Everything about the color Pastel red

What color is pastel red?

Pastel red is a soft, muted shade of red. The pastel red hex color code is #FF6961.

Generally, pastel shades are created by softening a color with white paint. But the combination of red and white paint creates pink, so to make pastel red you should instead mix orange paint into a red base. This will lighten the mixture without turning it pink. If you need to lighten the hue a bit more, you could add a drop or two of white paint—but go easy.

In RGB color values, pastel red is composed of 100 percent red, 41.2 percent green and 38 percent blue.

What is the name for pastel red?

Is pastel red a color? Yes. While pastel red is seen less commonly than shades like lilac, lavender or mint, it exists as a color on the hex color chart used by web designers and developers. In everyday use, any muted shade can be described as “pastel”.

Other web colors similar to pastel red include coral, salmon and Indian red. Muted shades of pink like dusty rose, rose quartz and rose red are also close to in appearance to pastel red and might be referred to as “pastel”.

The history of pastel red

Pastel red takes its name from the art medium of pastels, a powdered pigment that typically creates soft, low saturation hues. The word “pastel” first appeared in 1662, while pastels became a popular medium with artists in the 1700s.

Pastels were also a popular color palette for fashion, furniture and architecture in the 18th century, during what’s now known as the Rococo era, however pastel red was less common to this period than shades like mint or pastel blue. More recently, pastel hues found favor in the 1980s, when they were popularised by the hit show Miami Vice.

The color red has a far longer history—red pigment was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art.

The meaning of pastel red

Pastel red is a shade of red, a color associated with intensity. Anger, energy, passion and danger are all linked with the hue, however pastel red’s softer hue means it is less likely to make that impression.

Rather, pastel red’s dreamy appearance is more likely to be associated with love and romance, as it is close to the color of rose flowers typically given on Valentine’s Day.

How to use pastel red

Pastel red’s muted tone makes it a great choice for when brighter shades of red could appear too intense. You could also use it as a more gender-neutral alternative to pink, or for any occasion related to romance.

In design, it has the potential to be used as either an accent color or a hue employed in larger doses. You should avoid using pastel red as a text color in web design, where it could be hard to read.

Reds like pastel red are believed to increase appetite and boost adrenaline, which is why you’ll commonly see the hue on restaurant logos and menus.

What colors go with pastel red?

Pastel red can work with a number of different colors. For a soft, dreamy palette, pair pastel red with delicate pink shades like dusty rose and rose quartz. It also works well alongside white and off-white shades like cream, or even next to a soft gray. The colors that pair well with pastel red include:

• Dusty rose
• Rose quartz
• Pink
• Off white or Ivory
• White

Similar colors to pastel red

Looking for a different hue? The following colors are related to pastel red.

• Rose red
• Cinnabar
• Red
• Red orange
• Salmon