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Established Dryad Crimson

#b91728
Notes

Established Dryad Crimson (#B91728) is a true red with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (354°, 78%, 41%) 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 teal. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#b91728
RGB
rgb(185, 23, 40)
HSL
hsl(354, 78%, 41%)
HWB
hwb(354 9% 27%)
OKLCH
oklch(50.4% 0.192 23.7)
HSV
hsv(354, 88%, 73%)
LAB
lab(39.72% 60.65 35.29)
LCH
lch(39.72% 70.16 30.19)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 88%, 78%, 27%)

Etymology

Established
adjective

Latin stabilīre, to make stable — past-participle of establish. As a color modifier, established implies a saturated-and-rooted quality where the hue carries the weight of long-standing visual presence. Sits at the bold-and-firm end of the grid, parallel to steadfast and anchored in usage.

Dryad
modifier

Greek δρυάς, oak-tree-nymph. As a color modifier, dryad implies an oak-tree-nymph-and-grove-spirit quality, the visual register of Hellenic-dryad-and-oak-grove-nymph hand-oak-tree-nymph-and-grove-spirit Hellenic-dryad-and-oak-grove-nymph-and-Arcadian-grove dryad-and-oak-tree-nymph-and-grove-spirit surfaces under Hellenic-dryad-and-oak-grove-nymph-and-Arcadian-grove Dodona-oak-and-sacred-grove tree-nymph-light. Sits at the modifier-and-myth end of the grid, parallel to nymph and nereid 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

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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.

#b91728
Original
#4f4827
Protanopia
#766921
Deuteranopia
#cc0020
Tritanopia
#3b3b3b
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).
AAon White
6.53:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AA Largeon Black
3.22:1

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