Balanced
Equal weight to both colors with a neutral holding them apart.
Best text pair: 16.94:1
Red and Black Color Palette
Six ready-to-use palettes combining red (#e02020) and black (#141416). Their hues sit 120 degrees apart, a wide but not opposing interval, which keeps the pairing lively without tipping into tension.
Light and airy
Both hues lifted toward their tints for a softer, more editorial feel.
Best text pair: 16.38:1
Deep and moody
Both hues pushed down in lightness, anchored by a near-black.
Best text pair: 4.09:1
Muted
Saturation pulled back so neither color competes for attention.
Best text pair: 14.73:1
High contrast
Maximum separation in lightness, tuned to clear WCAG AA.
Best text pair: 18.19:1
One accent
The first color dominates and the second appears only as an accent.
Best text pair: 15.98:1
How to balance red and black
Red advances further than any other hue, so it always looks closer and larger than it measures. True #000 rarely appears in nature, and screens render it as a hole in the layout.
When two colors this distinct share a layout, the deciding factor is proportion rather than the exact hex values. Give one of them roughly 60% of the coloured surface, the other about 30%, and reserve the last tenth for an accent that appears rarely enough to still mean something. Split them evenly and the eye has nowhere to rest.
The other common failure is matching their saturation exactly. Two colors at 85% saturation will fight regardless of hue. Pulling one of them back by twenty or thirty points immediately establishes which is the lead and which is the support, and the pairing stops feeling like a compromise.
More combinations
Red and Black FAQ
Do red and black go together?
Yes. Their hues are 120 degrees apart, which makes the relationship a wide but not opposing interval, which keeps the pairing lively without tipping into tension. The six palettes on this page show the range, from a soft tinted version to a high-contrast one.
What are the hex codes for red and black?
The base values used here are #e02020 for red and #141416 for black. Each palette below adjusts lightness and saturation around those anchors rather than changing the hues.
What third color goes with red and black?
A near-neutral tinted toward the midpoint of the two hues. Every palette on this page includes one for exactly this reason: two saturated colors sitting directly against each other almost always need a quiet surface between them.
Can I use red and black for a website?
Yes, but assign roles before you assign colors. Use the lightest swatch for backgrounds, the darkest for text, and let only one of the two hues carry interactive elements. Using both for buttons removes the signal that a button is a button.