Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Strawberry (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #FC5A8D
- RGB
- rgb(252, 90, 141)
- HSL
- hsl(341, 96%, 67%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.695 0.2 5)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 64%, 44%, 1%)
--color-strawberrybg-[#FC5A8D]Accessibility
Score: 31/100On White (#FFF)
3.01:1
On Black (#000)
6.99:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
2.76:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #FC5A8D
color: #FC5A8D
bg-[#FC5A8D] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #FC5A8D
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Viridian
#40826D
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. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Strawberry 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
Strawberry is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (6.99:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #FC5A8D;Text
color: #FC5A8D;Border
border: 2px solid #FC5A8D;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #FC5A8D40;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #FC5A8D, #ff8ebd);Tailwind-style
--color-strawberry: #FC5A8D;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Strawberry without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#FC5A8D]Text
text-[#FC5A8D]Border
border-[#FC5A8D]Ring
ring-[#FC5A8D]Fill
fill-[#FC5A8D]From (gradient)
from-[#FC5A8D]Via (gradient)
via-[#FC5A8D]To (gradient)
to-[#FC5A8D]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Strawberry design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-strawberry: #FC5A8D;
--color-strawberry-rgb: 252, 90, 141;
--color-strawberry-hsl: 341, 96%, 67%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-strawberry: #FC5A8D; $color-strawberry-rgb: 252, 90, 141; $color-strawberry-hsl: 341, 96%, 67%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'strawberry': '#FC5A8D',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-strawberry: #FC5A8D;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"strawberry": {
"value": "#FC5A8D",
"type": "color",
"description": "Strawberry — #FC5A8D"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Strawberry Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
At #FC5A8D, Strawberry is a mid-tone interpretation of the red family—toning down the alarm of pure red into urgency territory. The 67% lightness reading positions it between a shout and a statement: present, intentional, and emotionally active.
- Across color psychology research, red consistently tests high for "energy" associations, making Strawberry a reliable vehicle for urgency in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on red-family tones to project excitement and urgency—values that Strawberry communicates in a mid-tone key.
- At 96% saturation, Strawberry reads as vivid—Pure saturated reds are physiologically stimulating, triggering faster heart rate and heightened alertness—among the most attention-commanding tones in human visual perception.
- Strawberry's mid-tone lightness (67%) shifts its psychological register: Light rose and blush tones soften urgency into warmth and romance while retaining the family's inviting quality.
The rule with Strawberry is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
How to Use Strawberry in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Strawberry 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: Strawberry's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Strawberry's vivid saturation (96%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
- Strawberry creates strong legibility with black text overlays (7.0:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Typography: Strawberry as text requires a dark background; its 67% lightness means it provides 3.0:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
The rule with Strawberry is intent—when it appears, it should carry meaning. Urgency, passion, importance. Never filler.
Strawberry Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Strawberry (#FC5A8D) reaches 6.99:1 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: 29.9%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 3.01:1 — AA (large text only)
- As text on black (#000000): 6.99:1 — AA ✓
- Best text color on Strawberry background: Black (#000000) at 6.99:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 29.9% — 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
- Strawberry 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 Strawberry against your specific background colors rather than assuming #FFFFFF or #000000 performance translates. Surrounding colors alter perceived contrast.
Strawberry in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Strawberry (#FC5A8D) is most at home in industries where energy, passion, urgency, and power are key brand values. Its mid-tone quality makes it particularly effective in Food & Beverage contexts, where the vivid saturation signals energy 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: Disney+, Hulu, Netflix) Works best paired with black or white for maximum contrast and visual impact.
- Brand positioning: Strawberry is best suited for brands projecting energy, passion, importance. Categories outside this positioning—financial dashboards (loss association)—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Strawberry works effectively in call-to-action buttons, promotional banners, food packaging—contexts where energy serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
The industries where Strawberry performs best are those where the audience expects energy. Build brand strategy around this alignment, not against it.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Strawberry? ▾
- The hex code for Strawberry is #FC5A8D. Its RGB values are rgb(252, 90, 141) and its HSL values are hsl(341, 96%, 67%).
- What does Strawberry 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. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
- Is Strawberry WCAG accessible? ▾
- Strawberry (#FC5A8D) passes WCAG AA-large on white with a 3.01:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 31/100.
- What colors go well with Strawberry? ▾
- Strawberry pairs well with its complementary color Viridian (#40826D). Analogous colors like Byzantium and Classic Rose also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Strawberry used for? ▾
- Strawberry 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 Strawberry? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #FC5A8D` or `background-color: #FC5A8D`. The CSS custom property is `--color-strawberry: #FC5A8D`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#FC5A8D]` for backgrounds or `text-[#FC5A8D]` for text.