Maroon Oak
Maroon Oak is a richly saturated red shade with RGB(82, 12, 23) and hex code #520C17, reading as dark at a glance.
HEX
#520C17
RGB
82, 12, 23
HSL
351°, 74%, 18%
CMYK
0%, 85%, 72%, 68%
LAB
16, 32, 13
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Description
- •Maroon Oak (#520C17) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 82, 12, 23 and HSL values of 351 degrees hue, 74% saturation, and 18% lightness. At 18% lightness it appears dark, and its richly saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #0C5247 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #52240C and #520C3A for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Maroon Oak tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: power, passion, danger, and urgency. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Hue family
red
Saturation level
richly saturated
Lightness level
dark
Temperature
warm
Because Maroon Oak is richly saturated and dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Maroon Oak are commonly associated with power, passion, danger, and urgency, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
red
Common associations
power, passion, danger, and urgency
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Maroon Oak is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the red family it belongs to has a long design history. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(351, 74%, 18%), Maroon Oak has a relative luminance of about 0.02 on a 0-1 scale, which can make it harder to distinguish for people with red-green color blindness if used alongside similarly saturated greens or reds; pair it with a distinct lightness or add non-color cues such as icons or labels.
Technology specific
- Maroon Oak (#520C17) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since highly saturated colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Maroon Oak with white text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 14.8:1). Reserve it for smaller accent areas rather than large backgrounds since high saturation can overwhelm at scale.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
alert or highlight states
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Maroon Oak works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its richly saturated and dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with white text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 14.8:1
palette flexibility
combines with #0C5247 (complementary) and #17520C/#0C1752 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as bold and energetic across most screens