Color Conversion
#9c040bCardinal Ember
About this color
Intense, composed warmth with a ceremonious edge
A dense, near-black crimson with a furnace-like core that reads as deep garnet in daylight and embers at night. It evokes concentrated passion and measured authority — intimate yet unmistakably commanding.
Designer tip: Use Cardinal Ember as a focal accent on textured materials (matte paper, suede, or velvet) paired with a warm metallic (antique gold) to maximize perceived depth and luxury in close-view packaging.
Best use case: High-end wine label and capsule detail where the color communicates age, richness, and handcrafted authenticity.
Psychology
Psychological traits and emotional associations
Effect
In interiors or brand marks, Cardinal Ember tightens focus and increases perceived value, drawing the eye to detail areas like trim, signage, or labels. It energizes spaces without shouting when used in measured doses, creating warmth and a sense of storied craft.
Emotional impact
A surge of concentrated passion and trust in quality.
Meaning & symbolism
Cultural symbolism and significance
Cultural significance
In Western contexts the deep crimson reads as romantic and authoritative (think velvet robes and heraldry). In East Asian cultures a vivid red signals luck and celebration, and this darker tone can feel auspicious yet solemn for ceremonies. In South Asian bridal traditions deep reds connote auspiciousness and marital status, while in European ecclesiastical contexts it evokes rank and ritual.
Positive associations
Associated with prosperity and celebration in China and India; denotes rank and ritual in Western ecclesiastical settings (China, India, Vatican).
Negative associations
May signal danger or mourning in some contexts (Western cautionary signals; parts of Africa associate certain deep reds with funeral rites).
Design applications
How this color is used across different fields
Wine & spirits packaging
Works as a primary label color or capsule accent to suggest tannic depth, maturity, and artisan craft; reads well with textured paper and gilt foiling.
Luxury fashion accessories
Uses on leather goods, suede linings, or shoe accents to provide a worn-in, couture richness that resists appearing flashy.
Restaurant interiors
Applied to banquettes, velvet curtains, or feature walls it creates intimate dining nooks and signals a premium culinary experience.
Cosmetics branding
Ideal for lipstick packaging and promotional imagery where the shade directly references product tone and conveys sensuality and sophistication.
Editorial design & covers
Commands attention on magazine covers or book jackets—pair with high-contrast type and minimal graphics to sell drama and gravitas.
Design guidance
Practical tips for using this color effectively in your designs
Do this
- + Pair Cardinal Ember with a warm metallic (antique gold or aged brass) for immediate luxury signaling.
- + Use as an accent or focal plane on textured substrates (velvet, cotton rag paper, suede) to reveal depth; avoid flat glossy finishes that can flatten the tone.
- + Ensure accessible contrast by pairing with a light warm neutral (cream) or bright off-white for readable typography and legibility.
Avoid this
- - Don’t use as a full-screen background for dense body text — it strangles legibility and tires the eye.
- - Avoid pairing with cool neon greens or icy cyans that create jarring clashing contrast.
- - Don’t rely on glossy red printing alone; uncorrected CMYK recipes can shift it toward orange or muddy brown.
Fundamentals: Treat Cardinal Ember as a focal accent — balance its visual weight with light, warm neutrals and one supporting tone to preserve clarity and perceived luxury.
Overuse risk: If Cardinal Ember dominates a design it compresses the palette and creates a heavy, somber atmosphere that can feel overwrought rather than refined. Excessive use flattens perceived contrast and makes secondary colors compete rather than complement.
Brand fit
Industries and brand archetypes that align with this color
Trust level
high
Seriousness
serious
Trend
Color pairing
Colors that complement and enhance this shade
#049C87
Complementary teal — provides high-contrast, stabilizing green-blue that balances warmth (complementary harmony).
#C06A04
Warm burnt-orange — an analogous/warm neighbor that deepens the palette and supports rich, autumnal layers (analogous harmony).
#040B9C
Deep indigo — a triadic partner that adds nocturnal depth and elegant contrast without desaturating the red (triadic harmony).
Typography hints: For headlines on light backgrounds use a high-contrast Didone serif (e.g., Playfair Display or Didot) in Bold/Black; for UI or body text pair with a neutral grotesque sans (e.g., Helvetica Neue or Inter) at 500–700 weight for buttons and 400–600 for body; when placing type ON Cardinal Ember use an off-white (EDEBE7) or warm gold at minimum 700 weight for legibility.
Historical significance
The story and heritage of this color
Deep crimson tones like Cardinal Ember trace back to ancient dyestuffs and pigments such as kermes (Mediterranean) and later cochineal (Americas), which produced intensely saturated reds prized for textiles and ceremonial garments from antiquity through the Renaissance. Artists also pursued similar hues through madder lake and later alizarin-based pigments once chemistry advanced in the 19th century.
Through the centuries this family of reds has been tied to authority and ritual: ecclesiastical robes, military heraldry, and aristocratic fashion favored deep crimsons for their visual weight and permanence. In painting, artists used deep reds for flesh tones, drapery, and symbolic elements, while craftsmen in Venice and Asia developed lacquer and dye techniques that created long-lasting, glossy deep reds.
In contemporary use, this specific deep garnet-crimson lives in luxury branding, high-end food and beverage packaging, and evening wear; modern pigments and digital color systems let designers reproduce its intensity across print, textile, and screen with consistency. Its modern relevance comes from an appetite for tactile, authenticity-signaling materials where Cardinal Ember reads as both historical and decidedly premium.
Variations
The purpose of this section is to accurately produce tints (pure white added) and shades (pure black added) of your selected color in 10% increments.
Pro Tip: Use shades for hover states and shadows, tints for highlights and backgrounds.
Shades
Darker variations created by adding black to your base color.
Tints
Lighter variations created by adding white to your base color.
Common Use Cases
- • UI component states (hover, active, disabled)
- • Creating depth with shadows and highlights
- • Building consistent color systems
Design System Tip
These variations form the foundation of a cohesive color palette. Export them to maintain consistency across your entire project.
Color Combinations
Each harmony has its own mood. Use harmonies to brainstorm color combos that work well together.
How to Use
Click on any color to copy its hex value. These combinations are mathematically proven to create visual harmony.
Why It Matters
Color harmonies create balance and evoke specific emotions in your designs.
Complement
A color and its opposite on the color wheel, +180 degrees of hue. High contrast.
Split-complementary
A color and two adjacent to its complement, +/-30 degrees of hue from the value opposite the main color. Bold like a straight complement, but more versatile.
Triadic
Three colors spaced evenly along the color wheel, each 120 degrees of hue apart. Best to allow one color to dominate and use the others as accents.
Analogous
Three colors of the same luminance and saturation with hues that are adjacent on the color wheel, 30 degrees apart. Smooth transitions.
Monochromatic
Three colors of the same hue with luminance values +/-50%. Subtle and refined.
Tetradic
Two sets of complementary colors, separated by 60 degrees of hue.
Color Theory Principles
Balance
Use one dominant color, support with secondary, and accent sparingly.
Contrast
Ensure sufficient contrast for readability and accessibility.
Harmony
Colors should work together to create a unified visual experience.
Color Contrast Checker
Test color combinations to ensure they meet WCAG accessibility standards for text readability.
Text Color
Background Color
Contrast
WCAG Standards
Advanced Contrast Checker
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Technical Formats
Practical Formats
Color Analysis
Blindness Simulator
Creative Aspects
Frequently asked questions
- What color is #9C040B?
- #9C040B is Cardinal Ember – A dense, near-black crimson with a furnace-like core that reads as deep garnet in daylight and embers at night. It evokes concentrated passion and measured authority — intimate yet unmistakably commanding.
- What does Cardinal Ember symbolize?
- love/romance, power/authority, blood/sacrifice, luxury/gourmet, rebellion/passion. In Western contexts the deep crimson reads as romantic and authoritative (think velvet robes and heraldry). In East Asian cultures a vivid red signals luck and celebration, and this darker tone can feel auspicious yet solemn for ceremonies. In South Asian bridal traditions deep reds connote auspiciousness and marital status, while in European ecclesiastical contexts it evokes rank and ritual.
- Where is Cardinal Ember used in design?
- In interiors or brand marks, Cardinal Ember tightens focus and increases perceived value, drawing the eye to detail areas like trim, signage, or labels. It energizes spaces without shouting when used in measured doses, creating warmth and a sense of storied craft.