Tints & Shades
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Scale from white (50) through Venetian Red (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #C80815
- RGB
- rgb(200, 8, 21)
- HSL
- hsl(356, 92%, 41%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.526 0.212 27)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 96%, 89%, 22%)
--color-venetian-redbg-[#C80815]Accessibility
Score: 54/100On White (#FFF)
6:1
On Black (#000)
3.5:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
5.5:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #C80815
color: #C80815
bg-[#C80815] text-[#FFFFFF]
border-left: 4px solid #C80815
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Deep Teal
#004D47
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 deeper, richer tone gives it gravitas and sophistication, making it well-suited for primary brand colors, typography, and contexts where authority matters.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Venetian 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
Venetian Red is a dark color. Use white (#FFFFFF) text on top of it for maximum readability (6.00:1). Avoid small black text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #C80815;Text
color: #C80815;Border
border: 2px solid #C80815;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #C8081540;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #C80815, #ff503f);Tailwind-style
--color-venetian-red: #C80815;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Venetian Red without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#C80815]Text
text-[#C80815]Border
border-[#C80815]Ring
ring-[#C80815]Fill
fill-[#C80815]From (gradient)
from-[#C80815]Via (gradient)
via-[#C80815]To (gradient)
to-[#C80815]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Venetian Red design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-venetian-red: #C80815;
--color-venetian-red-rgb: 200, 8, 21;
--color-venetian-red-hsl: 356, 92%, 41%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-venetian-red: #C80815; $color-venetian-red-rgb: 200, 8, 21; $color-venetian-red-hsl: 356, 92%, 41%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'venetian-red': '#C80815',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-venetian-red: #C80815;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"venetian-red": {
"value": "#C80815",
"type": "color",
"description": "Venetian Red — #C80815"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Venetian Red 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 Venetian Red: an immediate register of energy, processed before conscious thought.
- Across color psychology research, red consistently tests high for "energy" associations, making Venetian Red a reliable vehicle for energy in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on red-family tones to project excitement and urgency—values that Venetian Red communicates in a medium key.
- At 92% saturation, Venetian Red 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.
- Venetian Red's medium lightness (41%) shifts its psychological register: a balanced mid-tone that embodies energy, passion, urgency, and power at its most direct.
Venetian Red earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
How to Use Venetian Red in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Print and packaging designers reach for Venetian Red when shelf visibility is critical. Red-family hues register first in complex visual environments, making them invaluable for products competing for attention at retail.
- Avoid: financial dashboards (loss association), environmental brands (conflicts with green identity), and medical UIs where red exclusively signals critical alerts.
- Color harmonies: Venetian Red's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Venetian Red's vivid saturation (92%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
- As a dark tone, Venetian Red creates maximum contrast with white and light neutrals—excellent for creating premium dark-mode sections, bold headers, and high-drama brand moments
- Typography: Venetian Red works as a background behind white text but requires careful sizing—test at intended heading and body sizes before finalizing.
Venetian Red earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
Venetian Red Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Venetian Red (#C80815) reaches 6.00:1 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: 12.5%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 6.00:1 — AA ✓
- As text on black (#000000): 3.50:1 — AA (large text only)
- Best text color on Venetian Red background: White (#FFFFFF) at 6.00:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 12.5% — low luminance (dark)—it provides strong contrast for white and light overlaid text, functioning well as a background in dark-mode and header contexts
- Venetian 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.
Venetian Red's WCAG profile makes it a compliant choice for most text applications.
Venetian Red in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Across industry research, red-family tones consistently outperform competitors in categories built on energy, passion, urgency, and power. Venetian Red is a medium expression of this advantage—best positioned in Food & Beverage and adjacent markets.
- 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: Shopify merchant sites, ASOS, H&M) 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: Venetian 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, Venetian Red works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where excitement serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
Venetian Red earns its strongest ROI in industries where trust and recognition compound over time: Food & Beverage, Retail & E-commerce, Sports & Entertainment. Use it to build the kind of brand recognition that decades reinforce.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Venetian Red? ▾
- The hex code for Venetian Red is #C80815. Its RGB values are rgb(200, 8, 21) and its HSL values are hsl(356, 92%, 41%).
- What does Venetian 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. Its deeper, richer tone gives it gravitas and sophistication, making it well-suited for primary brand colors, typography, and contexts where authority matters.
- Is Venetian Red WCAG accessible? ▾
- Venetian Red (#C80815) passes WCAG AA on white with a 6:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 54/100.
- What colors go well with Venetian Red? ▾
- Venetian Red pairs well with its complementary color Deep Teal (#004D47). Analogous colors like Classic Rose and Strawberry also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Venetian Red used for? ▾
- Venetian 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 Venetian Red? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #C80815` or `background-color: #C80815`. The CSS custom property is `--color-venetian-red: #C80815`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#C80815]` for backgrounds or `text-[#C80815]` for text.