About Color Hex #ae848a

The color Punched Pink, with hexadecimal code #ae848a, falls within the red color family, a hue strongly linked to passion, urgency, and primal energy. Across cultures, red ranges from the luck of Chinese New Year to the romance of Western Valentine's Day. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation and Friendliness. In many Eastern cultures, red symbolizes luck, prosperity, and happiness, often used in festivals and weddings. In Western cultures, red can symbolize passion, love, and sometimes danger. At just 21% saturation, this near-neutral shade carries only a subtle hint of its underlying hue, making it versatile for large surfaces and professional contexts. At 60% lightness, it strikes an approachable, open balance—bright enough to feel welcoming yet substantial enough to carry visual weight. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation, or Friendliness. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Punched Pink are (174, 132, 138), providing a combination of red: 174, green: 132, and blue: 138. In HSL format, it has a hue of 351.00°, saturation of 21.00%, and lightness of 60.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 351.00°, saturation of 24.00%, and value of 68.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 0.00%, magenta: 24.00%, yellow: 21.00%, and black: 32.00%.

The calculated luminance of #ae848a is 0.273, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is not part of the web-safe color palette. The closest web-safe color to this is the color HEX #999999. Its contrast ratio is 6.47:1 against black and 3.25:1 against white. It works well on dark backgrounds but may be less readable on lighter ones.

In terms of color temperature, #ae848a reads as warm. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using black text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #ae848a is black.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #ae848a appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #AE848A

Punched Pink (#AE848A) belongs to the Red color family.

With a dusty, low-saturation character, this color offers quiet complexity—neither bold nor faded. Dusty tones add vintage charm to retro-inspired designs and pair beautifully with metallic accents like copper or brass.

Historical Background

Red ochre is among the earliest pigments used by humans, found in cave paintings over 40,000 years old. The precious cochineal dye—extracted from scale insects—was so valuable in colonial-era trade that it rivaled gold. In imperial China, vermilion lacquer adorned thrones and temples, while Roman generals painted their faces red for triumphal processions through the streets of Rome.

Design & Usage Tips

Red commands instant attention, making it the top choice for call-to-action buttons, sale banners, and emergency signage. Use it selectively to avoid overwhelming users—pair red accents with neutral backgrounds (white, light gray, or cream) to create high-impact focal points that guide the eye without fatigue.

Positioned on the warm side of the color wheel (hue 351°), it naturally draws the eye and creates a sense of closeness—making it effective for calls to action, food photography, and hospitality branding. At 21% saturation, the color has a muted, sophisticated quality that pairs well with bolder accents. It works as a background, a border, or a secondary element in layered compositions.

Psychological Impact

Red accelerates heart rate and triggers primal alertness, linking it to passion, urgency, and excitement. In marketing, red increases impulse buying; in UX, red signals errors or critical states. Culturally, red spans love (Western Valentine's Day) and luck (Chinese New Year).

At 60% lightness, it reads clearly on dark backgrounds and provides a welcoming, open feel in light-themed designs—versatile across both contexts.

Creative Design Ideas

Combine a rich crimson with gold foil for luxury packaging. In web design, use a single red accent button on a monochrome page for maximum conversion impact. For sports branding, pair red with black and white for aggressive, high-energy team identities.

#AE848A Color Conversions

Every way to write Punched Pink — copy Punched Pink as RGB, HSL, HSV, HWB, CMYK, OKLCH, OKLab, CIELAB, LCH, XYZ or a decimal integer. One-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#AE848A

Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.

RGB Screen
rgb(174, 132, 138)

RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.

HSL Web
hsl(351, 21%, 60%)

HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.

HSV HSB Design
hsv(351, 24%, 68%)

HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.

HWB CSS 4
hwb(351 52% 32%)

HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.

CMYK Print
cmyk(0%, 24%, 21%, 32%)

CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.

OKLCH Modern
oklch(65.55% 0.052 9.06)

OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.

OKLab Modern
oklab(65.55% 0.052 0.008)

OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.

CIELAB L*a*b* Perceptual
L: 59.28, a: 17.04, b: 3.04

CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.

LCH Perceptual
L: 59.28, C: 17.31, H: 10.10

LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.

XYZ CIE Science
X: 30.29, Y: 27.34, Z: 27.72

CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.

Decimal int Code
11437194

The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.

RGB Color Percentages for #ae848a

RGB Color Percentages for Punched Pink (HEX Code: #ae848a) display the relative contribution of Red, Green, and Blue in forming the color. Understanding these percentages provides insight into the color's visual balance and primary components.

This color is primarily dominated by Red, making up 39.19% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
39.19%
Green:
29.73%
Blue:
31.08%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Punched Pink.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #ae848a

CMYK Ink Levels for Punched Pink (HEX Code: #ae848a) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Punched Pink prominently features Key, reflecting its dominant color characteristic. This information is invaluable for optimizing ink usage and achieving precise color results in printed materials.

The exact CMYK values are: Cyan: 0%, Magenta: 24.14%, Yellow: 20.69%, and Black: 31.76%.

Luminance & Contrast for #AE848A

Relative luminance gauges how bright Punched Pink is, while the WCAG contrast ratios show how legible black or white text is on it — and which accessibility levels (AA / AAA) it passes.

Relative luminance 0.273
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 6.47:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 3.25:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #AE848A

Copy-and-paste CSS for Punched Pink — backgrounds, text, borders and a custom property. Each line is ready to drop into your stylesheet.

Background background-color: #AE848A;
Text color: #AE848A;
Border border: 2px solid #AE848A;
RGB background-color: rgb(174, 132, 138);
HSL background-color: hsl(351, 21%, 60%);
Variable --color: #AE848A;

#ae848a Monochrome Palette

The Monochrome Palette consists of shades created by adjusting the brightness. These include lighter, original, and darker shades of the color. This layout helps to visualize the color's range and its potential use in design.

#f7f3f3
#ebe0e2
#dfced0
#d2bbbf
#c6a9ad
#ba969c
#ae848a Original
#947075
#7a5c61
#60494c
#463537
#2c2123
#110d0e

#ae848a Complementary Palette

The Complementary Palette is made up of two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create high contrast and vibrant designs, making them perfect for attention-grabbing elements and dynamic visuals.

#ae848a Original
#84aea8

#ae848a Analogic Palette

The Analogic Palette consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors typically create harmonious and subtle designs, often used to evoke calmness and unity in your visual projects.

#ae848a Original
#ae9384
#ae849f
#aea884
#a884ae
#9fae84
#9384ae

#ae848a Triadic Palette

The Triadic Palette is made up of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination provides a vibrant and balanced color scheme, often used for dynamic and energetic designs while maintaining harmony.

#ae848a Original
#8aae84
#848aae

#ae848a Quad Palette

The Quad Palette, also known as tetradic, consists of four colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination offers a diverse and bold color scheme, ideal for creating rich, complex designs with multiple accents while still maintaining balance.

#ae848a Original
#9fae84
#84aea8
#9384ae

Color Blindness Simulation for #ae848a

Colors are perceived differently by individuals with various forms of color blindness. Use the dropdown below to see how this color may look through the eyes of someone with color vision deficiency. Explore how Punched Pink (#ae848a) might appear to people with different visual experiences, and gain deeper insights into color accessibility for your designs!

Each color box displays a "Friendly" or "Not Friendly" tag in the bottom-right corner. A "Friendly" tag indicates that the color difference is distinguishable to individuals with the specific type of color blindness. Conversely, a "Not Friendly" tag means that the color difference might not be distinguishable, potentially causing accessibility issues in your design.

Normal Vision

Deuteranopia (Green Weakness)

Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Friendly

Color Harmonies for #ae848a

Color harmonies refer to the visually pleasing combinations of colors that are derived from specific relationships on the color wheel. These harmonious schemes, such as complementary, triadic, and analogous colors, create a balanced and engaging visual experience in design.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic (Quad)

#AE848A Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #AE848A — each one nudges the brightness, richness, or shade a little while still feeling like the same color. Use the buttons on any swatch to copy its hex or open its full color page.

#bb9999 Mutabilis
#997777 Opium
#ccaaaa Parfait
#886666 Reading Tea Leaves
#bb7788 Prehistoric Pink
#998888 Zinc
#aa8888 Rosy Brown
#aa8899 Voila!

Colors Similar to #ae848a

These colors are close neighbours of #AE848A in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Red tone.

#af848a Punched Pink
#ae858a Punched Pink
#ae848b Punched Pink
#ad848a Punched Pink
#ae838a Punched Pink
#ae8489 Punched Pink
#bf848a Old Rose
#ae958a Creamed Caramel
#ae849b Voila!
#9d848a Opium
#ae738a Never Forget
#ae8479 Dusty Duchess

Looking for more Red shades? Browse Red colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Punched Pink (#ae848a)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Punched Pink, but also embody its unique mood and personality. Each carefully curated photo is selected to highlight the richness and diversity of this color, offering inspiration for design, art, and creative projects.