Good colour matches for red

Introduction to colour matches for red

The first thing many people think of when they see the colour red is either love and passion or danger and anger. Red might also be used in various shades to visualise things such as happiness, heat, luxury, professionalism, excitement, speed, energy, efficiency and creativity.

Red is also said to stimulate appetite and hunger.

In isiZulu, red is pronounced as “ebomvu” and in Afrikaans as “rooi”. We at Behind the Scenes love the colour red so much that we used it as one of the accent colours of our website.

There are many reasons why one would like to use red as a colour. Fortunately, this primary colour goes well with many other colours. They include white, black, grey, green, yellow and blue.

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Red and white

Red and white are very commonly used together. While white looks great on a red background, a white background seems to make the red pop even more. Good examples of both combinations are the Coca-Cola® and the Netflix® logos.

In South Africa, our favourite small parcel courier company, PostNet, uses white on a red background.

Probably the most famous brand of all time, Coca-Cola uses red and white in their branding.

Red and black (grey)

As with white, black (and also grey), also work well with a red background. When red and black are used together, red is very noticeable while black is still clearly visible. It instils a sense of power and energy.

Although red and black on their own go well together, they are also often used in combination with white. A popular example of red, black and white is the KFC® logo.

The KFC logo is a good example where red, black and white are used.

Red and green (complementary colours)

The complementary colour of red is green. Green is the colour of health, freshness, growth, renewal, luck and tranquillity and wealth. They are probably the most commonly seen colours during Christmas, but various shades of green and red have been seen to work very well together in many other designs too.

Red and yellow

Yellow triggers feelings of happiness and friendliness. When you combine yellow with red it’s about speed, hope, idealism, neutrality and playfulness. There are many samples where red and yellow go together very well.

These colours are very often used in the fast-food industry – think McDonald’s® and Burger King®.

Superman’s emblem is red and yellow

Superman’s emblem and the LEGO company’s logo are also well-known examples where these colours are used well together.

Gold is a shade of yellow and pairs equally well with red. It is often used where metallic red is used. Iron Man’s suit is a prime example in my mind.

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Red and blue

Superman is also a good example of where red and blue go well together. The colour blue has many connotations to it, but if used with red, it very often symbolises opposites – where blue is usually good and red is evil. Maybe this is why red and blue are commonly seen on sports logos.

Red, blue, yellow and green

To end off, it is also worth noticing that red looks good when used with all the colours mentioned above. Think about the South African flag, the PlayStation®, the Google logo and many more. By combining these colours, it often connects the positive connotations of each individual colour while giving a sense of unity.

The original PlayStation logo had red, yellow, green and blue as its primary colours on a black background with white writing.

Conclusion

Red is the colour of love, passion, danger and anger. It is also said to stimulate appetite. Red might also be used in various shades to visualise things such as happiness, heat, luxury, professionalism, excitement, speed, energy, efficiency and creativity.

This post showed the various colour combinations that go well with the colour red.