Dark Sienna
Dark Sienna is a richly saturated red shade with RGB(60, 20, 20) and hex code #3C1414, reading as dark at a glance.
HEX
#3C1414
RGB
60, 20, 20
HSL
0°, 50%, 16%
CMYK
0%, 67%, 67%, 76%
LAB
13, 20, 10
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Description
- •Dark Sienna (#3C1414) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 60, 20, 20 and HSL values of 0 degrees hue, 50% saturation, and 16% lightness. At 16% lightness it appears dark, and its richly saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #143C3C for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #3C2814 and #3C1428 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Dark Sienna tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: power, passion, danger, and urgency. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Hue family
red
Saturation level
richly saturated
Lightness level
dark
Temperature
warm
Because Dark Sienna is richly saturated and dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Dark Sienna are commonly associated with power, passion, danger, and urgency, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
red
Common associations
power, passion, danger, and urgency
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Dark Sienna is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the red family it belongs to has a long design history. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(0, 50%, 16%), Dark Sienna has a relative luminance of about 0.02 on a 0-1 scale, which can make it harder to distinguish for people with red-green color blindness if used alongside similarly saturated greens or reds; pair it with a distinct lightness or add non-color cues such as icons or labels.
Technology specific
- Dark Sienna (#3C1414) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since muted colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Dark Sienna with white text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 16.1:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Dark Sienna works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its richly saturated and dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with white text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 16.1:1
palette flexibility
combines with #143C3C (complementary) and #143C14/#14143C (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens