Light, hot and dusty
The three main groups behave very differently:
- Light pinks and blush are pale and soft. They suit backgrounds, stationery and baby products, and they need dark text.
- Hot pinks and fuchsia are saturated and loud, ideal for accents, fashion and youthful brands.
- Rose and dusty pinks have some gray in them, so they look more sophisticated and pair with neutrals.
The CSS keywords span all three, from lavenderblush to deeppink (#FF1493).
Pink was not always "for girls"
The idea that pink is a girls' color only took hold in the mid-20th century. Earlier advice columns sometimes suggested pink for boys as a lighter version of red. Today pink is used widely in branding across products of every kind.
Pairing pink
Pink works with navy for contrast, with sage or mint for a fresh look, with gray for a calm, modern palette, and with gold accents for warmth. The complementary accent palette above pairs a mid pink with its opposite on the hue wheel.
More pinks
For the softest end, see pastel pink. Dusty purple-pinks live on the mauve page, and peachy pinks on the peach color page. To check a pink button's text, use the contrast checker.