In the Mood for Red

In the true spirit of Valentine’s Day we thought it only right to stick on some Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, light some candles, scatter petals on the floor, open a box of Dairy Milk and write a blog post?!!

On a day when many people are in the mood for love, we’re busy thinking about our brand and also about how colour can impact on your emotions. Coupled together it's inspired us to write a post specifically about how the colour red makes you feel and what mood it can put you in.

The tradition of sending flowers on Valentine’s Day, most notably red roses, gained popularity in the 1600s. The red rose as a symbol of love dates back much further and can be attributed to the Romans as it was believed to be the favourite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love. But why red?

Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it’s associated with energy, anger, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, respect and love. It certainly is a very emotionally intense colour which is why it’s commonly used on Valentine’s cards, confectionery and is the favoured colour of flowers today.

Red brings text and images to the foreground and when used as an accent colour it can stimulate people to make quick decisions, which is why it’s often used in call to action buttons or in discounts and promotions.

It has very high visibility, which is why it is used on items such as signage and emergency equipment. Red is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.

So if you use the colour red in your logo and/or marketing material, think about the impact it’s having on your prospects and clients – is it making the right one?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The hidden meaning of colour

Visual experiences
Visual experiences are all about colour and pleasing the eye. Colour can make something boring or chaotic if not used correctly.

It is important to know the emotions and meanings that colours represent, particulary when choosing colours for a brand or advertising. This will represent you and your company and you do not want to alienate your target audience. Beware of fashions and trends as these have a limited lifespan.

Harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it’s either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject understimulating information.

At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can’t stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Colour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.

Complementary colours
Complementary colours are any two colours which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.

Harmonious colours
Harmonious colours are any three colors which are side by side on a colour wheel, such as yellow-green, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

Colour associations
Colours have meanings that go beyond ink (usually postives and negatives) and it is helpful to keep this in mind. Also remember that different cultures associate different things with differnt colours.

Red Passion, love, exciting, strength, power, sexuality and action but also represents stop, hot, impulsiveness, anger, impatience and violence.

Orange Courage, friendliness, energy, cheerfulness and warmth along with deceit, distrust and ignorance.

Blue Trust, tranquility, patience, loyalty, acceptance, understanding, cooperation and comfort along side fear, coldness and depression.

Purple Historically this colour is related to royalty and religion but also with foreboding and gloom.

Green Cool, environment, go, balance, harmony, hope, growth, freshness and soothing but also represents envy, illness and greed.

White  Associated with pure, safety, power, elegance, cleanliness and fresh along with cold, distant, guilt and greed.

Yellow Happiness, intelligence, caution, brightness, joy, and sunshine but also laziness and cowardice.

Black Cold, serious, strength and elegance but also with fear, evil, death and grief.

At the end of the day colour is a personal preference but this information is very useful when considering your target audience and brand.