The Power of Red: Emotional Impact and Usage in Web Design

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The color red is one of three primary colors and is thought to be the color to provoke the most response among humans. Red is considered a warm color along with orange and yellow. This intense color is also known to induce emotions from passion to violence. Experiments have shown that rooms painted red will encourage workers to work faster. Along with the faster work came more mistakes, making red not the best option for wall paint in a work environment. Red used on walls has been found to be a great benefit in restaurants, causing an increase in appetite.

Red is a symbol of high energy and aggression. It is often used in warning or danger signs. This is because the color red stands out against backgrounds of white or black. Many traffic signs use the color red because it is the most visible color in daylight. Red and its many shades of color are also used as a symbol of love. Hot reds to pale pinks can be found in many romantic greeting cards and are used in the symbol of the heart.

Red has been found to have such a huge impact on people, it can even cause the heart to beat faster. A study has shown that when two sports teams are equally matched, the team dressed in red is more likely to win. Since red seems to bring up confrontation, it is best not to wear red when in negotiations at your place of employment. The color red is often used to draw attention making items appear stronger, brighter and heavier.

If using the color red on a webpage, it is best to use it as an accent color to ring attention to specific links or words on the page. If using red all over, a deeper, darker red would work best. A bright red is hard on the eyes being too bright and can make it difficult to read contrasting words. Common website color schemes that use red are the colors black, red, white and grey. With just a pop of red, this can be a very formal looking webpage. The color red will stand out making visitors take notice of key words. For those that like red, a good choice is a monochromatic color scheme. Using several shades of red with a contrasting color for links or main words can create a powerful webpage.

Webpages for holidays often use the color red. Christmas pages look great with red and green, while Valentines Day pages will look great with red, pink and white. Remember to use bright pure red sparingly even on holiday pages. If too much bright red is used, this will draw the attention of the visitor away from the words and what you are trying to get the visitor to read. Using the color red wisely on your website can be a huge benefit.