Hornet Sting
An intense, high-energy vibrant red
Hornet Sting is an intensely saturated red that demands immediate attention. Because of its high chroma, it works best as a 10 percent accent color for calls to action or sports branding rather than a dominant background. Black text maintains excellent legibility against this shade. The hex code for this striking, high-energy tone is #ff0033.
About Hornet Sting
Cherry juice on a white tablecloth
What does hornet sting mean?
Hornet Sting is commonly linked to alarm, desire, and celebration, since red at full saturation is often used to stop people and hold attention. With no black or white mixed in, it hits at full strength and reads as hot, forward, and impossible to ignore.
Where you see hornet sting
- raspberry syrup
- stop signs
- lipstick
- sports cars
- fire alarm pulls
- pomegranate seeds
What it works for
Use it as a single accent when something needs to be seen first, such as sale tags, call-to-action buttons, or warning labels.
What colors go with hornet sting?
Cream #fffdd0Cream softens the intensity without dulling it, giving the red room to read clean.Charcoal #36454fNear-black charcoal deepens the red and lets it burn brighter by comparison.Cobalt Blue #0047abCobalt sits opposite on the wheel, so the two push each other to full strength.Blush #de5d83Blush shares the red's cool undertone and adds air next to its density.Sunny Yellow #fff917Sunny yellow turns up the heat, a combination long used for urgency and sales.
Questions about Hornet Sting
What is the hex code for Hornet Sting?
Hornet Sting is #ff0033. In RGB that is rgb(255, 0, 51), in HSL hsl(348, 100%, 50%) and in CMYK 0%, 100%, 80%, 0%.
How should I use Hornet Sting in a design layout?
Because Hornet Sting is such an intensely saturated red, it works best when limited to a 10 percent accent, such as for buttons or highlights. Dominant use as a background color often overwhelms the eyes, but black text maintains excellent readability against it.
Is Hornet Sting readable on white or black?
Hornet Sting has a 3.96:1 contrast ratio on white and 5.29:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold) and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.