Purple
#800080Pink family
About Purple
Purple (#800080) is a very dark, vivid pink. Pink blends red's warmth with white's softness, giving it a gentle, approachable energy that can range from pale and delicate to bold and electric.
Psychology
Pink is associated with compassion, warmth, playfulness and romance. Soft pinks are calming and nurturing, while vivid pinks feel energetic, youthful and even rebellious.
Applications
Pink shines in beauty, fashion, confectionery and lifestyle brands, as well as feminine or playful UI accents. Hotter pinks add punch to youth-oriented and music-industry designs, while pastel pinks suit baby, spa and wellness palettes.
History
Pink has not always been gender-coded; in the 18th century both men and women wore it. Modern synthetic pink dyes of the 19th century made the shade cheap and fashionable, and its cultural meanings have kept shifting ever since.
Meaning
Pink generally signals affection, tenderness and optimism, though bright pinks also carry confidence and non-conformity. It is widely used to soften a message or add a friendly, human touch.
Why use this color
Use pink to add warmth, approachability or a touch of romance to a design. It is perfect for brands that want to feel friendly and human without the intensity of full red.
Accessibility
Against white, #800080 has a 9.4:1 contrast ratio; against black it is 2.2:1. White text on #800080 meets WCAG AA for normal text.
Fun facts
- Baker-Miller Pink was famously tested as a color that could calm aggressive behavior in holding cells.
- Until the mid-20th century, pink was often marketed to boys as a light shade of strong red.
- Hot pink became a signature of punk and pop fashion in the late 20th century.
Shades, tints & tones
Variations
Ten lightness steps plus Purple's tints, shades and tones — every swatch copies its hex on click.
Lightness scale
Tints (toward white)
Shades (toward black)
Tones (toward gray)
Color theory
Color harmonies
Proven schemes built around Purple. Each swatch is one click from your clipboard.
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split-complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Accessibility
Blindness simulator
See how Purple is perceived with common types of color vision deficiency.
Normal vision
Standard trichromatic vision, shown for reference.
Protanopia
Red-blind. Reds look darker and can be confused with greens and browns.
Deuteranopia
Green-blind. Greens look muted and can be confused with reds and browns.
Tritanopia
Blue-blind. Blues look greenish and yellows fade toward pink.
Achromatopsia
Complete color blindness. Everything is seen in shades of gray.
WCAG
Contrast checker
How Purple performs against black and white text, with WCAG AA and AAA ratings.
The ratio is identical whether Purple is used as the text or the background.
Open the full checkerReady to use
Color palettes
Curated palettes that put Purple to work, with copy-all support for each.
Complementary
The base color paired with its opposite on the wheel for maximum contrast, plus two neutrals and a soft tint.
Analogous
Neighboring hues on the color wheel create a calm, cohesive scheme with a light tint and a deep shade.
Triadic
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel for a bold, balanced palette anchored by two neutrals.
Monochromatic
A single hue stepped from light to dark for a clean, elegant and foolproof palette.
Purple (#800080) is a pink-family color. Use its values, variations, harmonies and palettes above to put it to work in your next design.
Frequently asked questions
Purple is #800080 — rgb(128, 0, 128) / hsl(300, 100%, 25%). Purple (#800080) is a very dark, vivid pink. Pink blends red's warmth with white's softness, giving it a gentle, approachable energy that can range from pale and delicate to bold and electric.
Must-know facts
- Purple is one of 355 named colors in the library.
- Its complementary hue sits 180° away on the color wheel: #008000.
Related tools
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