One red, on screen and in print

AI Safety India Crimson.

One red for the logo, the website, slides and merch, so people learn it and recognise it everywhere. On screen it is #9B1C2E. In print it is Pantone 201 C, the closest Pantone by measurement.

Brand colour
Crimson
Logo · buttons · links · labels · merch
AI Safety India
Screen · HEX#9B1C2E
Screen · RGB155 28 46
Print · Pantone (coated)201 C
Print · Pantone (uncoated)201 U check swatch; prints lighter
Print · CMYK starting point0 · 82 · 70 · 39
Print · CMYK from your printerUse Pantone Color Bridge for 201 C
Contrast · white on crimson8.1 : 1
Contrast · crimson on paper7.3 : 1

How the Pantone was chosen.

Every nearby Pantone red measured against #9B1C2E with ΔE 2000, the standard colour-difference formula. Below 2 is hard to tell apart; above 5 is obvious.

PantoneSwatchDigital ref.ΔE to crimsonVerdict

Digital references for Pantone colours are approximate screen values. Final approval must be made against a physical Pantone Formula Guide (coated and uncoated) under daylight lighting.

On merch.

Crimson on light fabric, white on crimson or dark fabric. Crimson on black has too little contrast and disappears.

AI Safety India
White tee or toteUse · crimson print, Pantone 201 C
AI Safety India
Natural canvasUse · crimson print; test, canvas dulls ink
AI Safety India
Crimson garmentUse · white print; dye fabric to 201 C (TCX match)
AI Safety India
Black garmentAvoid crimson (2.3:1) · print white instead
MethodHow to specify the redNote
Screen printing (tees, totes)Pantone 201 C inkAsk for an ink drawdown on the actual fabric before the run.
Embroidery (caps, jackets)Thread matched to a physical 201 C swatchThread ranges vary; the vendor picks the nearest thread and sends a sample sew-out.
DTG / digital textileSend RGB #9B1C2E artworkDigital printers convert themselves; approve a physical sample.
Paper (posters, cards, certificates)Pantone 201 C (spot) or CMYK from the Pantone Color BridgeUncoated paper prints lighter and softer; check 201 U.
Dyed fabric (scarves, lanyards)Pantone textile (TCX) chosen against 201 CTextile and print Pantone books differ; match visually.
Stickers, banners, standeesPantone 201 C or printer's CMYK for 201 CVinyl and large-format inks shift; ask for a test print.

At small sizes.

Darker reds can go dull when tiny. The crimson symbol at real favicon sizes, on light and dark browser tabs:

Result: crimson stays clear down to 16px on light tabs. On dark tabs it gets weak, so the favicon switches to a light symbol in dark mode (the new favicon.svg does this automatically).

Before anything is printed.

  1. Buy or borrow a Pantone Formula Guide (coated and uncoated) and look at 201 C next to the website on a few screens. If it reads too dark or too brown, try 187 C (ΔE 2.2) as the print colour.
  2. Get the CMYK values from the Pantone Color Bridge or from your printer, not from a converter. Use them for any non-spot printing.
  3. Always ask for a physical proof: an ink drawdown for screen print, a sew-out for embroidery, a hard proof for paper.
  4. Send vector files from the new logo kit (outlined wordmark), never screenshots or the old PNGs with white boxes.
  5. Retire 1805 C (the old kit colour). Mixing 1805 C and 201 C on the same table or banner looks like a mistake (ΔE 5.3).