RED

PART 1

Welcome back to the Color Psychology series!
This time I am going to write about the color our attention is almost automatically drawn to and that out of all colors has the most powerful impact on our human bodies as well: Red. Hope you enjoy.

INTRO

Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and on the opposite side of violet. As one of the primary colors red is a color entirely on its own – that is to say, no other colors can come together to create a perfect red. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres and in the RGB model, red is comprised of 100% red, 0% green, and 0% blue.

IN GENERAL

Red has an abundance of meanings, with both positive and negative connotations. In general it emanates a strong energy and can give the person perceiving it an experience of feeling very energetic and powerful. It is often used to call attention and and known as the color of passion, energy but also action. It’s a very basic and important color, but it’s one that needs to be used carefully and in moderation. On the positive side red represents love, activity, energy, attention, and power.
The negative aspects refer to aggression, dominance that instills fear, danger, and also stress. When thinking about why all these kind of feelings come up, we have to take a closer look and consider their impact on the human body. Of all colors, red is the most physiologically evocative one. Similarly, red attracts our attention simply because it is usually the first color we notice, which is why many places all over the world use it for “stop” and “danger” signs.

Attention, Energy & Aggression
It is the color associated with energy and aggression. Studies have shown that red can enhance your metabolism, make you breathe more quickly and even raise your blood pressure. For these reasons and as mentioned above being easily noticeable, an overuse of red can be irritating or provoke aggression. On the other hand a well balanced red accent on a neutral colored background can help draw attention effectively to a single element.

Dominance
It has been found that athletes wearing a red clothes in combat sports had a bigger chance of winning than those who wore a blue one. The reason behind that effect might be, that red makes the person feel more aggressive and powerful. It has also an impact on a persons testosterone level. Furthermore it also can change the perception others have and make them feel inferior or frightened.

Danger
It draws attention automatically, and is often used in warning signs for this reason. This is because red is closely connected to our body’s fight-or-flight response: A physiological response triggered by the release of hormones that prepare your body to either stay and deal with a threat or to run away to safety. When we response to acute stress situations, our body's sympathetic nervous system is activated by the sudden release of hormones. It then stimulates the adrenal glands, triggering the release of catecholamines including adrenaline and noradrenaline. Then your body is preparing to cope effectively with the threat. There are three stages to the fight-or-flight response: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion which makes is understandable that too much red leaves the person feeling not just alert, but also stressed out. By the way after the threat is gone, it takes between 20 to 60 minutes for the body to return to its normal status.

Love and Passion
Since red is THE color linked to sexuality and desire, people wearing red are consistently rated as more attractive by others. Life and Love　Symbolically, red is very closely linked to life and passion, as well as to bonds of romantic and familiar love. No wonder that „romantic presents“, like for Valentine’s Day are often using red as the basic go-to color. I want to write more detailed about red in different cultures in the following article in May but there’s one thing I feel sharing here is interesting:　In India red is the color used traditionally for a brides wedding dress!
The color red plays an instrumental role in Hindu customs and beliefs, perhaps the most significant one being in the life of a married woman. Wedded bliss and a promise of „togetherness“ are all sealed by the warmth and binding power of the red drape and red accessories of her dress.

SHADES OF RED

There are different shades of red that of course all represent different feelings and are used differently since ancient times.

Maroon
The color Maroon has a darker blue tint mixed into the red and often denotes control and thoughtful action. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines maroon as a dark reddish-purple color while its American Dictionary section defines maroon as dark brown-red tone. Etymologically the colors name comes from marron ( French, "chestnut"), itself from the Italian word „marrone“ meaning both chestnut and brown.

Burgundy
The color Burgundy takes its name from the color of Burgundy wine (from the Burgundy region of France, named after the ancient Germanic Burgundians). Burgundy has a dark purple tint to the red and is looks very sophisticated and serious. For this reason it is also the less energetic color out of all the reds - even though its tone is similar to other shades of dark red such as maroon, cordovan, and oxblood.

Crimson
Crimson is a strong, red color, inclining to purple it is often used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose. It has a very little blue in it and indicated a determination to succeed but has a note to it that doesn’t upset people. Crimson can also emit sensuality. Originally it meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio.

Scarlet
is a very brilliant red color, sometimes with a slightly orange tinge that gives it a certain kind of richness and brightness. The color can promote enthusiasm and love of life. It has been a color of power, wealth and luxury since ancient times which is why clothes of emperors or kings in ancient times. Also during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, scarlet was the color worn by Kings, princes and the wealthy, because of its color and its high price. From the 8th century until the early 20th century, the most important scarlet pigment used in western art was vermilion, made from the mineral cinnabar. It was used, along with red lake pigments, by artists from Botticelli and Raphael to Renoir. However, in 1919 commercial production began of an intense new synthetic pigment, cadmium red, made from cadmium sulfide and selenium. The new pigment became the standard red of Henri Matisse and the other important painters of the 20th century. Furthermore in the 20th century, scarlet became associated with revolution. Red flags had first been used as revolutionary emblems. Symbolizing the blood of martyrs, during the French Revolution and Paris uprisings in 1848, it became the color of socialism and then communism. The Soviet Union and Communist China were using it for their flag. Since the fall of the Soviet Union the flag of Russia is red, companioned by blue and white.

グランドデザインのtwitterもよろしくお願いします^^

Anne