Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Chili Red (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #C1312D
- RGB
- rgb(193, 49, 45)
- HSL
- hsl(2, 62%, 47%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.538 0.182 27)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 75%, 77%, 24%)
--color-chili-redbg-[#C1312D]Accessibility
Score: 54/100On White (#FFF)
5.61:1
On Black (#000)
3.74:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
5.14:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #C1312D
color: #C1312D
bg-[#C1312D] text-[#FFFFFF]
border-left: 4px solid #C1312D
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Cadet Blue
#5F9EA0
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 Chili Red 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
Passes 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
Chili Red is a dark color. Use white (#FFFFFF) text on top of it for maximum readability (5.61:1). Avoid small black text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #C1312D;Text
color: #C1312D;Border
border: 2px solid #C1312D;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #C1312D40;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #C1312D, #fa6557);Tailwind-style
--color-chili-red: #C1312D;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Chili Red without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#C1312D]Text
text-[#C1312D]Border
border-[#C1312D]Ring
ring-[#C1312D]Fill
fill-[#C1312D]From (gradient)
from-[#C1312D]Via (gradient)
via-[#C1312D]To (gradient)
to-[#C1312D]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Chili Red design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-chili-red: #C1312D;
--color-chili-red-rgb: 193, 49, 45;
--color-chili-red-hsl: 2, 62%, 47%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-chili-red: #C1312D; $color-chili-red-rgb: 193, 49, 45; $color-chili-red-hsl: 2, 62%, 47%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'chili-red': '#C1312D',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-chili-red: #C1312D;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"chili-red": {
"value": "#C1312D",
"type": "color",
"description": "Chili Red — #C1312D"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Chili Red Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
The psychology of Chili Red begins with its spectral address in the red zone, where human perception has never been neutral. Millennia of association with both celebration and danger collapse into the contemporary reading of passion that makes red-family tones so effective in design.
- Across color psychology research, red consistently tests high for "energy" associations, making Chili Red a reliable vehicle for passion in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on red-family tones to project excitement and urgency—values that Chili Red communicates in a medium key.
- At 62% saturation, Chili Red reads as moderately saturated—neither overwhelming nor passive, landing in the energy, passion, urgency, and power zone with measured confidence.
- Chili Red's medium lightness (47%) shifts its psychological register: a balanced mid-tone that embodies energy, passion, urgency, and power at its most direct.
The rule with Chili Red is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
How to Use Chili Red in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Chili Red rewards restraint in design. Used at full-surface scale it creates urgency that borders on stress; deployed as a targeted accent—a button, a badge, a border—it creates the focused emphasis that drives conversions.
- Avoid: financial dashboards (loss association), environmental brands (conflicts with green identity), and medical UIs where red exclusively signals critical alerts.
- Color harmonies: Chili Red's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Chili Red's moderately saturated saturation (62%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
- As a dark tone, Chili Red creates maximum contrast with white and light neutrals—excellent for creating premium dark-mode sections, bold headers, and high-drama brand moments
- Typography: Chili Red works as a background behind white text but requires careful sizing—test at intended heading and body sizes before finalizing.
The rule with Chili Red is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
Chili Red Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Chili Red (#C1312D) reaches 5.61:1 contrast with white 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: 13.7%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 5.61:1 — AA ✓
- As text on black (#000000): 3.74:1 — AA (large text only)
- Best text color on Chili Red background: White (#FFFFFF) at 5.61:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 13.7% — low luminance (dark)—it provides strong contrast for white and light overlaid text, functioning well as a background in dark-mode and header contexts
- Chili Red 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.
For production use, test Chili Red against your specific background colors rather than assuming #FFFFFF or #000000 performance translates. Surrounding colors alter perceived contrast.
Chili Red in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Chili Red (#C1312D) is most at home in industries where energy, passion, urgency, and power are key brand values. Its medium quality makes it particularly effective in Food & Beverage contexts, where the moderately saturated saturation signals urgency at exactly the right register.
- 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: Chipotle, Sweetgreen, 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: Chili Red 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, Chili Red works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where urgency serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
The industries where Chili Red performs best are those where the audience expects urgency. Build brand strategy around this alignment, not against it.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Chili Red? ▾
- The hex code for Chili Red is #C1312D. Its RGB values are rgb(193, 49, 45) and its HSL values are hsl(2, 62%, 47%).
- What does Chili Red 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 Chili Red WCAG accessible? ▾
- Chili Red (#C1312D) passes WCAG AA on white with a 5.61:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 54/100.
- What colors go well with Chili Red? ▾
- Chili Red pairs well with its complementary color Cadet Blue (#5F9EA0). Analogous colors like Peony and Candy Red also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Chili Red used for? ▾
- Chili Red 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 Chili Red? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #C1312D` or `background-color: #C1312D`. The CSS custom property is `--color-chili-red: #C1312D`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#C1312D]` for backgrounds or `text-[#C1312D]` for text.