# #c4121e

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

## Values

- Hex: `#c4121e`
- RGB: rgb(196, 18, 30)
- HSL: hsl(356, 83%, 42%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.522 0.205 26.3)
- Relative luminance: 0.1226
- Nearest named color: Blood Kiss (#c30b0a, Δ 1.11) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blood-kiss
- Moods: warm, vivid, playful, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/c4121e

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #e01522, #eb2431, #ed404b, #ef5761, #f2737b, #f58f96, #f7a6ac, #f9c2c6, #fcdadc, #fef6f6
- Shades (toward black): #b1101b, #9f0f18, #910d16, #7e0c13, #6b0a10, #59080e, #46070b, #380509, #250306, #130203

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #12c4b8
- Analogous: #c41277, #c45f12
- Triadic: #1ec412, #121ec4
- Split-complementary: #12c45f, #1277c4
- Tetradic: #77c412, #12c4b8, #5f12c4

## Colors that go with #c4121e

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

- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the body-text near-black for #c4121e: 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), Frost & Ember (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/bold#frost-and-ember), Logitech (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/logitech-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Royal Blue** #4169e1 [harmony, pool: triadic] — Royal Blue completes a triad with #c4121e — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Behance (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/behance-net), Coinbase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/coinbase), Foot Locker (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/footlocker-com), Bose (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bose-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Steel Blue** #4682b4 [harmony, pool: split] — Steel Blue is a split-complement of #c4121e: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Honda (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/honda-com), Wendy's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wendys-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 #c4121e on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Redfin (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/redfin-com), Gemstone (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/vivid#gemstone), Magazine Ochre (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#magazine-ochre). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #c4121e in 6 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), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com), Trailhead (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#trailhead). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 5 real palettes, including Tim Hortons's brand system and Dunkin''s brand system put Blue beside #c4121e, as the accent. Seen in: Tim Hortons (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/timhortons-com), Dunkin' (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/dunkindonuts-com), native Cybersecurity (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/crowdstrike-com), Doordash (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/doordash-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [pool] — Dark Olive Green shows up next to #c4121e in 5 real palettes, including Olive Grove and Farmers Market, as the lead colour. Seen in: Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove), Farmers Market (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#farmers-market), Magazine Ochre (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#magazine-ochre), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Denim** #1560bd [pool] — Designers have shipped Denim with #c4121e: 15 real palettes, including Campbell's's brand system and Nissan's brand system, as the accent. Seen in: Campbell's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/campbells-com), Nissan (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nissanusa-com), AT&T (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/att-com), State Farm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/statefarm-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/denim

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

- On white (#ffffff): 6.08:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AAA: text → #b1101b (7.1:1)
- On black (#000000): 3.45:1 — AA fail, AA-large pass, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #e91624 (4.6:1); AA: background → #dedede (4.52:1); AAA: text → #f16a73 (7.05:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Campbell's** — secondary #bf1a1e (Δ 1.009) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/campbells-com
- **Huawei** — secondary #c7000b (Δ 1.117) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/huawei-com
- **3M** — secondary #c80000 (Δ 1.486) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/3m-com
- **Budweiser** — secondary #cc0414 (Δ 1.611) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/budweiser-com
- **Honda** — secondary #cc0000 (Δ 1.942) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/honda-com
- **Datadog** — accent #bf0000 (Δ 1.984) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/datadoghq-com

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Maple** (autumn, warm, vivid) — #c1272d, #e8730c, #f2b705, #fff8ee, #2a1a0a — The three colours a maple goes through in October, on a warm white — loud, seasonal, and readable because the type is near-black. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/c1272d-e8730c-f2b705-fff8ee-2a1a0a — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/autumn

## 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/c4121e-c49e9c-62cb91-2d241f-f1e9ee?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: "#c4121e" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.