Bittersweet
Bittersweet is a highly saturated, near pure red shade with RGB(254, 111, 94) and hex code #FE6F5E, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#FE6F5E
RGB
254, 111, 94
HSL
6°, 99%, 68%
CMYK
0%, 56%, 63%, 0%
LAB
64, 53, 37
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Description
- •Bittersweet (#FE6F5E) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 254, 111, 94 and HSL values of 6 degrees hue, 99% saturation, and 68% lightness. At 68% lightness it appears medium-light, and its highly saturated, near pure character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #5EEDFE for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #FEBF5E and #FE5E9D for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Bittersweet 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
highly saturated, near pure
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Bittersweet is highly saturated, near pure and medium-light, it tends to feel bold and attention-grabbing in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Bittersweet 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
- 1Bittersweet 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
Quick actions
Visual perception
- At HSL(6, 99%, 68%), Bittersweet has a relative luminance of about 0.33 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
- Bittersweet (#FE6F5E) 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 highly saturated colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Bittersweet with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 7.6:1). Reserve it for smaller accent areas rather than large backgrounds since high saturation can overwhelm at scale.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
alert or highlight states
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Bittersweet works well for accent elements, buttons, and calls-to-action that need to stand out, given its highly saturated, near pure and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 7.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #5EEDFE (complementary) and #5EFE6F/#6F5EFE (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens