Red Gradient Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #DF1B1B
RGB: 223, 27, 27
HEX: #D62121
RGB: 214, 33, 33
HEX: #CE2525
RGB: 206, 37, 37
HEX: #C72C2C
RGB: 199, 44, 44
HEX: #BA3030
RGB: 186, 48, 48
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, #DF1B1B 0%, #D62121 25%, #CE2525 50%, #C72C2C 75%, #BA3030 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #DF1B1B 0%, #D62121 25%, #CE2525 50%, #C72C2C 75%, #BA3030 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #DF1B1B 0%, #D62121 25%, #CE2525 50%, #C72C2C 75%, #BA3030 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
#DF1B1B
#D62121
#CE2525
#C72C2C
#BA3030
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Energetic, warm, and inviting
Emotional Impact
Stimulating and energetic, evoking feelings of excitement, warmth, and action. The balanced lightness creates versatility across different contexts
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a energetic, warm, and inviting. 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
#DF1B1B
Energetic and passionate
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 moods with warm tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This monochromatic red gradient palette features 5 carefully selected warm tones that create a energetic and passionate aesthetic. With low 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 #DF1B1B as the dominant color for headers and #BA3030 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 Red Gradient:
Dominant Color
#DF1B1BUse #DF1B1B as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This red tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#CE2525Apply #CE2525 as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#BA3030Reserve #BA3030 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
- •Add white or black text overlays to improve readability on colored backgrounds
- •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
2
Associated Tags
4
Categories
2462
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 low contrast and vibrant saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#DF1B1B
RED
#DF1B1B serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This medium red (highly saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 78%L: 49%#D62121
RED
#D62121 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: 73%L: 48%#CE2525
RED
#CE2525 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: 70%L: 48%#C72C2C
RED
#C72C2C 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: 64%L: 48%#BA3030
RED
#BA3030 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This medium red (moderately saturated) brings power and sophistication Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Dark toneH: 0°S: 59%L: 46%
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.
Low contrast creates subtle, sophisticated aesthetics but requires careful attention to text legibility.
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 Red Gradient Palette
The Red Gradient color palette is a vibrant and captivating collection of hues that evoke the warmth and energy of a sunset. This monochromatic palette is characterized by a range of deep, rich reds that gradate from the lightest shade, DF1B1B, to the darkest, BA3030, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality. The Red Gradient palette is perfect for designers looking to add a sense of excitement and passion to their work, and its modern style makes it an excellent choice for a wide range of applications, from websites and apps to branding and marketing campaigns.
Each color in the Red Gradient palette plays a unique role in creating the overall aesthetic and emotional impact of the palette. The lightest shade, DF1B1B, is a bright, fire engine red that grabs the viewer's attention and sets the tone for the rest of the palette. As the colors gradate to D62121, the tone becomes slightly deeper and more muted, adding a sense of warmth and coziness to the palette. The middle shade, CE2525, is a rich, bold red that adds depth and complexity to the palette, while C72C2C introduces a slightly darker, more muted tone that adds a sense of sophistication and elegance. Finally, the darkest shade, BA3030, is a deep, cool red that adds a sense of drama and luxury to the palette, and helps to ground the other colors and create a sense of balance.
The Red Gradient palette is incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of design applications. For example, it would be perfect for a website or app that wants to convey a sense of energy and excitement, such as a fitness or entertainment brand. It could also be used in branding and marketing campaigns to add a sense of passion and urgency to a product or service. Additionally, the palette's warm, modern style makes it an excellent choice for designers looking to create a cohesive visual identity for a company or organization. Whether used in digital or print applications, the Red Gradient palette is sure to make a lasting impression on viewers and leave a lasting impact on their perception of a brand or product.
The colors in the Red Gradient palette also have a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior. Red is a color that is often associated with energy, passion, and excitement, and the different shades in this palette can elicit a range of emotional responses from viewers. For example, the brighter shades, such as DF1B1B and D62121, can create a sense of urgency and excitement, while the deeper shades, such as CE2525 and BA3030, can add a sense of sophistication and luxury. By carefully selecting the right shade of red for a particular application, designers can create a specific emotional response in their viewers and influence their behavior in a positive way. For example, a call to action button in a bright, fire engine red, such as DF1B1B, is more likely to grab the viewer's attention and encourage them to take action.
To get the most out of the Red Gradient palette, designers should consider pairing it with complementary colors that enhance its warmth and energy. For example, pairing the palette with a cool gray or neutral beige can help to create a sense of balance and contrast, and make the reds appear even more vibrant and intense. Additionally, designers should be mindful of the 60-30-10 rule, which suggests that a dominant color should cover about 60 percent of the design, a secondary color should cover about 30 percent, and an accent color should cover about 10 percent. By following this rule and carefully selecting the right shades and combinations of colors, designers can create a cohesive and effective visual identity that engages and inspires their viewers.
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 red gradient palette effectively in your projects.
