#bb7788
a balanced, soft red · warm · closest name: Pale Violet Red
Token name suggestion: True Cherry
#bb7788 is a balanced soft red, 345° on the wheel and 26/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (6.11:1). As text it scores 3.44:1 on white — large text only. Nearest name is Pale Violet Red, nearest Tailwind family is pink.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #bb7788 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #bb7788.
Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #bb7788 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #bb7788ff |
| RGB | rgb(187, 119, 136) |
| RGBA | rgba(187, 119, 136, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(345, 33%, 60%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(345, 36%, 73%) |
| HWB | hwb(345 47% 27%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 36%, 27%, 27%) |
| LAB | lab(57.6 28.9 1.9) |
| LCH | lch(57.6 29.0 3.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.646 0.088 3.6) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(31.54, 25.54, 26.56) |
| Decimal | 12285832 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.733 0.467 0.533) |
| Web-safe | #CC6699 |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #bb7788;
background-color: #bb7788;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #bb7788;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#bb7788] bg-[#bb7788]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #bb7788;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.733, green: 0.467, blue: 0.533)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.733, green: 0.467, blue: 0.533, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#BB7788</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFBB7788)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFBB7788)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(136, 119, 187)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(187, 119, 136)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(187, 119, 136)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 187, 119, 136)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.7333f, 0.4667f, 0.5333f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{187,119,136}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #bb7788 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #bb7788 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#552B35, #EBD6DB); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #bb7788 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F9F5F6;
--brand-100: #F4ECEE;
--brand-200: #E8D4D9;
--brand-300: #DAB4BE;
--brand-400: #C78F9D;
--brand-500: #bb7788;
--brand-600: #A35266;
--brand-700: #884455;
--brand-800: #6D3644;
--brand-900: #502A34;
--brand-950: #321B20;
--brand: #bb7788;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #FAF5F6;
--brand-border: #E4C9CF;
--brand-hover: #AF5F73;
--brand-pressed: #9C4E62;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #241418;
--brand-ink: #EBD6DB;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F9F5F6',
100: '#F4ECEE',
200: '#E8D4D9',
300: '#DAB4BE',
400: '#C78F9D',
500: '#bb7788',
600: '#A35266',
700: '#884455',
800: '#6D3644',
900: '#502A34',
950: '#321B20',
DEFAULT: '#bb7788',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F9F5F6,
'100': #F4ECEE,
'200': #E8D4D9,
'300': #DAB4BE,
'400': #C78F9D,
'500': #bb7788,
'600': #A35266,
'700': #884455,
'800': #6D3644,
'900': #502A34,
'950': #321B20,
);
$brand-base: #bb7788;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F9F5F6", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#F4ECEE", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#E8D4D9", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#DAB4BE", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#C78F9D", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#bb7788", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#A35266", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#884455", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#6D3644", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#502A34", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#321B20", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #BB7788 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #bb7788 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #bb7788.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 3.44:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 3.29:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 3.14:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 2.79:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 2.32:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.34:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 1.38:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 2.20:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 3.01:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 4.25:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 5.19:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 6.11:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #bb7788 is pinned to step 500; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.022 3.6);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.035 3.6);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.053 3.6);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.068 3.6);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.081 3.6);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.088 3.6);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.088 3.6);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.082 3.6);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.074 3.6);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.061 3.6);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.048 3.6);
}Colors that work with #bb7788
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #bb7788
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Headings from 24px up on white
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ✓Chart series and data categories
- ⚠Small text on white — under 4.5:1
- ⚠Status meaning — pair it with an icon or label, never colour alone
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
Red arrives before the rest of the page does. It raises attention and appetite, which is why it runs food, sport and clearance pricing.
The muted chroma softens the association — it reads considered rather than loud, which suits long-form and data-heavy screens. The mid lightness keeps it versatile in both themes.
It is also the universal error colour. Use it as a brand accent and users may read a warning that is not there.
- FormalityMedium
- EnergyMedium
- Weight40/100
- TemperatureWarm
- ApproachabilityHigh
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #77BBAA | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #BB77AA | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #BB8877 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #77BB88 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #77AABB | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #88BB77 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #7788BB | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #AABB77 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#bb7788 sits at 345°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 90%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#bb7788 text on a black background
contrast 6.11:1
#bb7788 text on a white background
contrast 3.44:1
#bb7788 on grey
3.14:1
#bb7788 on its own surface
3.19:1
#bb7788 on its dark surface
5.14:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #bb7788;
background-color: #bb7788;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #bb7788;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(187, 119, 136, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(187, 119, 136, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #bb7788; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bb7788, #BB9377);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #bb7788, #BBA477); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #bb7788; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #bb7788; caret-color: #bb7788;
border-left: 4px solid #bb7788;
background: #F6EEF0; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #bb7788;
background: conic-gradient(#bb7788 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #bb7788 over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(187, 119, 136, 0.5) rgb(187 119 136 / 50%) #bb778880 hsl(345 33% 60% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #bb7788 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #bb77881a | #F8F1F3 |
| 20% | #bb778833 | #F1E4E7 |
| 40% | #bb778866 | #E4C9CF |
| 60% | #bb778899 | #D6ADB8 |
| 80% | #bb7788cc | #C992A0 |
Gradients from #bb7788
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #CFA0AC, #bb7788 45%, #552B35);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #bb7788, #B18A63);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #bb7788, #77BBAA);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #DAB4BE 0%, #bb7788 45%, #552B35 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAF5F6, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #CC99C3 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #C59F8B 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #552B35 0%, transparent 65%), #bb7788;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #bb7788
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Dusty Rose (#b76e79) — ΔE2000 3.9 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#bb7788 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 6.11:1.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#bb7788, answered
What color is #bb7788?
#bb7788 is a balanced soft red, closest to Pale Violet Red (ΔE2000 6.9). It sits at 345° on the hue wheel with 33% saturation and 60% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #bb7788?
rgb(187, 119, 136) — 187 red, 119 green and 136 blue out of 255, or 73.3% / 46.7% / 53.3% by channel.
What is #bb7788 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(345, 33%, 60%) and hsv(345, 36%, 73%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #bb7788 a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.2554 and perceived brightness is 57%, so black text on it reaches 6.11:1.
Should I use black or white text on #bb7788?
Black. It scores 6.11:1 against #bb7788, versus 3.44:1 for white — AA at any size.
Is #bb7788 accessible on a white background?
#bb7788 on white scores 3.44:1, which only clears AA for large text — 18.66px bold or 24px regular and up. Darken it to #AD5C70 to reach 4.5:1, or #854253 for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #bb7788?
#77BBAA sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #77BB88 and #77AABB, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #bb7788?
For interface work: #FAF5F6 as the surface, #E4C9CF for borders, #994D60 for secondary text, #408C66 as an accent and #552B35 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #BB77AA and #BB8877 stays calm, while #77BBAA is the loudest partner.
What is #bb7788 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 36%, 27%, 27%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #bb7788 warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 26 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #BB7F77; nudged cooler, #BD75A1.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #bb7788?
The pink family — its 500 step is #ec4899, ΔE2000 13.3 away. That is a visible difference, so define #bb7788 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #bb7788 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#bb7788] or text-[#bb7788], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #bb7788 with 50% opacity?
rgba(187, 119, 136, 0.5), or #bb778880 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #DDBBC4; over black, #5E3C44.
Is #bb7788 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC6699, ΔE2000 8.6 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #bb7788 mean?
As a red, it reads urgent, appetising, bold. Red arrives before the rest of the page does. It raises attention and appetite, which is why it runs food, sport and clearance pricing. At this moderate chroma the association is present but not shouted.
What gradient works with #bb7788?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #CFA0AC, #bb7788 45%, #552B35). For more colour, a short hue run to #B18A63 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #bb7788 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #bb7788 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.