Crimson was initially used to describe the shade of dye, a substance from the small Kermes vermilio insect. The color of love, warmth, energy, and affection, the color Crimson's striking and vivid personality is derived from its inherently high visibility.
The Hex Code for Crimson is #DC143C.
Consider using Crimson alongside Victorian colors such as maroons or greens for a timeless and vintage look. You can also combine Crimson with pinks and neutrals for a more modern and restrained palette. To add more boldness to your design, consider pairing Crimson with cool blue-toned hues.
Ever since the role it played in the Elizabethan era, the color crimson and the meaning it carries has undergone tremendously different changes.
Sure, while the color remains widely considered as a strong religious symbol, it has, nonetheless, managed to embrace fresh new meanings as societies and cultures have changed.
To date, since crimson comes as a deeper and more vibrant version of red, it is often regarded as a symbol for vigor, passion, and courage.
Since it also resembles the color of blood, it has also been taken as a representation for anger, revenge, ruthlessness, and even lust.
In certain points in history, crimson has also been named a symbol for mourning, as heightened by the depth and mystery the color suggests.
Interestingly, the introduction of the word crimson can be traced back as far as 1400 when it was made from the dried bodies of female kermes, a type of scale insect that feeds on the sap of evergreen oaks.
However, years later, as Spanish explorers made contact with the Aztec Indians, they discovered a hue derived from a tiny Mexican insect called cochineal.
From there, the harvesting of kermes was replaced by the harvesting of cochineal, which offers stronger color intensity than the former.
However, while the color crimson has long been present, its rise to popularity began in the Elizabethan Era. During that time, the color of one’s clothes helped label their status.
Specifically, the colors gold, silver, crimson, scarlet, deep indigo blue, and purple were only worn by the highest nobility in the land, as dictated by the Sumptuary laws of the country.
Because of this, the color crimson soon emerged as a symbol for nobility and luxury. In addition to that, since the church also stood as one of the primary authorities of the era, esteemed church figures were often seen wearing crimson robes.
From there, the color also becomes a symbol for divinity, mystery, and power.
In a RGB color space (made from three colored lights for red, green, and blue), hex #DC143C is made of 86.3% red, 7.8% green, and 23.5% blue. In a CMYK color space (also known as process color, or four colors, and used in color printing), hex #DC143C is made of 0% cyan, 91% magenta, 73% yellow, and 14% black. Crimson has a hue angle of 348 degrees, a saturation of 83.3%, and a lightness of 47.1%.
The hexadecimal color #DC143C has RGB values of R: 86.3, G: 7.8, B: 23.5 and CMYK values of C: 0, M: 0.91, Y: 0.73, K:0.14.
Since crimson resembles a reddish-purple, recreating it only requires simple color-mixing strategies. Specifically, you only need to mix pure red paint with some purple. However, depending on your desired result, the ratio of each paint color may vary.
If you want to attain a darker crimson, increasing the amount of red and purple might do the job.
However, if you want to attain a more vibrant hue, adding a small amount of white paint into the mixture might be the best alternative.
