A Peek into Red's Past

Red, rouge, rot, rosso are all terms that mean pretty much the same.

Interestingly, most of the terms meaning red, were derived from the Sanskrit word rudhira, meaning 'blood'.

From this relation to blood (and hence to life, danger, female, etc.), the various symbolisms associated with the colour red arise - hospitals/medicine/aid, war, woman/goddesses/feminine entity.

The colour red, at one point of time, was an extremely elevated colour. Almost as regal and royal as 'Purple' itself - purple that was used only in the king's robes and royal decor. The term scarlet, was the name of a particular coloured cloth that was available in 13th century England, and because of its high cost, 'scarlet' became the next 'purple'.

(trivia from Colour and Meaning by John Gage)

From being such an exclusive and royal colour, today red is one of the most excessively used colours in the contemporary world - seen most widely in the logos for fast food, telecom, banks, colas, and apparel brands to name a few.

Colour name + x = Brand name!

There seem to be way too many stores/pubs/restaurants around town which seem to have a colour in its name.

Some of these have been around for some time, but most of these have popped up in the last few years or so. Here you go...

Purple Haze, Purple Turtle, Blue Frog, Blue Bar, Blue Ginger, Red Fork, Orange Bicycle, White Mantra, White Elephant, Green Theory, Yellow Button, Black Pearl, Pink Poppadum!

I'm curious to know if there are more such names...

When cool colours reduce and warm colours increase

I have heard the term 'Cataract' since ages. I never bothered to understand what exactly it is. I have heard of elders being troubled by cataract. It is only recently that I understood what it does to the way you see things around you, and how vision changes as a result of cataract, which occurs as a result of ageing.

In short, the vision gets blurred, and a few filters are applied to the colours you see, hence making them appear different than what they really are. Usually the cool colours - greens, blues, purples - reduce and are instead replaced by a bunch of warm colours - reds, oranges, yellows. Hazier vision, blurry lines and less detailing. 

One of my all time favourite artists - Claude Monet - suffered from cataract. And his entire style was based on the play of light on objects and the plethora of shades of colours that occur at various times of the day. There were no lines, there were only illusions or impressions of an outline, created by colours. He had recurring motifs that were studied across different points of time.

Here is one such recurring motif painted before the onset of cataract, and after the onset of cataract!

 

Source: www.intermonet.com

Hot picks from the Pantone Spring '14 Colours

This season's colours are inspired by summery floral, summer travel destinations and optimism.

Here are my favourites from this season's colour palette:

Source:
Colour Forecast: www.pantone.com
Pics: www.weddinginstituteblog.com

The Red Velvet Discourse

Image Source: www.caffeina.blogspot.in

A few years back, you would find vanilla cakes, chocolate cakes and fruit cakes. That was about it. Then came the brownies or loafs. Last year I read somewhere that 'cupcakes are the new brownies'. And this year I see Red Velvets everywhere. Any dessert cafe that does not have a Red Velvet offering can just bury their heads in shame. Red Velvets have become the new Chocolates!

So what is it about Red Velvets?

The shade of red is extremely important. It is not bright or scary. It is a subtle red, more of a maroon.

It is topped with White frosting usually. The Red and White combination has something about it. The white just stands out on a red background, almost as regally as a diamond ring embedded in a red velvet jewel case.

Red is the colour of love, passion, dynamism and youthfulness. A colour that was not found in desserts, except in the form of cherries. And the taste that one associates with passion and youthfulness over the years, has undoubtedly become chocolate. So here's the brilliant combination of a dash of red in an otherwise normal chocolate cake. And we have the ultimate dessert. It is the latest craze amongst youngsters.

The term velvet only adds to the sensuality of this dessert. The smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture, the perfect colour, the vanilla frosting and the layers or the cupcake avatar all make this a precious little something for special occasions or for special people. An absolute must-have in bakeries and dessert cafes today.

:) In short, red velvet is all about new age exuberant youthfulness and sheer romance. 

A surge of colours all around us...

From about 5 years back, it seems like there is a sudden increase in the number of colours you see as options for anything ranging from trousers, mobile phones, bags, sunglasses, laptops and more.

Look around and you would notice that most menswear brands seem to have dumped the neutrals and are shouting colour stories - coloured chinos, coloured shorts, coloured belts, coloured slipons and coloured anything you can think of. Women were generally allowed more colours since ages, even then, the bright colours people sport today wont go unnoticed. Even those items which might have been more neutral browns, greys, blacks or at the most blues, have now morphed into neons, pastels, mattes in all shades of oranges, pinks, yellows and greens!

There are almost 4 brands I can think of right away, where the campaign story is some version of 'Colours'.

Mobile phones, tabs and laptops have funky coloured covers. Cars seem to be loosening up and offering bright colours whether it is a bright blue or orange or lemon yellow!

Thanks to safe and edible food colouring there are rainbow cupcakes, multicoloured pies and all sorts of colourful ganache and frosting.

All in all, its the era of bright and unabashed use of colours to sport your own style, attitude and preference.