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Resilient Sprite Crimson

#ad121c
Notes

Resilient Sprite Crimson (#AD121C) is a true red with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (356°, 81%, 37%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary cyan. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#ad121c
RGB
rgb(173, 18, 28)
HSL
hsl(356, 81%, 37%)
HWB
hwb(356 7% 32%)
OKLCH
oklch(47.7% 0.185 25.9)
HSV
hsv(356, 90%, 68%)
LAB
lab(36.75% 57.95 38.32)
LCH
lch(36.75% 69.48 33.48)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 90%, 84%, 32%)

Etymology

Resilient
adjective

Latin resiliēns, springing-back — present-participle of resilīre. As a color modifier, resilient implies a saturated-and-recovering-and-flexible quality where the hue maintains its strength under visual pressure. Sits at the bold-and-resilient end of the grid, parallel to tough and hardy in usage.

Sprite
modifier

Latin spiritus, spirit-or-elf. As a color modifier, sprite implies a fairy-elf-and-quick-and-impish quality, the visual register of English-folk-sprite-and-Shakespearean-Puck hand-fairy-elf-and-quick-and-impish English-folk-sprite-and-Shakespearean-Puck-and-Midsummer-Night sprite-and-fairy-elf-and-quick-and-impish surfaces under English-folk-sprite-and-Shakespearean-Puck-and-Midsummer-Night greenwood-and-elven-meadow fairy-revel-light. Sits at the modifier-and-myth end of the grid, parallel to pixie and faun in usage.

Crimson
noun

From the Old Spanish cremesin, itself from the Arabic qirmiz — the kermes scale insect, dried and ground into a brilliant carmine dye prized in the medieval Mediterranean. For centuries the most expensive red on a draper's shelf, reserved for cardinals, kings, and the cloth that gave English the word crimson. Cooler than scarlet, deeper than rose; the color of pomegranate seeds and a serious occasion.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#ad121c
Original
#4a421a
Protanopia
#6e6213
Deuteranopia
#bf0019
Tritanopia
#343434
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon White
7.29:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon Black
2.88:1

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