Understanding the color red and what it means in society, art, culture and the media is a complex task. You need to understand that the meaning of the color red comes from a variety of sources. On the one hand, you have natural physical properties, such as the color of fire or blood, that are common to all humans and that affect our psychological and emotional reaction to color in a similar way. On the other hand, you have regional and historical thoughts and ideas, which also affect the perception that people will have of this color. An example of this is the difference between Americans, who see red as a violent color, and Chinese, who tend to see red as a soothing hue.
One of the reasons that different cultures may have different views on the meaning of the color red, even though those cultures share the fact that fire is red and blood is red, stems from the fact that strawberries and the sunsets are also red. This means that different cultures can emphasize different things by giving clues to color thoughts.
In America, red has some very specific and profound implications. A fierce color, it often immediately evokes subconscious thoughts of violence. It is the war standard of our culture, the insignia of battle. Even on our flag, the color represents a fierce determination to face any enemy.
Red is also the most energetic color. Your metabolism tends to run a little faster in your presence, giving you more strength and the will to stay active. It is inspiring in many ways, and can even be extremely disturbing. For this reason, psychology-savvy interior designers often use it in rooms where clients feel they need to wake up and stop procrastinating.
Another aspect of the color red is that it is passionate. The dark of night is where you rest your eyes, but you add a little red and suddenly you can’t sleep. All you can think about is the burning passion of a sensual encounter. This is where we get terms like red light district, an area of darkness illuminated only by the glare of alluring hues.
In advertising, red is used to get people to act. It is also used to indicate how extreme something is. This is done by advertisers who have studied the effects of this color and know what it does to a person’s subconscious mind. In this way, they are using the knowledge to manipulate the way you think and act.
Red, of course, has many shades. Lighter reds tend to swing back the pendulum as soft, airy pinks and rosy tones. However, darker maroon tones can give the color a deep and menacing look.
Red is a complex and powerful color. Understanding its symbolic meaning allows us to read the subtext of the world, in the language of color, and even write our own lives in red tones.