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Princely Ray Crimson

#db273a
Notes

Princely Ray Crimson (#DB273A) 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°, 71%, 51%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. 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
#db273a
RGB
rgb(219, 39, 58)
HSL
hsl(354, 71%, 51%)
HWB
hwb(354 15% 14%)
OKLCH
oklch(57.8% 0.212 22.4)
HSV
hsv(354, 82%, 86%)
LAB
lab(48.03% 67.07 35.88)
LCH
lch(48.03% 76.07 28.15)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 82%, 74%, 14%)

Etymology

Princely
adjective

Latin prīnceps, first / chief — adjectival suffix -ly. As a color modifier, princely implies a saturated-and-royal-secondary quality, the deep-rich color of European crown-prince coronet-and-livery vestment. Sits at the bold-and-aristocratic end of the grid, parallel to lordly and regal in usage.

Ray
modifier

Latin radius, spoke-or-beam. As a color modifier, ray implies a radiant-and-spoke-of-light quality, the visual register of Bernini-Gloria-and-Baroque-altarpiece-ray hand-radiant-and-spoke-of-light Bernini-Gloria-and-Baroque-altarpiece-and-Counter-Reformation rayed-and-radiant-and-spoke-of-light surfaces under Bernini-Gloria-and-Baroque-altarpiece-and-Counter-Reformation gilded-spoke-and-altar-and-cathedral-dome heavenly-light. Sits at the modifier-and-mood end of the grid, parallel to beam and gleam 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.

#db273a
Original
#615a39
Protanopia
#8d8033
Deuteranopia
#f10031
Tritanopia
#4f4f4f
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
4.81:1
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
4.36:1

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