Red

WildWatermelon

#FC6C85
HEX
#FC6C85
RGB
rgb(252, 108, 133)
HSL
hsl(350, 96%, 71%)

Red family

About WildWatermelon

WildWatermelon (#FC6C85) is a light, vivid red. Red sits at the warmest, longest-wavelength end of the visible spectrum and is the most eye-catching hue of all, so this shade balances warmth with a strong sense of energy and presence.

Psychology

Red raises heart rate and energy levels and is strongly linked to passion, excitement and urgency. It grabs attention faster than any other hue, which is why it powers sale signs, alerts and appetite-driven food branding.

Applications

Red is the go-to for calls-to-action, error states, warnings, sale badges and romantic or festive designs. Brighter reds suit e-commerce and entertainment, while deeper, muted reds feel luxurious and are common in wine, heritage and editorial branding.

History

Red ochre was among the first pigments used in prehistoric cave art more than 40,000 years ago. Later vivid reds came from cinnabar, kermes insects and madder root, and the modern era replaced them with stable synthetic pigments such as cadmium and quinacridone reds.

Meaning

Red carries rich, sometimes opposite meanings: love and luck in China, courage and sacrifice in heraldry, and danger or stop in Western signaling. It is universally treated as a high-priority, high-emotion color.

Why use this color

Choose red when you want to command attention, create urgency or express passion, strength and confidence. It is ideal for brands and interfaces that need a bold, warm and energetic accent.

Accessibility

Against white, #FC6C85 has a 2.8:1 contrast ratio; against black it is 7.6:1. Black text on #FC6C85 meets WCAG AA for normal text.

Fun facts

  • Red is the first color babies learn to distinguish after black and white.
  • Red has the longest wavelength of visible light, so it appears to advance toward the viewer.
  • The word for 'red' is among the oldest color terms to appear in human languages.

Shades, tints & tones

Variations

Ten lightness steps plus WildWatermelon'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 WildWatermelon. Each swatch is one click from your clipboard.

Complementary

#fc6e86#6efce4

Analogous

#fc6ecd#fc6e86#fc9d6e

Triadic

#fc6e86#86fc6e#6e86fc

Split-complementary

#fc6e86#6efc9d#6ecdfc

Tetradic

#fc6e86#cdfc6e#6efce4#9d6efc

Monochromatic

#4b020e#a0031d#fa052e#fc5f79#fdb4c0

Accessibility

Blindness simulator

See how WildWatermelon is perceived with common types of color vision deficiency.

#FC6C85

Normal vision

Standard trichromatic vision, shown for reference.

#8b8a85

Protanopia

Red-blind. Reds look darker and can be confused with greens and browns.

#b0a782

Deuteranopia

Green-blind. Greens look muted and can be confused with reds and browns.

#ff5876

Tritanopia

Blue-blind. Blues look greenish and yellows fade toward pink.

#9c9c9c

Achromatopsia

Complete color blindness. Everything is seen in shades of gray.

WCAG

Contrast checker

How WildWatermelon performs against black and white text, with WCAG AA and AAA ratings.

AaWhite on WildWatermelon
2.75:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large
AaBlack on WildWatermelon
7.62:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large

The ratio is identical whether WildWatermelon is used as the text or the background.

Open the full checker

Ready to use

Color palettes

Curated palettes that put WildWatermelon 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.

WildWatermelon (#FC6C85) is a red-family color. Use its values, variations, harmonies and palettes above to put it to work in your next design.

Frequently asked questions

WildWatermelon is #FC6C85 — rgb(252, 108, 133) / hsl(350, 96%, 71%). WildWatermelon (#FC6C85) is a light, vivid red. Red sits at the warmest, longest-wavelength end of the visible spectrum and is the most eye-catching hue of all, so this shade balances warmth with a strong sense of energy and presence.

Must-know facts

  • WildWatermelon is one of 355 named colors in the library.
  • Its complementary hue sits 180° away on the color wheel: #6efce4.

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