Red is always considered to be a primary color, meaning it can tie into a lot of aesthetics as well as its own. Red aesthetic colors can vary enormously from a bright scarlet or vermillion to bold and deep crimson, and in lightness from pale pink to dark burgundy.
“Red has always been my color, because red stands out.”
Ravyn Lenae
Red aesthetic themes and meanings
- attention grabbing
- blood
- love
- sacrifice
- courage
- fire
- summer
- warmth
- guilt
- regret
- health
- hatred and aggression
- anger
- heroism
- loyalty
- honour
- success or good fortune
- happiness
- prostitution
- seduction, eroticism and passion
- lust, sin, and the Christian Satan/Devil
- danger and warning signs
- fear
- Christmas (often with gold and/or green) and Kwanzaa (with black and green)
- Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year
Red aesthetic things in nature
More red aesthetic things
Example shades of red
RGB Red
#FF0000
CMYK or Pigment Red
#ED1B24
Crayola Red
#8C1127
Munsell Red
#F2003C
Psychological Primary Red
#C40234
Pantone Red
#ED2839
Crimson Red
#DC143C
Vermillion Red
#E34234
Cardinal Red
#C51E3A
Example accent colors for a red aesthetic
Pink
#FFC0CB
Chocolate Cosmos
#58111A
Old Rose
#C08081
Do you have a red aesthetic?
If you’re strongly drawn to red as your go-to color for accents or in general, it could be your aesthetic. Red is most commonly known for provoking positive feelings of joy, excitement, or passion, and is often found in everything from artworks to fashion and even interior choices which want to evoke these emotions.
Do you like to be bold and vibrant, to stand out in a crowd, or to have a particular “finishing touch” to your style that draws the eye very firmly? A red aesthetic is often quite eye-catching and energizing! The color has different symbolic meanings depending on culture, but popular associations include love, power, courage, and even danger – so if you want to be the center of attention, like to live large and bold, or are just a diehard passionate romantic, a red aesthetic could be right up your street.
A short history of red
Red pigment was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art, made of ochre, with examples found in sites such as Pech Merle in southern France. It has important symbolism across history, from the ceremonial reds of the ancient Egyptians and Mayans to pottery coloring in China, wealth during the Renaissance, and the symbolic color of socialism and pro-labour movements since the Bolshevik Revolution. Commonly seen as the color of human blood, red is often associated with sacrifice, danger, and courage in the western world, with close associations to passion, romance, anger, love, joy, heat, and sexuality. In a lot of Asia red is seen as the color of happiness and prosperity.