Attention, Please! Red Is a Color That Commands It
Here Are Some Practical Ways to Use Red and Its Many Powerful Hues, From Scarlet and Cochineals to Rosso Corsa and Dragon’s Blood - Imagine Pitching a Color Palette Containing Dragon’s Blood to a Client or Potential Investor?!
It can make you feel hungry, sexy, powerful. But how can you harness its power within your brand to create something that stands out without being overwhelming?
The History of Red:
What do the Scarlet Letter and KFC have in common?
Both use red to evoke strong emotions. Historically, red was religious (the Catholic church switched from purple to red robes in 1464 when Tyrian-purple mollusks became extinct); royalty, Henry VI, Richard II, and Elizabeth I, wore it to denote power. The Scarlet Letter was about adultery; Margaret Atwood had the handmaidens wear red to signify their fertility. And, of course, KFC uses red to stimulate the appetite. And, of course, Valentine's Day!!
Red is full of contradictions, which is why we love it. Some of my favorite things are red: lipstick, wine, and flowers.
Variations of Red:
Hex Values:
Copy and paste these values into your creative to achieve the colors.
Red:
#FF0000
Scarlet:
#ED2100
Rosso Corsa (Racing Red):
#D40000
Cochineal:
#9D3B3C
Dragon’s Blood:
#720D09
How to Use Red:
Color theory delves into the intricacies of colors and how they interact to evoke emotions and achieve specific effects in art and design. Understanding and applying color theory is not just a theory: it's a powerful tool that should be explored and tested. This understanding is crucial in the context of design and it's what separates a good designer or artist from a great one.
Color Wheel:
The color wheel is a circle representation of colors that serves as a guide in understanding color relationships. Primary colors (red, yellow, blue) are the base; when mixed, they form secondary colors (green, orange, violet). Mixed again, you get tertiary colors (blue-green, red-violet).
Here, we've embarked on an experiment with the Canva color wheel. It suggests that aqua is complementary to red. Should I now create a palette based on that combination? I could, but I'm not entirely convinced that these two colors work well together. However, the beauty of color theory is that it's not a set of rules, but rather a guide. It encourages experimentation and discovery. I would continue to experiment until I find two colors that I feel complement each other. This tool is a toy, but it's a toy that encourages exploration and discovery. It's a tool that works when you know how to use it.
Complementary Colors:
As mentioned above, the complementary color to red is aqua (one of CCC’s brand colors). How could these two colors be used together? Here I show you how to quickly see examples of this at Designspiration by viewing layouts by other designers. This is an invaluable tool to see if these colors even work together. Using the examples that I find, you can see the two colors work best when one is the main color and the other is used sparingly or as a highlight. The main color plays a crucial role in setting the tone and the complementary color adds a unique touch when used sparingly. This understanding has significantly improved my design choices, and I believe it will do the same for you.
Limiting the Color Red:
Red can be overwhelming, so another strategy could be to limit the amount of red used. It can still be a primary brand color, but showing contrast may be crucial because too much red can make layouts look too cluttered, overpowered, or unbalanced.
Example Website:
Antoine Wodniack’s website is an excellent example of using red as the primary color, with only black and white as the additional colors. It is a beautiful, creative, and immersive website.