# #ae042c

A color — warm, vivid, playful, bold. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#ae042c`
- RGB: rgb(174, 4, 44)
- HSL: hsl(346, 96%, 35%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.476 0.189 19.9)
- Relative luminance: 0.0927
- Nearest named color: Bindi Red (#b0003c, Δ 2.136) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/bindi-red
- Moods: warm, vivid, playful, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/ae042c

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #cd0433, #f0053c, #fa194e, #fb3765, #fc5a80, #fc7897, #fd96ae, #fdb4c5, #fed7e0, #fff5f7
- Shades (toward black): #a00328, #910324, #820320, #73021d, #640219, #500214, #410110, #32010c, #230109, #140005

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #04af87
- Analogous: #af0481, #af3104
- Triadic: #2caf04, #042caf
- Split-complementary: #04af31, #0481af
- Tetradic: #81af04, #04af87, #3104af

## Colors that go with #ae042c

Named partners (harmony on the OKLCH wheel, co-occurrence in curated palettes and brand systems, and the neutrals that carry it), best first:

- **Royal Blue** #4169e1 [harmony, pool: triadic] — Royal Blue completes a triad with #ae042c — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Bose (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bose-com), Chase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/chase-com), Coinbase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/coinbase), Behance (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/behance-net). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Teal** #008080 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Teal sits directly opposite #ae042c on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Saffron (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#saffron), Gemstone (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#gemstone), Redfin (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/redfin-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #ae042c in 4 real palettes, including Maple and Ember, as the accent. Seen in: Maple (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#maple), Ember (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/bold#ember), Trailhead (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#trailhead), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Cobalt Blue** #0047ab [pool] — Designers have shipped Cobalt Blue with #ae042c: 4 real palettes, including MLB's brand system and Behance's brand system, as the accent. Seen in: MLB (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mlb-com), Behance (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/behance-net), Reebok (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/reebok-com), Walgreens (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/walgreens-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cobalt
- **Crimson** #dc143c [pool] — Crimson is paired with #ae042c in 9 real palettes, including Wendy's's brand system and State Farm's brand system, as the lead colour. Seen in: Wendy's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wendys-com), State Farm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/statefarm-com), Nintendo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nintendo-com), Vodafone (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/vodafone-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson
- **Denim** #1560bd [pool] — Designers have shipped Denim with #ae042c: 11 real palettes, including State Farm's brand system and Nissan's brand system, as the accent. Seen in: State Farm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/statefarm-com), Nissan (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nissanusa-com), Campbell's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/campbells-com), AT&T (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/att-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/denim
- **Sea Green** #2e8b57 [harmony, pool: split] — Sea Green is a split-complement of #ae042c: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Coinbase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/coinbase), Five Guys (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/fiveguys-com), Netflix (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/netflix). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/seagreen
- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the body-text near-black for #ae042c: its slight blue cast keeps type crisp beside a warm colour where pure #000 looks heavy. Seen in: IHG (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/ihg-com), Codecademy (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/codecademy-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal

## Contrast (WCAG 2.x, as text)

- On white (#ffffff): 7.36:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 2.85:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #eb053a (4.62:1); AA: background → #cccccc (4.58:1); AAA: text → #fc5f84 (7.11:1); AAA: background → #fafafa (7.05:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Twilio** — accent #b10f23 (Δ 1.541) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/twilio-com

## Fonts for this mood

- warm: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/warm
- playful: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/playful
- bold: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/bold

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/ae042c-c49ca1-62cb80-2d221f-f1e9ef?lock=0&style=vibrant
(Humans lock/regenerate in the tool; the URL is the state — read `lock=` back to see what they kept.)

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets colors endpoint for the same engine:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/colors/mcp
- Tools: `analyze_color` (e.g. `analyze_color({ color: "#ae042c" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.
