#FFC2BC Pale Red

Q: What color is #FFC2BC?

Pale Red is #FFC2BC, or #FFC2BC in uppercase notation. In RGB it is rgb(255,194,188), in HSL about hsl(5 100% 87%), and in OKLCH oklch(0.867 0.071 25.0).

Q: What does Pale Red symbolize?

It usually stands for energy, warmth and confidence, with a ceremonial edge. Local culture can shift that reading, so check the context.

Q: Where is Pale Red used?

You will see it in Campaign landing pages, Editorial cover systems, Product packaging labels, Dashboard status accents, Retail wayfinding signs. It also appears across food, retail, travel, education.

Q: Which colors go well with Pale Red?

Muted neutrals, deeper steps of the same hue and one metallic accent work well. editorial layouts that need one warm focal point; packaging that should feel appetizing without shouting; interfaces where an accent has to stay legible

Q: How does Pale Red affect mood?

It raises perceived energy and draws the eye quickly. Large fields feel intense, so accent use is safer.

Q: Which industries use Pale Red?

It is common in food, retail, travel, education, particularly where brands want to feel warm, playful, friendly, affordable, energetic.

Q: What is the history of Pale Red?

The pigment story is concrete: Orange sits between heat and sociability, closer to apricot or terracotta than to neon. It feels handmade, generous and slightly informal.

Q: How should I use Pale Red in design?

Give it one focal element, keep body copy neutral and confirm contrast at 1.53 against white and 12.31 against black.

Q: Is Pale Red accessible?

Contrast is 1.53 against white (FAIL) and 12.31 against black (AAA). Use it for large text when the level reaches AA.

Color conversion

CMYK profile: Coated FOGRA39 · Formats follow CSS Color 4 naming and WCAG 2.2 contrast rules.

About this color

Pale RedOrangedigital color

Warmth that invites a smile

Pale Red is #FFC2BC, a Orange tone with a clear cultural lineage. Read on its own it belongs to the Orange family; read through its digital color roots, it carries a second layer of meaning.

Design tip

Test Pale Red (#FFC2BC) on a neutral surface first; a Orange accent then looks intentional rather than decorative.

Best use

Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.

warmplayfulfriendlyaffordableenergetic

Psychology

How it is perceived

warmplayfulfriendlyaffordableenergetic

Psychological effect

Pale Red raises the perceived energy of a Orange composition and pulls the eye toward action.

Emotional impact

It feels immediate and warm, so it can lift a restrained layout without making it loud.

Symbolism

What it stands for

friendlinesscreativity and value

Cultural significance

In digital color settings the shade carries local references, so verify its symbolism before a campaign.

Positive associations

Positive associations lean toward friendliness, creativity and value, which is why it appears in invitations and seasonal work.

Use with care

Too much surface area can read as cheapness or noise in large doses, so keep it to accents and small fields.

Where it appears

Common design applications

Campaign landing pages: Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.
Editorial cover systems: Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.
Product packaging labels: Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.
Dashboard status accents: Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.
Retail wayfinding signs: Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.

Design guidance

How to make it work

Keep saturated fills below about twenty percent of the layout.
Use it for the primary call to action and nothing else.
Check the pairing at small sizes on a neutral background.

Avoid

Do not place it beside clashing neon greens or electric blues.
Never use it for long body text on white.
Avoid gradients that shift its hue into another family.

Brand fit

food, retail, travel, education

Brands built on The Everyman, The Jester use it to signal character before they say a word.

Trend signal

Warmth that invites a smile

Orange sits between heat and sociability, closer to apricot or terracotta than to neon. It feels handmade, generous and slightly informal.

Pairing

Colors that complete it

#9BE1EAeditorial layouts that need one warm focal point #C38A84interfaces where an accent has to stay legible #B7E0B7packaging that should feel appetizing without shouting

History

Pigments and provenance

Before synthetic dyes, Pale Red was matched with mineral and plant pigments, and the Orange family depended on sources such as ochre, madder and indigo. Screens now reproduce it more consistently than any single pigment ever could.

Variations

Shades darken and tints lighten while the hue angle stays fixed.

Pro tip: Shades darken and tints lighten while the hue angle stays fixed.

Shades

Darker steps built from the same hue.

0% #FFC2BC 10% #E6AFA9 20% #CC9B96 30% #B38884 40% #997471 50% #80615E 60% #664E4B 70% #4D3A38 80% #332726 90% #191313 100% #000000

Tints

Lighter steps for surfaces and backgrounds.

0% #FFC2BC 10% #FFC8C3 20% #FFCEC9 30% #FFD4D0 40% #FFDAD7 50% #FFE1DE 60% #FFE7E4 70% #FFEDEB 80% #FFF3F2 90% #FFF9F8 100% #FFFFFF

Use cases

Shades → hover, shadows, depth
Tints → highlights, surfaces
Balance → consistent color systems

Design tip

Keep one dominant tone, one supporter and one accent.

Color combinations

Rotate the hue wheel while holding lightness steady.

How to use it

Three moves keep the color readable and deliberate.

Why it works

The perceptual reasoning behind the palette.

Complementary

Opposite the hue wheel; it sharpens the focal color by contrast.

#FFC2BC #9BE1EA

Best use: Calls to action and single-feature highlights

Split-complementary

Two neighbors of the opposite hue; softer than a direct complement.

#FFC2BC #A2E3D1 #A6DCFC

Best use: Balanced marketing layouts with two accents

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly; lively but needs one dominant voice.

#FFC2BC #B7E0B7 #BDD3FF

Best use: Event identities and playful editorial spreads

Analogous

Neighbors on the wheel; quiet, cohesive and easy to scan.

#FAC1D6 #FFC2BC #F9C8A7

Best use: Backgrounds, charts and calm product pages

Monochromatic

One hue across lightness steps; disciplined and premium.

#B88C87 #FFC2BC #FFD3CF

Best use: Design systems, packaging and typographic hierarchy

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs; rich, but requires strict proportion.

#FFC2BC #E9D19E #9BE1EA #BDD3FF

Best use: Complex dashboards and multi-service brands

Export palette

CSS

:root {
  --color-1: #997471;
  --color-2: #CC9B96;
  --color-3: #FFC2BC;
  --color-4: #FFCEC9;
  --color-5: #FFDAD7;
}

Tailwind

colors: {
  color1: '#997471',
  color2: '#CC9B96',
  color3: '#FFC2BC',
  color4: '#FFCEC9',
  color5: '#FFDAD7',
}

JSON

["#997471","#CC9B96","#FFC2BC","#FFCEC9","#FFDAD7"]

Principles

Balance

Keep one dominant tone, one supporter and one accent.

Contrast

Test body text against both white and black before shipping.

Harmony

Rotate the hue wheel while holding lightness steady.

Color contrast checker

Test body text against both white and black before shipping.

Text color

Background

1.53 :1

FAIL

Quote

Give Pale Red the single element that must be noticed first, and let the rest of the Orange palette support it.

WCAG contrast

Preview

Aa / Bb

#FFC2BC · Pale Red

WCAG contrast standards

WCAG 2.2 sets minimum contrast for text and interface parts. #FFC2BC measures 1.53:1 against white (FAIL) and 12.31:1 against black (AAA). Use the table below to choose the right threshold for the text size.

Level	Normal text	Large text (18pt+ / 14pt bold)	Icons & UI parts
AAA	7 : 1	4.5 : 1	—
AA	4.5 : 1	3 : 1	3 : 1
Fails	< 4.5 : 1	< 3 : 1	< 3 : 1

Large text means 18pt regular or 14pt bold. UI parts need 3:1 against adjacent colors. AA is the common compliance baseline; AAA is enhanced.

Technical formats

Notation across color spaces

HEX

#FFC2BC

CSS Color 4

RGB

255,194,188

sRGB / D65

HSL

5,100,87

HSL

OKLCH

oklch(0.867 0.071 25.0)

perceptual

LAB

84,21,11

CIE Lab

LCH

84,24,29

CIE LCH

XYZ

70,63,56

CIE XYZ

LUV

84,39,13

CIE LUV

HWB

5,74,0

CSS HWB

CMYK

0,24,26,0

Practical formats

Ready-to-use values

CSS

color: #FFC2BC;

custom properties

Tailwind

bg-[#FFC2BC] text-[#FFF]

arbitrary value

Android

#FFFFC2BC

ARGB

Flutter

Color(0xFFFFC2BC)

dart:ui

Photoshop

R 255 G 194 B 188 · C 0 M 24 Y 26 K 0

RGB / CMYK

CMYK 0,24,26,0

FOGRA39

Color analysis

Measured color properties

Lightness

0.635

relative luminance · warm

Contrast

1.53 : 1

vs white · FAIL · warm

Contrast

12.31 : 1

vs black · AAA · warm

Hue

5°

saturation 100% · warm

LCH

84,24,29

lightness 87% · warm

Delta E

15.7

曙色 #D5A8B4 · warm

Similar colors

Nearest colors from the full Irodori library, ranked by ΔE.

Pale Red #FFC0CBΔE 8.8 曙色 #D5A8B4ΔE 15.7 Pale Red #FFE4E1ΔE 16.6 Pale Orange #FFDAB9ΔE 17.0 Pale Orange #FFE4C4ΔE 20.0 凝脂 #EFE3DBΔE 20.6

Blindness simulator

How it reads with color vision deficiency

How it reads with color vision deficiency · ΔE 15.7