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Aristocratic Sumer Crimson

#de253e
Notes

Aristocratic Sumer Crimson (#DE253E) 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 (352°, 74%, 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
#de253e
RGB
rgb(222, 37, 62)
HSL
hsl(352, 74%, 51%)
HWB
hwb(352 15% 13%)
OKLCH
oklch(58.3% 0.215 21.2)
HSV
hsv(352, 83%, 87%)
LAB
lab(48.52% 68.50 34.25)
LCH
lch(48.52% 76.59 26.57)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 83%, 72%, 13%)

Etymology

Aristocratic
adjective

Greek aristokratía, rule by the best — adjectival suffix -ic. As a color modifier, aristocratic implies a saturated-and-noble-and-hereditary quality, the deep-rich color of pre-modern European aristocracy hereditary-class livery-and-armorial-bearings. Sits at the bold-and-aristocratic end of the grid, parallel to patrician and lordly.

Sumer
modifier

Akkadian Šumeru, Sumer. As a color modifier, sumer implies an ancient-Mesopotamian-and-cuneiform quality, the visual register of Sumerian-Ur-and-Uruk hand-built ziggurat-and-cuneiform-tablet bronze-age Mesopotamian city-state surfaces under Sumerian-Mesopotamian Ur-and-Uruk bronze-age city-state sun-baked-mud-brick light. Sits at the modifier-and-cultural end of the grid, parallel to akkad and median 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.

#de253e
Original
#625a3d
Protanopia
#8f8137
Deuteranopia
#f40031
Tritanopia
#4e4e4e
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
4.73:1
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
4.44:1

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