What does the color of your website say about your company?

A Five-Part Series.

Series 2: Red

by Lisa O’Keefe

I remember the first time I saw a red website I was like “arrrgh!!!!”.  It was too bold!  Too daring!  Too aggressive!  And that’s when it hit me – it was supposed to be all those things!  And I loved it!

Companies who choose red for their primary color are telling the world their company is about passion.  Think about it – when you see red it is the color of intense emotions, warnings, fire, and blood.  There is no halfway with this color.  It is a right in your face – the time to act is now and I am taking no prisoners type of color.  It is a color of confidence and daring and determination.  Websites utilizing this color are not asking for permission for others to like them – they demand it.

Take a look at Agigen – their all-red website has this message in bold font “We make the web a better place.  We love it and You will too”.  The color is the perfect match for their message.  They aren’t saying you should try them or they want you to like them – they don’t even have a FaceBook icon on their page to ask for likes.  No.  Rather they TELL it as it is.  We love it and YOU WILL TOO.  You have no choice in this matter.  They have taken the position of strength and asserted themselves to tell you how you will react.

Another company Shake won an award for their all-red website which seems to carry a redundant message stating they are “passionate”.  Ummm hello, Shake.  I know you won an award and all but the color you chose said it all.  There was no need to repeat your message with words.

And talk about the use of red to scream out your confidence – look at Pizza Hut.  Their slogan is “No One Outpizzas the Hut” and their signature choice of a red roof and red website is a perfect match for their message.

And perhaps the best use of red I have seen with a website is that for War Child where they promote the message “War Destroys Children’s Lives”.  This website’s use of red is powerful.  It resonated a mix of different intense and primitive emotions in me such as anger and survival.

Red.  Primitive.  Daring. Assertive. Passionate. 

Is your company up for such a bold color?