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Crimson Velvet Pure
Color detail

Crimson Velvet Pure

Red · Hue 0
Metrics
S 92% · L 42%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white5.7:1AAon black3.7:1AA Large
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Crimson Velvet Pure (#CE0909) belongs to the red family — hue 0°, 92% saturation, 42% lightness. Copy the hex, RGB, or HSL value above, or paste the CSS custom property below into your stylesheet to reference this color directly.

CSS
:root {
  --colorarchive-crimson-velvet-pure: #CE0909;
  --colorarchive-crimson-velvet-pure-hsl: hsl(0, 92%, 42%);
  --colorarchive-crimson-velvet-pure-rgb: rgb(206, 9, 9);
}

AI Color Names

Let AI suggest alternative poetic names for this color in English and Chinese.

Design Context

PassionateEnergeticUrgent
Common in

Food & Beverage · Entertainment · Retail

Pairs well with

White for high contrast CTAs, dark navy for sophistication, or gold for luxury

Design tip

Best for call-to-action buttons and sale banners. Use sparingly — red as a primary color can feel aggressive; as an accent, it commands attention.

Cultural context ▶

Red is universally associated with energy and action. In China, it signifies luck and prosperity. In Western markets, it drives urgency in sales.

Color Origins

Red family

Among the oldest pigments, and still the loudest signal.

Heritage

Red ochre is among the oldest pigments in the human visual record. Ochre reds lie beside burials at Qafzeh, Israel, about 100,000 years old; red ochre and costly cinnabar lit Pompeian walls; cinnabar was prized from Rome to China. Madder, kermes, and later New World cochineal built fortunes before synthetic alizarin arrived in 1869 and collapsed the madder market almost overnight.

Across cultures

In China red signals fortune and weddings, painted on doors and lanterns and given in money envelopes. In much of South Asia red is the bridal color (saris, sindoor) for the same reason. Western traditions split red between love (Valentine's) and danger (stoplights, balance sheets). Across the Christian liturgy red marks martyrdom and Pentecost; across cinema it has long marked the femme fatale.

In the wild

Coca-Cola has used red since its earliest signage. Netflix and YouTube both build their identities around a single saturated red. Christian Louboutin trademarked a single red — Pantone 18-1663 — on the soles of his shoes. Ferrari's racing red began as the Italian national racing color (Rosso Corsa). Emergency stop buttons are red on a yellow background under international machinery-safety standards, a convention so widespread it functions as international iconography.

How it reads

Red advances. On a page it draws the eye first; in a UI it implies destructive action or urgent state. Increasing saturation pushes it toward warning; reducing saturation moves it toward earthen, terra-cotta, comfort. Pairing red with white reads as energetic and consumer-facing; pairing it with black reads cinematic and luxurious; pairing it with cream reads as heritage or hospitality.

This particular tone

A vivid mid-tone — distinctive enough to anchor an identity, saturated enough to demand a quiet supporting palette.

Lightness band: At mid-lightness the hue carries its full character. This is the band where many identity colors live: bright enough to be distinctive at small sizes, deep enough to sit cleanly on a white canvas.

Saturation band: At this saturation the color is doing work. It reads as a brand statement, a sport accessory, or a UI signal. It should be used in small, deliberate doses against quieter neighbors; large fields at this saturation will exhaust the eye.

Brands using a similar color

Within the public brand-guidelines reference catalog, these are the closest matches to #CE0909.

  • Lululemonprimary
    Lululemon Red · #D1141A
    →
  • Netflixprimary
    Netflix Red · #E50914
    →
  • Nintendoprimary
    Nintendo Red · #E60012
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #CE0909.

  • Turkey (Istanbul)Turkish Red
    #E30A17 · Crescent-and-star flag + carpet border
    →
  • England (London)Underground Red
    #DC241F · Underground bullseye, 1908; Edward Johnston redesign, 1917–19
    →
  • Korea (Obangsaek)Obangsaek Red (홍 / hong)
    #C8242C · South — fire element, ceremonial silk
    →

Color guides

Go deeper on using red and color in design.

UI DesignColor in Financial UI: Trust, Data Visualization, and the Red/Green ConventionColor TheoryWarm Color Palette Guide: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, and Their NeutralsUI DesignBuilding a Dark Mode Color Palette: Beyond Inverting Light Mode

Tonal strip

All lightness levels at this hue and saturation. Click any to navigate.

Palette moves

Instead of stopping at one swatch, use nearby, opposite, and tonal neighbors to branch into a broader palette.

Lighter companion
Crimson Core Pure
#EB0A0A · hsl(0, 92%, 48%)
Darker companion
Crimson Dusk Pure
#A60707 · hsl(0, 92%, 34%)
Complementary counterpoint
Aqua Velvet Pure
#09CECE · hsl(180, 92%, 42%)
Analogous lead
Tangerine Velvet Pure
#CE5B09 · hsl(25, 92%, 42%)
Analogous echo
Garnet Velvet Pure
#CE094A · hsl(340, 92%, 42%)
Triadic +120°
Emerald Velvet Pure
#09CE09 · hsl(120, 92%, 42%)
Triadic +240°
Iris Velvet Pure
#0909CE · hsl(240, 92%, 42%)
Split-comp +150°
Jade Velvet Pure
#09CE6B · hsl(150, 92%, 42%)
Split-comp +210°
Sapphire Velvet Pure
#096BCE · hsl(210, 92%, 42%)
Export preview
Base: Crimson Velvet Pure #CE0909
Lighter companion: Crimson Core Pure #EB0A0A
Darker companion: Crimson Dusk Pure #A60707
Complementary counterpoint: Aqua Velvet Pure #09CECE
Analogous lead: Tangerine Velvet Pure #CE5B09
Analogous echo: Garnet Velvet Pure #CE094A
Triadic +120°: Emerald Velvet Pure #09CE09
Triadic +240°: Iris Velvet Pure #0909CE
Split-comp +150°: Jade Velvet Pure #09CE6B
Split-comp +210°: Sapphire Velvet Pure #096BCE

Compare

See how Crimson Velvet Pure compares side by side with related colors.

vsCrimson Core PurevsCrimson Dusk PurevsAqua Velvet PurevsTangerine Velvet PurevsGarnet Velvet PurevsEmerald Velvet Pure

Nearest neighbors

The closest archive matches by hue, saturation, and lightness.

Search by hex
Nearby match
Crimson Velvet Bright
#C51111 · hsl(0, 84%, 42%)
Nearby match
Crimson Core Pure
#EB0A0A · hsl(0, 92%, 48%)
Nearby match
Scarlet Velvet Pure
#CE1909 · hsl(5, 92%, 42%)
Nearby match
Crimson Dusk Pure
#A60707 · hsl(0, 92%, 34%)
Nearby match
Crimson Core Bright
#E11414 · hsl(0, 84%, 48%)
Nearby match
Crimson Velvet Vivid
#BA1C1C · hsl(0, 74%, 42%)

Accessible pairings

Archive colors that meet WCAG contrast standards when paired with this color. Use as text-on-background or background-on-text.

Contrast checker
AA5.5:1
Aqua Veil Faint
#F9FAFA
AA5.5:1
Aqua Veil Muted
#F9FBFB
AA5.5:1
Aqua Veil Dust
#F9FBFB
AA5.5:1
Aqua Veil Soft
#F8FCFC
AA5.6:1
Aqua Veil Clear
#F7FDFD
AA5.6:1
Aqua Veil Vivid
#F6FEFE

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#A7B009
Protanopia
#A09F09
Tritanopia
#C90909
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Saturation ladder

Same hue and lightness, from gray to pure

Search
True Gray Velvet#6B6B6B · hsl(0, 0%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Faint#766060 · hsl(0, 10%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Muted#7E5858 · hsl(0, 18%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Dust#874F4F · hsl(0, 26%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Soft#904747 · hsl(0, 34%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Clear#A53131 · hsl(0, 54%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Vivid#BA1C1C · hsl(0, 74%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Bright#C51111 · hsl(0, 84%, 42%)Crimson Velvet Pure#CE0909 · hsl(0, 92%, 42%)
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