Cranberry Sauce Color Psychology & Meaning
Cranberry is a jewel-toned red that signals tartness and celebration — the color of Thanksgiving tables and winter feasts. It is festive without the gaudiness of Santa red.
#9C1C2C
#C4323E
#F2C9C4
#5C0E1A
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text
Cranberry Sauce Color Palette
#9C1C2C · #C4323E · #F2C9C4 · #5C0E1A
Fail
WCAG Grade
1.7:1
Contrast Ratio
230
Saves
700
AI Copies
Use #9C1C2C as the background. Use #C4323E as the primary accent. Use #F2C9C4 as secondary. Use #5C0E1A as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Cranberry Sauce — festive, rich, tart.
Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values
Technical breakdown for the Cranberry Sauce color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).
| Swatch | Design Role | HEX | RGB | CMYK | HSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Luminance: 8.1% | 156, 28, 44 | 0%, 82%, 72%, 39% | 353°, 70%, 36% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 14.4% | 196, 50, 62 | 0%, 74%, 68%, 23% | 355°, 59%, 48% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 64.6% | 242, 201, 196 | 0%, 17%, 19%, 5% | 7°, 64%, 86% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 2.7% | 92, 14, 26 | 0%, 85%, 72%, 64% | 351°, 74%, 21% |
Cranberry Sauce Tints & Shades
Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Cranberry Sauce palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.
#9C1C2C saturated rose-red
#C4323E gently saturated rose-red
#F2C9C4 gently saturated red
#5C0E1A saturated rose-red
Cranberry Sauce Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)
Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.
| Text on Background | Preview | Ratio | Grade | Safe For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5C0E1A on #F2C9C4 |
Aa Sample Text
| 9.09:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #F2C9C4 on #5C0E1A |
Aa Sample Text
| 9.09:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #F2C9C4 on #9C1C2C |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.32:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #9C1C2C on #F2C9C4 |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.32:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #F2C9C4 on #C4323E |
Aa Sample Text
| 3.60:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #C4323E on #F2C9C4 |
Aa Sample Text
| 3.60:1 | Fail | Large headings, UI components |
| #5C0E1A on #C4323E |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.53:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #C4323E on #5C0E1A |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.53:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #5C0E1A on #9C1C2C |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.71:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #9C1C2C on #5C0E1A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.71:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #C4323E on #9C1C2C |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.48:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #9C1C2C on #C4323E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.48:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
Color Harmony: Triadic Scheme
The Cranberry Sauce palette is built using a triadic relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
Hue Wheel
A triadic palette is often preferred by professional designers because it balances visual interest with cohesion.
History & Design Context
Cranberries have grown in North American bogs for millennia and were a staple for Indigenous peoples before European contact. Canned cranberry sauce made the color a holiday grocery icon in the 1940s.
Best Design Use Cases
Cranberry red for hero surfaces and packaging. Lighter berry for accents. Pale pink for text and cards. Deep wine for headings. Perfect for holiday food brands and winter seasonal campaigns.
Industries This Palette Suits
Holiday food, juices, seasonal retail, winter campaigns, packaging.
Colors That Pair Well With Cranberry Sauce
Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.
teal
directly opposite #C4323E on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
orange
30° beside #C4323E — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension
tinted neutral
a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers
Using Cranberry Sauce Without Breaking Accessibility
- Avoid #C4323E for small UI elements on #9C1C2C — at 1.5:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
- Don't set body copy in #5C0E1A on #9C1C2C — 1.7:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
- Don't use #F2C9C4 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.
How to Implement the Cranberry Sauce Color Scheme
To use this Cranberry Sauce color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.
Option 1: CSS Variables
:root {
/* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'} --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'} --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'} --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'} --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}Web Design Tip
Use #9C1C2C for the main background and #C4323E for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
Accessibility Note
The contrast ratio between #5C0E1A and #9C1C2C is 1.71:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.
Cranberry Sauce Palette — Frequently Asked Questions
What are the hex codes in the Cranberry Sauce color palette?
The Cranberry Sauce palette contains #9C1C2C, #C4323E, #F2C9C4, #5C0E1A. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.
Is the Cranberry Sauce color palette accessible (WCAG)?
Yes for its strongest pairings: #5C0E1A on #F2C9C4 reaches 9.1:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.
What colors go well with the Cranberry Sauce palette?
Beyond its own four colors, #32C3B7, #B6703E, #F0EAEB extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.
What mood does the Cranberry Sauce palette create?
Cranberry Sauce reads as festive, rich, tart. Gently saturated rose-red drives the personality, grounded by saturated rose-red — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.
Can I use the Cranberry Sauce color palette commercially?
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Cranberry Sauce palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.
How do I add the Cranberry Sauce palette to Tailwind or CSS?
Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Cranberry Sauce's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.