Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Indian Red (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #CD5C5C
- RGB
- rgb(205, 92, 92)
- HSL
- hsl(0, 53%, 58%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.615 0.144 22)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 55%, 55%, 20%)
--color-indian-redbg-[#CD5C5C]Accessibility
Score: 39/100On White (#FFF)
3.98:1
On Black (#000)
5.28:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
3.65:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #CD5C5C
color: #CD5C5C
bg-[#CD5C5C] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #CD5C5C
Color Harmonies
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 Indian 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
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
Indian Red is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (5.28:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #CD5C5C;Text
color: #CD5C5C;Border
border: 2px solid #CD5C5C;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #CD5C5C40;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #CD5C5C, #ff8c89);Tailwind-style
--color-indian-red: #CD5C5C;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Indian Red without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#CD5C5C]Text
text-[#CD5C5C]Border
border-[#CD5C5C]Ring
ring-[#CD5C5C]Fill
fill-[#CD5C5C]From (gradient)
from-[#CD5C5C]Via (gradient)
via-[#CD5C5C]To (gradient)
to-[#CD5C5C]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Indian Red design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-indian-red: #CD5C5C;
--color-indian-red-rgb: 205, 92, 92;
--color-indian-red-hsl: 0, 53%, 58%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-indian-red: #CD5C5C; $color-indian-red-rgb: 205, 92, 92; $color-indian-red-hsl: 0, 53%, 58%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'indian-red': '#CD5C5C',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-indian-red: #CD5C5C;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"indian-red": {
"value": "#CD5C5C",
"type": "color",
"description": "Indian Red — #CD5C5C"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Indian Red Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Few colors carry as much cross-cultural psychological weight as the red family. Indian Red channels this heritage—landing in the design spectrum as passion, a quality equally present in a "Buy Now" button and a luxury fashion house's logo.
- In Western cultures red denotes importance (red carpets), danger (stop signs), love (Valentine's Day), and financial loss ("in the red")—a dual symbolism of celebration and warning that designers leverage depending on context.
- Across China, India, and much of Southeast Asia, red is the color of luck, prosperity, and celebration. It dominates weddings, Lunar New Year, and auspicious occasions, carrying exactly the opposite of its Western "danger" connotation.
- Indian Red's mid-tone lightness (58%) shifts its psychological register: a balanced mid-tone that embodies energy, passion, urgency, and power at its most direct.
- At 53% saturation, Indian Red reads as subdued—neither overwhelming nor passive, landing in the energy, passion, urgency, and power zone with measured confidence.
The rule with Indian Red is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
How to Use Indian Red in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Indian 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.
- UI components: primary action buttons, error and destructive states, delete confirmations—Indian Red performs reliably in all these roles with its mid-tone tonal character.
- Brand & identity: call-to-action buttons, promotional banners, food packaging—contexts where Indian Red's subdued quality creates the right register.
- Typography: Indian Red as text requires a dark background; its 58% lightness means it provides 4.0:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
- Indian Red creates strong legibility with black text overlays (5.3:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Proportional use: Indian Red's subdued quality means it scales well across proportions—from full-bleed backgrounds to single-pixel borders—making it an unusually versatile palette component.
The rule with Indian Red is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
Indian Red Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Indian Red (#CD5C5C) reaches 5.28:1 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: 21.4%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 3.98:1 — AA (large text only)
- As text on black (#000000): 5.28:1 — AA ✓
- Best text color on Indian Red background: Black (#000000) at 5.28:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 21.4% — 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
- Indian 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 Indian Red against your specific background colors rather than assuming #FFFFFF or #000000 performance translates. Surrounding colors alter perceived contrast.
Indian Red in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Indian Red'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 subdued saturation calibrates the message at a mid-tone, 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: 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: Indian 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, Indian Red works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where power serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
For marketers and brand strategists, Indian Red 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 Indian Red? ▾
- The hex code for Indian Red is #CD5C5C. Its RGB values are rgb(205, 92, 92) and its HSL values are hsl(0, 53%, 58%).
- What does Indian 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 Indian Red WCAG accessible? ▾
- Indian Red (#CD5C5C) passes WCAG AA-large on white with a 3.98:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 39/100.
- What colors go well with Indian Red? ▾
- Indian Red pairs well with its complementary color Iron Gray (#595E5E). Analogous colors like Hot Pink and Burgundy also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Indian Red used for? ▾
- Indian 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 Indian Red? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #CD5C5C` or `background-color: #CD5C5C`. The CSS custom property is `--color-indian-red: #CD5C5C`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#CD5C5C]` for backgrounds or `text-[#CD5C5C]` for text.