Why is RED used so much during the Holidays?

This is the time of the year when we print lots of red. Whether it is on our Custom Holiday Greeting Cards, advertising banners or flyers and brochures; RED is mostly everywhere. It is an energetic and intense color, which can work for you or against you if not applied correctly.

The Meaning of the Red Color

This traditional color is associated with energy, power, passion, desire, love, and determination; but also with other types of strength and energy, such as fire, war, and even danger. Red is an extremely noticeable color and it doesn’t happen as often in nature as green, for example. This is probably why it calls our attention and the reason why it is also used in warning signs (“Beware”, “Stop” or “Danger”).

Christmas represents love, passion, friendship, energy, and warmth. It’s also when you think the most about all the people you care about or that you want to be with. And the color red symbolizes all of that! You can find red in gift wrapping, the bows, and the decorations! Could you imagine a Christmas with no red at all? Not really possible, is it?

If we look back at more ”historic times”, there are some theories that red along with green are symbolizing the eternal life of Jesus. Green stands for the eternity (hence the evergreen fir), and red represents Jesus’ blood shed during his crucifixion. Another legend has it that since the middle ages, churches have been fastening red apples (the story of Eden and the paradise tree) to the pine branches during Christmas and people since have started copying the same practice in their homes.

But back to modern times now. The Christmas red bright is largely popularized due to one good old man – Santa. And though many today claim that Santa Claus man is “made by” Coca-Cola, this is not entirely true.

St. Nicholas, who as a Bishop had the reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to those in need, has worn a red robe with white-cross patterns. And since 1863, an illustrator named Thomas Nast has been drawing St.Nicholas for each Christmas for the Harpers’s Weekly magazine, and each time he would change something until he had presented the most popular version of ”St. Nick” – with a big belly, the red-and-white outfit, and an arm full of toys.

Coke’s illustrator, artist Haddon Sundblom took the idea later in the 1920s from Nast, and created Santa even bigger and more joyous than before.

Red in Graphic Design

For graphic designers, red is a color that needs to be careful with. Red letters, symbols or images for your designs and prints have to be used very strategically! Reds bring words to the foreground, but red images can also be distracting if they were not intended to be the attention point because your eyes get easily drawn to the color.

Our team of experts fully understand the Color Theory and the importance of Color Harmony, making us one of the few places in Denver that know how to design and print your REDS well and as FAST!

Our Graphic Designers can help you use Red in your Holiday Promotion designs to make them balanced and effective!

To design well, you must understand colors! Red is a difficult color to print, and it’s easy to tell when it is off, when it doesn’t have the right brightness or when it has been contaminated with another color.

Poor reds are not just visually off, they can also be the difference between someone looking at your advertising and being urged to respond and buy…or it can create a chaotic visual noise and drive your prospects away without even receiving your message.

We are your best solution in the Denver area for all your banners, flyers and signs to get potential shoppers and buyers interested in your products and services!

We are located in Lakewood, so come by and let the color flow into your advertising graphics!