What Color Is Fuchsia? Symbolism and Usage in Design

Graphic designers who are familiar with four-color process printing or desktop printer users who frequently have to refill ink cartridges will recognize fuchsia as being close to magenta, the M in CMYK, or the pinkish ink cartridge that is sometimes referred to as the red ink.

Fuchsia is on the purple side of pink and is named for the pink-purple flower of the fuchsia plant. It is sometimes described as hot pink, reddish-purple, vivid pink, and light purple. Antique fuchsia is a lavender-leaning shade of fuchsia.

Fuchsia is a mixed warm/cool color. Fuchsia, like pink, is a playful color that can be sophisticated when paired with cool, dark colors. Too much fuchsia can be overwhelming.

History of Fuchsia

Fuchsia gets its name from 16th-century German botanist Leonhard Fuchs. The fuchsia plant is named in his honor, and the color was first introduced as the dye fuchsine. It became known as magenta in 1859, to mark the French victory at the battle of Magenta, a city in Italy.

Using Fuchsia Color in Design Files

Fuchsia invokes female charm and projects casual, light-heartedness. Use it in contrast with black to get attention or with a dark or light shade of neutral tan or gray for a sophisticated look. Combine it with lime green for a color explosion.

When you plan a design project that will end up at a commercial printing company, use CMYK formulations for fuchsia in your page layout software or select a Pantone spot color. For display on a computer monitor, use RGB values. Use Hex designations when you work with HTML, CSS, and SVG. 

Some of the popular shades of fuchsia and magenta:

• Fuchsia: Hex #ff00ff | RGB 255,0,255 | CMYK 0,100,0,0
• Hot Pink: Hex #ff69b4 | RGB 255,105,180 | CMYK 0,59,29,0
• Deep Pink: Hex #ff1493 | RGB 255,20,147 | CMYK 0,92,42,0
• Dark Magenta: Hex #8b008b | RGB 139,0,139 | CMYK 0,100,0,45
• Neon Fuchsia: Hex #fw59c2 | RGB 254,89,194 | CMYK 0,65,24,0
• Fashion Fuchsia: Hex #f400a1 | RGB 244,0,161 | CMYK 0,100,34,4
• Deep Fuchsia: Hex #c154c1 | RGB 193,84,193 | CMYK 0,56,0,24
• Antique Fuchsia: Hex #915c83 | RGB 145,92,131 | 0,37,10,43

Choosing Pantone Colors Closest to Fuchsia

When working with printed pieces, sometimes a solid color fuchsia, rather than a CMYK mix, is a more economical choice. The Pantone Matching System is the most widely recognized spot color system in the world and a standard recognized by all U.S. commercial printing companies. Here are the Pantone colors suggested as best matches to the fuchsia colors listed above.

• Fuchsia: Pantone Solid Coated 807 C
• Hot Pink: Pantone Solid Coated 218 C
• Deep Pink: Pantone Solid Coated 2039 C 
• Dark Magenta: Pantone Solid Coated 2070 C 
• Neon Fuchsia: Pantone Solid Coated 238 C
• Fashion Fuchsia: Pantone Solid Coated Rhodamine Red C
• Deep Fuchsia: Pantone Solid Coated 2068 C
• Antique Fuchsia: Pantone Solid Coated 2055 C 

Because the eye can see more colors on a computer display that can be mixed with CMYK inks, some shades do not reproduce exactly in print. Some of the shades that can't be mixed may exist in the Pantone library. When the color match is critical, ask to see your commercial print shop's Pantone color swatch book.