In a recent article I wrote about how colors are an extremely important factor in branding and product design as they create subconscious emotional connections to the things we see. In that article I wrote about the color Blue as a calm, safe, and reliable color. But what about the opposite of those? Let’s take a look at the color Red… it’s vibrant, active, full of energy, power, and life. Hmm… maybe that’s why blood is Red?

While many colors are represented in various industries, I think we’ll find that the industry leaders of each sector choose to use Red for a reason. Lets take a look at some examples.

• Fast Food
  McDonald’s Wendy’s, Burger King, Hardees, KFC, Checkers, Dairy Queen, Arbys, Jack in the Box, In-N-Out, Chik-fil-a, Five Guys
• Shopping
  Target, Kmart, CVS, *Walgreens, ACE, Staples, Office Depot, Petco, Costco, GNC, Petsmart, Safeway, Weis,
• Internet Streaming
  YouTube, Netflix
• Classic American Brands
  Coca-Cola, Levis, Heinze, Kellogs, Texaco, Colgate, Hanes, Time Life, Rolling Stone, Xerox, Kodak, ESPN, Superman

And of course you’ve got all the miscellaneous items we see all around us everyday using Red

• Misc.
  Red Lights, Red Bull, Stop Signs, Yield Signs, Brake Lights, Emergency Lights, “As Seen on TV” merchandise

So what does this mean for your company website, app, logo, and branding. It means it’s okay to use Red, so long as what you’re using it for can back up your color choice.

* ”green” is in the name and they still used Red!