# #ae280a

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

## Values

- Hex: `#ae280a`
- RGB: rgb(174, 40, 10)
- HSL: hsl(11, 89%, 36%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.492 0.174 33.1)
- Relative luminance: 0.1054
- Nearest named color: firebrick (#b22222, Δ 2.069) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/firebrick
- Moods: warm, vivid, playful, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/ae280a

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #ca2f0c, #e7350d, #f24c26, #f46343, #f67b60, #f7937d, #f9ab9a, #fbc7bc, #fddfd8, #fef7f5
- Shades (toward black): #9f2509, #912108, #7d1d07, #6f1a06, #601606, #521305, #431004, #300b03, #220802, #130401

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #0a90ae
- Analogous: #ae0a3e, #ae7a0a
- Triadic: #0aae28, #280aae
- Split-complementary: #0aae7a, #0a3eae
- Tetradic: #3eae0a, #0a90ae, #7a0aae

## Colors that go with #ae280a

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 #ae280a — 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), Behance (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/behance-net), Coinbase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/coinbase), Foot Locker (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/footlocker-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Steel Blue** #4682b4 [harmony, pool: split] — Steel Blue is a split-complement of #ae280a: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Wendy's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wendys-com), Honda (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/honda-com), NASCAR (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nascar-com), Wired (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wired-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/steelblue
- **Teal** #008080 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Teal sits directly opposite #ae280a on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Magazine Ochre (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#magazine-ochre), Saffron (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#saffron), Redfin (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/redfin-com), Gemstone (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#gemstone). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #ae280a in 5 real palettes, including Ember and Maple, as the accent. Seen in: Ember (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/bold#ember), Maple (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#maple), 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 #ae280a: 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 #ae280a in 9 real palettes, including Wendy's's brand system and Vodafone's brand system, as the lead colour. Seen in: Wendy's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wendys-com), Vodafone (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/vodafone-com), State Farm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/statefarm-com), Huawei (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/huawei-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/crimson
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [pool] — Dark Olive Green shows up next to #ae280a in 6 real palettes, including Olive Grove and Cider, as the lead colour. Seen in: Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove), Cider (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#cider), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets), Magazine Ochre (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#magazine-ochre). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the body-text near-black for #ae280a: 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): 6.76:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AAA: text → #a9270a (7.04:1)
- On black (#000000): 3.11:1 — AA fail, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #de330d (4.59:1); AA: background → #d4d4d4 (4.56:1); AAA: text → #f56b4d (7.09:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Chipotle** — primary #ac241c (Δ 1.446) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/chipotle-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/ae280a-c4a89c-62cbab-2d281f-f1e9ec?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: "#ae280a" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.