Rocky Road
Rocky Road is a moderately saturated red shade with RGB(90, 62, 54) and hex code #5A3E36, reading as dark at a glance.
HEX
#5A3E36
RGB
90, 62, 54
HSL
13°, 25%, 28%
CMYK
0%, 31%, 40%, 65%
LAB
29, 11, 10
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Description
- •Rocky Road (#5A3E36) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 90, 62, 54 and HSL values of 13 degrees hue, 25% saturation, and 28% lightness. At 28% lightness it appears dark, and its moderately saturated character makes it well suited for backgrounds, text, or supporting UI elements. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #36525A for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #5A5036 and #5A3640 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Rocky Road 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
moderately saturated
Lightness level
dark
Temperature
warm
Because Rocky Road is moderately saturated and dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Rocky Road 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
- 1Rocky Road 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(13, 25%, 28%), Rocky Road has a relative luminance of about 0.06 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
- Rocky Road (#5A3E36) 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 Rocky Road with white text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 9.6:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
page backgrounds
branding
neutral brand background
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
body text or subtle fill
Purpose
Rocky Road works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its moderately saturated and dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with white text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 9.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #36525A (complementary) and #365A3E/#3E365A (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens