Tints & Shades
50
100
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500
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800
900
Scale from white (50) through Amaranth (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #E52B50
- RGB
- rgb(229, 43, 80)
- HSL
- hsl(348, 78%, 53%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.602 0.217 17)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 81%, 65%, 10%)
--color-amaranthbg-[#E52B50]Accessibility
Score: 39/100On White (#FFF)
4.38:1
On Black (#000)
4.79:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
4.02:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #E52B50
color: #E52B50
bg-[#E52B50] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #E52B50
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Bright Teal
#01F9C6
Split-Complementary
Similar Colors
Color Meaning & Psychology
Red is the most emotionally intense color in the spectrum. It stimulates the nervous system, accelerates respiration, and increases heart rate. Red commands attention through associations with blood, fire, danger, and passion — making it the dominant choice for warnings, calls-to-action, and brand identities that must stand out instantly. In food culture, red stimulates appetite. In romance, it signals desire. In sport, studies show red-clad competitors win more often. However, overuse creates aggression. The most effective red designs use it sparingly as a focal accent. At medium lightness, it is the most versatile tone of this hue family — readable as text on light backgrounds, yet vibrant enough as a visual accent.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Amaranth is applied in professional design.
- Emergency alerts and warning systems
- Food and beverage brands (appetite stimulation)
- Sports teams and athletic wear
- Calls-to-action and "Buy Now" buttons
- Pharmaceutical packaging for urgent medications
- Entertainment and gaming brands
- Automotive brands emphasizing power and performance
- Retail sale and clearance signage
Accessibility Considerations
Normal Text
Fails AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Passes AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Meets 1.4.11
3:1 for non-text UI
Amaranth is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (4.79:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #E52B50;Text
color: #E52B50;Border
border: 2px solid #E52B50;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #E52B5040;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E52B50, #ff667c);Tailwind-style
--color-amaranth: #E52B50;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Amaranth without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#E52B50]Text
text-[#E52B50]Border
border-[#E52B50]Ring
ring-[#E52B50]Fill
fill-[#E52B50]From (gradient)
from-[#E52B50]Via (gradient)
via-[#E52B50]To (gradient)
to-[#E52B50]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Amaranth design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-amaranth: #E52B50;
--color-amaranth-rgb: 229, 43, 80;
--color-amaranth-hsl: 348, 78%, 53%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-amaranth: #E52B50; $color-amaranth-rgb: 229, 43, 80; $color-amaranth-hsl: 348, 78%, 53%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'amaranth': '#E52B50',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-amaranth: #E52B50;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"amaranth": {
"value": "#E52B50",
"type": "color",
"description": "Amaranth — #E52B50"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Amaranth Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Red-family hues occupy the long-wavelength end of the visible spectrum—the zone the human visual system evolved to associate with fire, ripe fruit, and blood. That ancient conditioning translates directly into the psychology of Amaranth: an immediate register of energy, processed before conscious thought.
- Across color psychology research, red consistently tests high for "energy" associations, making Amaranth a reliable vehicle for energy in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on red-family tones to project excitement and urgency—values that Amaranth communicates in a medium key.
- At 78% saturation, Amaranth reads as moderately saturated—neither overwhelming nor passive, landing in the energy, passion, urgency, and power zone with measured confidence.
- Amaranth's medium lightness (53%) shifts its psychological register: a balanced mid-tone that embodies energy, passion, urgency, and power at its most direct.
For designers, Amaranth is a precision instrument: powerful in small doses, overwhelming at scale. Restraint is its best amplifier.
How to Use Amaranth in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
In digital interfaces, Amaranth functions as a high-attention accent rather than a dominant tone. Even at small proportions, its moderately saturated saturation (78%) carries enough visual weight to direct the eye precisely where needed.
- Avoid: financial dashboards (loss association), environmental brands (conflicts with green identity), and medical UIs where red exclusively signals critical alerts.
- Color harmonies: Amaranth's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Amaranth's moderately saturated saturation (78%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
- Amaranth creates strong legibility with black text overlays (4.8:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Typography: Amaranth as text requires a dark background; its 53% lightness means it provides 4.4:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
For designers, Amaranth is a precision instrument: powerful in small doses, overwhelming at scale. Restraint is its best amplifier.
Amaranth Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Amaranth (#E52B50) reaches 4.79:1 contrast with black text—meeting WCAG 2.1 AA minimum of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. It clears standard production accessibility requirements. Relative luminance: 19.0%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 4.38:1 — AA (large text only)
- As text on black (#000000): 4.79:1 — AA ✓
- Best text color on Amaranth background: Black (#000000) at 4.79:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 19.0% — mid-range luminance—it sits in the transition zone where both dark and light text approaches require testing against the 4.5:1 WCAG threshold
- Amaranth qualifies for normal body text and all larger sizes (AA).
- Color blindness consideration: protanopia and deuteranopia (red-green color blindness, ~8% of males) may affect how red-family colors are distinguished from greens and browns. For critical UI states, supplement color alone with shape, label, or pattern cues.
Always verify Amaranth at its final intended size and weight using a real contrast checker—font weight and rendering environment affect perceived legibility beyond what raw ratios capture.
Amaranth in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Amaranth's brand positioning falls squarely in the territory of energy, passion, urgency, and power. Industry data supports its strongest performance in food & beverage, retail, entertainment categories, where the moderately saturated saturation calibrates the message at a medium, considered level.
- Food & Beverage: Red stimulates appetite and accelerates purchase decisions. Fast food chains, hot sauce brands, and snack packaging use it deliberately because it increases caloric craving and speeds up decision-making at point of sale. (examples: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Blue Bottle Coffee) Avoid in fine dining or health-food contexts where a slower, more mindful experience is the goal.
- Retail & E-commerce: The "red sale tag" is a globally conditioned retail convention. Red signals scarcity and urgency, making it the universal shorthand for clearance events, limited-time offers, and price callouts. (examples: Target, H&M, ASOS) Overuse exhausts the urgency signal—reserve it for genuinely time-limited promotions.
- Sports & Entertainment: Red communicates competition, athletic energy, and tribal passion. From team jerseys to arena signage, it energizes crowds and aligns with the visceral intensity sports brands want to project. (examples: Spotify, Netflix, Hulu) Works best paired with black or white for maximum contrast and visual impact.
- Brand positioning: Amaranth is best suited for brands projecting excitement, urgency, importance. Categories outside this positioning—financial dashboards (loss association)—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Amaranth works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where excitement serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
For marketers and brand strategists, Amaranth is a commitment to energy, passion, urgency, and power. Match it with industries that make that promise and it will pay dividends consistently.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Amaranth? ▾
- The hex code for Amaranth is #E52B50. Its RGB values are rgb(229, 43, 80) and its HSL values are hsl(348, 78%, 53%).
- What does Amaranth mean in design? ▾
- Red is the most emotionally intense color in the spectrum. It stimulates the nervous system, accelerates respiration, and increases heart rate. Red commands attention through associations with blood, fire, danger, and passion — making it the dominant choice for warnings, calls-to-action, and brand identities that must stand out instantly. In food culture, red stimulates appetite. In romance, it signals desire. In sport, studies show red-clad competitors win more often. However, overuse creates aggression. The most effective red designs use it sparingly as a focal accent. At medium lightness, it is the most versatile tone of this hue family — readable as text on light backgrounds, yet vibrant enough as a visual accent.
- Is Amaranth WCAG accessible? ▾
- Amaranth (#E52B50) passes WCAG AA-large on white with a 4.38:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 39/100.
- What colors go well with Amaranth? ▾
- Amaranth pairs well with its complementary color Bright Teal (#01F9C6). Analogous colors like Opera Mauve and Thulian Pink also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Amaranth used for? ▾
- Amaranth is commonly used for: Emergency alerts and warning systems; Food and beverage brands (appetite stimulation); Sports teams and athletic wear; Calls-to-action and "Buy Now" buttons; Pharmaceutical packaging for urgent medications.
- What are the CSS and Tailwind values for Amaranth? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #E52B50` or `background-color: #E52B50`. The CSS custom property is `--color-amaranth: #E52B50`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#E52B50]` for backgrounds or `text-[#E52B50]` for text.