Red

The color red has a reputation for stimulating adrenaline and blood pressure. Along with those physiological effects, red is also known to increase human metabolism. It is an exciting, dramatic, and rich color; after all, red is also a color of passion. Nothing says “love” like painting a wall bright red on Saint Valentine’s Day for your sweetheart, as someone’s done in Figure 2.1. The darker shades of red, such as burgundy and maroon, have a rich, indulgent feeling about them—in fact, they can be quite hoity-toity. Think about these colors when designing anything for wine enthusiasts or connoisseurs of fine living. The more earthy, brownish shades of red are associated with the fall season and harvest.

Figure 2 1: Red, the color of passion (two gallons of it!)