🔴 RED
"Red protects itself. No color is as territorial. It stakes a claim, is on the alert against the spectrum” – Derek Jarman Filmmaker & Activist
Hi Cringers,
This week, we’re coming in hot and talking about one of the most controversial colors on the spectrum: red.
It turns heads and stops traffic.
It’s the first color we see as babies, after black and white.1
Close your eyes and picture it.
Did you see flames, roses, blood, a beating heart, Marilyn Monroe’s lipstick, a Ferrari, Louboutin red-bottom heels, and Dorothy sleeping in an endless field of poppies? Or is that just me?
Red is associated with love, lust, war, death, prosperity, and power—low-key themes like that.
Its meaning has evolved over centuries and varies depending on where in the world you are and who you ask.
It’s a color of contradictions, the color of kings, warriors, cardinals, witches, queens, and ladies of the night.
Say all you want about it, but one thing’s for sure: Red captures attention and makes a statement.
While the color works well for bold brands like Virgin, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s, it may not be for everyone, especially if you want to give off a more calm, cool, and collected vibe.
So, before painting the town (and your LinkedIn profile) red, let’s take a moment and trace the history of this complicated hue.
The History of Red
Hands at the Cuevas de las Manos upon Río Pinturas in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. Dated between 7,300 BC and 700 A.
“Objects stained deep red have accompanied human habitation since the Upper Paleolithic era, some 50,000 years ago. Although not ubiquitous, hematite’s use is so widespread that in an article from 1980, the anthropologist Ernst E. Wreschner went so far as to call its collection and use one of the ‘two meaningful regularities in human evolution,’ the other being toolmaking.”
- Kassia St. Clair, Author of The Secret Lives of Color
Red is ancient. Early man used clay, reddened by the mineral hematite, for cave painting and ground-up ochre for body paint.2 I can only imagine the cave raves back then…
Fast forward to ancient Egypt where you can find mummies shrouded in red. Egyptians believed in an afterlife and would often include items in the mummification process to facilitate rebirth.3
The red shrouds may have been related to the Egyptian god of the underworld, Osiris, also known as the “lord of the red cloth.”4
Back in the land of the living, the Egyptian women of yore painted their lips with vibrant red pigment made from crushed insects.
Insects (cochineal) continue to be used to color cosmetics, beverages, and food items—ask me why I stopped eating Cool Ranch Doritos.5
Red Around the World
In China, red was the color of emperors and connected with the fire element, which evokes themes of confidence, power, prosperity, and leadership.6
The Aztec rulers wore red on their headdresses and priests used it to attract the attention of gods during rituals.7
In Tanzania and Kenya, the Masai warrior class associated red ochre with strength, courage, mystical power, and protection. 8
In Japan, red was worn by samurai as a symbol of strength and power in battle and by Japanese brides as a symbol of luck, knowledge, prosperity, and protection.9 1011
In India, brides wear red to symbolize the Hindu deity Durga, a representation of new beginnings and feminine strength.12
Red and the Law
Photo by Ina Garbé on Unsplash
There have even been several laws throughout history mandating who could and couldn’t wear red.
In Ancient Greece, for example, prostitutes were lawfully required to wear red lip pigment to help men distinguish who was and wasn’t a “respectable” upper-class woman.13
A while later, in thirteenth-century Spain, it was ruled that only kings could wear red. 14
Then the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s came along and red was considered “indecent and immoral and linked to luxury and the excesses of the Catholic Church.” 15
A couple of centuries later in 1700s England, women caught seducing men while wearing red lipstick were charged with witchcraft. Original.16
Across the pond, around the same time in the U.S., a marriage could be annulled if it was discovered that the woman had worn red lipstick during her courtship. 17
The list goes on, so here’s a TL;DR recap of who was and wasn’t legally allowed to wear red throughout history: men could, women couldn’t, men could, women couldn’t, men could, women couldn’t, etc.
The Psychology of Red
Red is a stimulant, an upper, a color that some researchers claim can increase heart rate and blood pressure. 18
Perhaps this boost in blood flow has something to do with red being linked to heightened aggression and arousal:
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research advised servers to wear red because it was found to increase tips from male patrons by up to 26 percent. 19
A 2004 study by University of Durham researchers found that Olympic athletes who wore red had a higher probability of winning. 20
You don’t see beige out there getting tips and winning games. Red is power.
Personal Branding with Red
If you’re considering incorporating this powerful color into your branding ask yourself the following:
What audience do you want to attract?
Where is your audience located?
What message do you want to send?
Red isn’t inherently good or bad (it’s just a color), but it can cause strong reactions, so be prepared for some questions or pushback if you decide to use it.
As author Kassia St. Clair points out in her book The Secret Lives of Color, “This potent brew of power and sexuality makes the color a bold but tricky choice for brands. Virgin is perhaps the best example of a company that has successfully harnessed red’s innate power, but only by positioning itself as a bold outsider.”
If you want to stand out and capture attention, red may be the perfect color for you.
If you’re still not sure, read the following quotes and see if any of these resonate with you:
“I like the color red because it’s a fire. And I see myself as always being on fire.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Actor and Politician
“When in doubt, wear red.” - Bill Blass, Fashion Designer
“I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.” – Maria Sharapova, Tennis Player
What are your thoughts on red? Would you use it in your branding? Comment below!
Stay tuned for next week’s post, Cringers. I’ll have some orange-inal content for you (cringe).
Do you know someone looking to develop their personal brand to attract new job opportunities or increase leads for their business with branding?
Tell them to sign up for Cringe Letter to learn more about developing an impactful personal brand.
Connect with me on Linkedin.
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-secret-history-of-the-color-red/-wXxao99SLXVKg
https://mymodernmet.com/shades-of-red-color-history/
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/20/3761
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
https://axiologybeauty.com/blogs/our-blog/royalty-prostitutes-witches-movie-stars-the-history-of-red-lipstick
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-secret-history-of-the-color-red/-wXxao99SLXVKg
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
https://www.theafricangourmet.com/2023/05/the-meaning-of-red-in-african-culture.html
https://kokoro-jp.com/culture/298/
https://whatisjapanlike.com/living/is-it-ok-to-wear-red-in-japan/
https://thedesibride.com/blog/indian-wedding-colors-why-indian-brides-wear-red-and-other-beautiful-colors-you-can-try
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-secret-history-of-the-color-red/-wXxao99SLXVKg
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/col.21949
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120802111454.htm
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7899097