Color #8D5259 Color / Colour Code #8D5259
This page shows the hex color code for color #8d5259 (#8D5259). The colour is a red tone with 26% saturation and 44% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #8D5259 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#8D5259 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 323, 353, and 23 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 353, 113, and 233 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #8D5259
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 353 and saturation at 26%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 353 to 38 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 353 with its complement at 173 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #8D5259
Lightness variations at hue 353 and 26% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #8D5259
Design Use Cases for #8D5259
Muted Accent Color
With 26% saturation, #8D5259 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Primary Interface Color
At 44% lightness, #8D5259 is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#8D5259 falls in the red spectrum (hue 353). Red triggers urgency and excitement, making it effective for sale badges, countdown timers, error messages, and "limited time" labels. In data visualization, use it to flag negative values or critical thresholds.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #8D5259 (hue 353) to its complement at hue 173. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 23. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #8d5259, #538d87);
CSS Code for #8D5259
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #8D5259 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #8D5259 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #8D5259 (#8D5259)
#8D5259 is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 141 red, 82 green, and 89 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 353 degrees with 26% saturation and 44% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #8D5259 is 100/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 42% magenta, 37% yellow, and 45% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #8D5259 against white is 6.03:1 and against black is 3.48:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 31% lightness.
The complementary colour #538D87 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #8D5259. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #8D5377 and #8D6953, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #8D5259
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #8D5259?
- #8D5259 is Color #8D5259, a red color (colour) with RGB(141, 82, 89), HSL(353, 26%, 44%), and CMYK(0%, 42%, 37%, 45%). Its perceived brightness is 100/255.
- Is #8D5259 accessible for text?
- Against white, #8D5259 has a contrast ratio of 6.03:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.48:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #8D5259?
- The complementary colour is #538D87 (hue 173). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #8D5377 and #8D6953. The triadic palette adds #5A8D53 and #535A8D for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #8D5259 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #8d5259; or rgb(141, 82, 89); or hsl(353, 26%, 44%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 353 26% 44%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.