0000
RGB: 58, 0, 0
Text on White/Black Backgrounds
Color Pair Combinations (10 total)
WCAG Contrast Standards:
- AAA (7:1): Enhanced contrast for maximum readability
- AA (4.5:1): Minimum for normal text (under 18pt)
- AA Large (3:1): Acceptable for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
- Fail: Below WCAG standards, not recommended for text
Recommended Text Colors
Horizontal (Left to Right)
background: linear-gradient(to right, #FF4242 0%, #E10000 25%, #B00000 50%, #6D0000 75%, #3A0000 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #FF4242 0%, #E10000 25%, #B00000 50%, #6D0000 75%, #3A0000 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #FF4242 0%, #E10000 25%, #B00000 50%, #6D0000 75%, #3A0000 100%);Usage Tips:
- Copy the CSS code and paste directly into your stylesheets
- Linear gradients work great for backgrounds and hero sections
- Radial gradients are perfect for spotlights and focus effects
- Conic gradients create eye-catching loading spinners and progress indicators
- Smooth transitions ensure seamless color blending
Normal Vision
No color vision deficiency
Color Swatches
#FF4242
#E10000
#B00000
#6D0000
#3A0000
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Energetic, warm, and inviting, with a sophisticated and dramatic atmosphere
Emotional Impact
Stimulating and energetic, evoking feelings of excitement, warmth, and action. The dark tones establish a premium, sophisticated feel ideal for luxury positioning
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a energetic, warm, and inviting, with a sophisticated and dramatic atmosphere. It stimulates activity and engagement, increasing heart rate and mental alertness. The combination works together to create memorable visual experiences that influence consumer perception, decision-making, and brand recall. The rich variety provides versatility while maintaining cohesive emotional messaging across touchpoints.
Brand Personality Traits
Perfect For These Industries
Target Audience
Active, outgoing individuals who respond to energy and enthusiasm
Individual Color Psychology
#FF4242
Warm and romantic
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Creates urgency, stimulates appetite, increases heart rate, and grabs attention. Perfect for clearance sales, food brands, and call-to-action buttons.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines balanced and dark & bold moods with warm tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This monochromatic dark crimson palette features 5 carefully selected warm tones that create a energetic and passionate aesthetic. With medium contrast levels and vibrant saturation, this palette is optimized for marketing materials and youth brands.
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. Consider adding darker variants for better text readability.
- Apply the 60-30-10 rule for visual hierarchy
- Use accent colors for CTAs and hover states
- Maintain consistent color usage across all pages
- Test responsive behavior on multiple devices
Mobile App Interfaces
In mobile applications, these warm tones provide excellent battery efficiency on OLED screens. Use the subtle color variations to define clear touch targets.
- Design both light and dark mode variants
- Consider thumb-reach zones for color placement
- Test under direct sunlight and low light
- Use color to indicate interactive elements
Brand Identity Systems
Build a cohesive brand identity by designating specific colors for specific purposes. Establish your primary brand color from the most distinctive shade and create comprehensive brand guidelines specifying exact usage scenarios.
- Define primary, secondary, and accent colors
- Create usage rules for marketing materials
- Specify minimum sizes and clear space
- Document do's and don'ts for consistency
Frontend Development
Developers can integrate this palette efficiently using modern CSS techniques. Export as CSS variables for maximum flexibility, allowing theme switching and dynamic color updates without rewriting stylesheets.
- Use CSS custom properties for theming
- Implement semantic color naming conventions
- Create utility classes for rapid prototyping
- Consider CSS-in-JS for component-scoped colors
Print Design
For print materials, convert to CMYK using #FF4242 as the dominant color for headers and #3A0000 for accents. These vibrant colors may appear slightly muted in print; request color proofs.
- Add to your design software color library
- Create swatches for quick color access
- Use CMYK values for print production
- Request color proofs before final print
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing materials benefit from consistent color usage that reinforces brand recognition. Apply this palette across email campaigns, landing pages, advertisements, and social media for maximum impact and memorability.
- Maintain color consistency across channels
- A/B test color variations for conversion
- Consider cultural color associations
- Align colors with campaign messaging
Strategic Color Distribution
Professional designers follow the 60-30-10 rule for balanced color distribution. Here's how to apply this principle with the Dark Crimson:
Dominant Color
#FF4242Use #FF4242 as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This red tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#B00000Apply #B00000 as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#3A0000Reserve #3A0000 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This red accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Use desaturated versions (reduce saturation by 20-30%) for large background areas to prevent visual fatigue
- •Balance warm tones with neutral whites or grays to create visual breathing room
- •Test your palette across different devices and lighting conditions before finalizing
✗ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- •Don't use all colors equally—establish clear visual hierarchy through color weight
- •Avoid low-contrast text combinations that strain readability
- •Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning (use icons, text, and patterns too)
- •Avoid inconsistent color usage across different pages or screens
- •Don't assume screen colors match print output—always request physical proofs
Palette Overview & Statistics
5
Total Colors
3
Associated Tags
6
Categories
2532
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This monochromatic palette creates a energetic and passionate aesthetic perfect for marketing materials and youth brands.
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this warm palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The medium contrast and vibrant saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#FF4242
RED
#FF4242 serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This medium red (highly saturated) brings energy and warmth Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Light toneH: 0°S: 100%L: 63%#E10000
RED
#E10000 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium red (highly saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 100%L: 44%#B00000
RED
#B00000 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium red (highly saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 100%L: 35%#6D0000
RED
#6D0000 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This dark red (highly saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 100%L: 21%#3A0000
RED
#3A0000 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This dark red (highly saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 100%L: 11%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Warm colors create energy, excitement, and approachability. Perfect for brands targeting emotional connection.
Medium contrast provides visual interest while maintaining readability with proper text color choices.
Vibrant saturation creates bold, attention-grabbing designs perfect for youth brands and creative projects.
Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: marketing materials, youth brands. The monochromatic color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a energetic and passionate feeling, making it ideal for brands seeking to convey those qualities.
- Accessibility: Test text combinations carefully with contrast checkers to ensure accessibility compliance.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Warm colors may have different meanings across cultures—verify associations with your target market.
Export Formats
Explore Dark Crimson Palette
The Dark Crimson color palette is an intense and evocative collection of hues that evoke a sense of passion and energy, perfect for designs that aim to make a bold statement. At its core, this palette is a masterful exploration of the red color spectrum, with each shade carefully selected to create a sense of depth and nuance. The palette's lightest shade, a vibrant and attention-grabbing FF4242, sets the tone for the entire collection, with its bright, fire engine red hue that demands attention and inspires action. As the palette progresses, the shades gradually deepen, with E10000 introducing a slightly darker, more maroon undertone that adds a sense of richness and luxury to the design.
As we delve deeper into the palette, the shades become increasingly darker and more muted, with B00000 introducing a sense of warmth and coziness, while 6D0000 adds a sense of drama and sophistication. The darkest shade, 3A0000, is a deep, cool red that adds a sense of balance and stability to the design, grounding the other shades and preventing the palette from feeling too overwhelming. Each shade in the Dark Crimson palette plays a crucial role in creating a sense of harmony and contrast, with the lighter shades providing a sense of energy and excitement, while the darker shades add depth and nuance. By combining these shades in a thoughtful and intentional way, designers can create a wide range of effects, from bold and attention-grabbing to subtle and sophisticated.
The Dark Crimson palette is incredibly versatile, and can be used in a wide range of design applications, from websites and apps to branding and marketing materials. Its bold, vibrant shades make it perfect for designs that aim to grab attention and inspire action, such as call-to-action buttons, promotional materials, and social media graphics. At the same time, the palette's deeper, more muted shades make it suitable for designs that require a sense of sophistication and elegance, such as luxury branding, high-end packaging, and editorial design. Whether you're looking to create a bold and eye-catching design, or a more subtle and nuanced one, the Dark Crimson palette has the range and versatility to meet your needs.
The colors in the Dark Crimson palette have a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior, with each shade influencing the viewer's emotional state and psychological response. The palette's bold, vibrant shades, such as FF4242 and E10000, are highly stimulating, and can increase heart rate, boost energy, and inspire action. The deeper, more muted shades, such as 6D0000 and 3A0000, are more calming, and can create a sense of balance and stability. By carefully selecting and combining the shades in the Dark Crimson palette, designers can create a wide range of emotional and psychological effects, from excitement and energy to calmness and serenity. This makes the palette particularly well-suited for designs that aim to evoke a strong emotional response, such as promotional materials, advertising campaigns, and experiential design.
To get the most out of the Dark Crimson palette, it's essential to understand how to pair and combine the different shades, as well as how to balance them with complementary colors. For a bold and eye-catching design, try pairing the palette's lighter shades, such as FF4242 and E10000, with neutral backgrounds and accents, such as white, gray, or beige. For a more subtle and nuanced design, try pairing the palette's deeper shades, such as 6D0000 and 3A0000, with rich, earthy tones, such as brown, green, or tan. By experimenting with different pairings and combinations, designers can unlock the full potential of the Dark Crimson palette, and create designs that are both visually stunning and emotionally resonant.
Palette Image
Below is the generated palette image showing all colors in a vertical layout. Perfect for sharing on social media or using as a reference.

Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using and implementing the dark crimson palette effectively in your projects.
