Showa era
Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow
Plate 31 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow.
#dd4027
red · 5 palettes
Red Orange
About Red Orange
Red Orange is a mid-tone, vivid red tone. Its hex value is #dd4027 — that is
RGB 221, 64, 39, or HSL 8°, 73%, 51%.
It holds 4.8:1 contrast against dark, so Red Orange works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 4.3:1; on black 4.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Red Orange appears in 5 combinations — most often paired with Pale Lemon Yellow, Orange Yellow and Violet.
Colours that go with Red Orange
From a standard colour wheel, Red Orange anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#dd4027 #27C4DD
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#dd4027 #DD2769 #DD9B27
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#dd4027 #27DD40 #4027DD
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#dd4027 #27DD9B #2769DD
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Red Orange
Red Orange is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 8°, 73%, 51%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (4.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#27C4DD) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#DD2769 and #DD9B27) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Red Orange off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Listed on Amazon as Strathmore 300 Series Tape Bound Watercolor Pad, 140 lb. Cold Press, 11 X 15 inches, White, 12 Sheets (360-111)
View on Amazon
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Palettes with Red Orange
Red Orange appears in 5 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Red Orange
- What is the hex code for Red Orange?
- Red Orange is #dd4027. It appears in 5 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Red Orange look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Red Orange (#dd4027) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 4.34:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 4.84:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Red Orange come from?
- Red Orange is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued red pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Red Orange in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#dd4027) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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