The other day, my baby asked me what if we drove cars that matched us. She said angry people would drive red cars, sad people would drive blue cars, and happy people could choose between orange and yellow. First, I thought, hmm. That's not how I would have assigned the colors. And then I thought, goodness me! I LOVE how we are so affected by color. Even at 7!
Which got me to thinking, let's spend a whole week swimming in color! Lots of color! Today we start with red. In looking to see what emotional responses were connected to red I found this:
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.
Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or 'Click Here' buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, 'Lady in Red', etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.
Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.
::source::
I really love red. Around my house, there are splashes of red in more than a few rooms. I have had red runners (in Canada that's what we call casual athletic shoes) for more that 10 years. I love red striped t-shirts. And putting my littles in red polka dots. And somehow I have lived for years and years in red/white cities (Salt Lake and the University of Utah, Madison and the University of Wisconsin, Columbus and The Ohio State). But how do I use red in my scrapbooks?
As I looked through a big stack of layouts, I began noticing a few things. First, I found that red most often shows up in my books as an accent. Sort of like my house. A little here and a little there.
I also noticed that I most often use a true red. (Sort of the same as all those university jerseys. :) ) But if I don't use a true red, I tend to go for the paler red. Some might think it a rosy pink, but it really is a pale red.
And lastly, every now and again, I will splurge and go big!
Somehow big red layouts seem to revolve around the love theme. You, too?
I loved noticing the patterns. I am excited for this week to better understand my use of colors. I hope that you will join me in looking through your layouts and seeing how you use red, too!
until tomorrow,
