Burgundy is a popular color that falls between the shades of red and purple. While it is closely associated with red, there are some key differences that set burgundy apart as its own distinct color. In this article, we’ll explore the technical specifications, cultural associations, and uses of burgundy to better understand its relationship to red.
The Technical Specifications of Burgundy
In technical terms, burgundy sits between red and purple on the color wheel. It is created by mixing red and blue color pigments, whereas pure red contains only red pigment. This added blue pigment is what dulls the bright red hue and deepens it to the rich burgundy tone.
Specifically, burgundy has RGB hex code #800020. This means it contains a fairly high amount of red (128 on a 0-255 scale), a lower amount of blue (32), and very little green (0). In the CMYK color model used for printing, burgundy is made of 40% magenta, 100% yellow, 60% black, and 20% cyan.
By comparison, pure red has an RGB value of #FF0000 – containing the maximum amounts of red with no blue or green. Red’s CMYK makeup is 0% cyan, 100% magenta, 100% yellow, 0% black. So while red and burgundy are both in the red color family, burgundy has more complex pigment mixtures dulling its shade.
Cultural Meanings of Burgundy
Beyond its technical specifications, burgundy also carries distinct cultural connotations different from pure red. Here are some of the commonly associated meanings of burgundy:
- Sophistication – Burgundy is associated with expensive wine, gourmet food, velvet, and other upscale cultural items.
- Royalty – The rich, deep shade of burgundy was often worn by kings, queens, and nobles in medieval Europe.
- Masculinity – As a darker, woodier shade of red, burgundy reads as more masculine than brighter reds.
- Winter – Burgundy’s deep, muted tone evokes thoughts of autumn and winter seasons.
In comparison, red often conveys excitement, urgency, anger, romance, or warning. While burgundy can sometimes take on some of red’s passionate overtones, it skews more formal, elegant, and sophisticated in most contexts.
Uses of the Color Burgundy
Given its unique color properties and cultural associations, burgundy is used in the following ways:
| Industry | Use of Burgundy |
|---|---|
| Fashion | Burgundy is a popular fall/winter color for clothing, shoes, bags. |
| Interiors | Used in home furnishings like rugs, curtains, furniture upholstery. |
| Visual Arts | Featured in paintings, photography, graphic design. |
| Cosmetics | Seen in lipsticks, eye shadows, nail polishes. |
| Automotive | Used as an exterior color for luxury/sports cars. |
| Food/Beverage | Associated with red wine, merlot, crushed berries. |
As this table illustrates, burgundy’s deep red character makes it suited for many applications where sophistication is desired over bright intensity. It provides a moodier, elegant take on red.
Is Burgundy a Type of Red?
Based on its technical specifications using a high amount of red color pigment, burgundy clearly falls within the red color family. However, its additional blue tones dull the brightness of red to create a murkier, brownish-purple shade.
Culturally, burgundy also shares some symbolic meanings with red like passion, romance, and warning. But it diverges into its own sophisticated style distinct from bright, urgent red. Context also matters, as burgundy reads as more reddish next to purples, but more purplish beside true reds.
So in summary, while burgundy is technically a shade of red, muted by other color mixtures, it stands alone as its own distinct color with unique cultural meanings and applications apart from red.
How Lighting Affects Burgundy
The way burgundy appears is also influenced by the lighting conditions where the color is seen. Here are some lighting effects:
- Natural daylight – Burgundy appears richer and more purple/red.
- Warm incandescent light bulbs – The redness of burgundy is emphasized, making it look more like pure red.
- Cool fluorescent lights – Burgundy takes on a deeper, more muted purple tone.
- LED lights – These tend to have a fairly neutral effect on burgundy’s shade.
So burgundy can chameleon between red and purple depending on the room’s lighting. This mercurial nature adds complexity in pinning down burgundy as just a simple red.
Burgundy vs Similar Colors
Several other shades live in the same red-purple color neighborhood as burgundy. Here’s how burgundy compares to similar colors:
- Maroon – Darker, more brownish red than burgundy.
- Bordeaux – Very similar to burgundy but slightly more red-based.
- Cordovan – Red-brown color inspired by leather horse riding shoes.
- Oxblood – Dark red containing subtle hints of purple.
- Garnet – Cooler, more purple-based shade of red.
- Ruby – Much brighter, purer red than burgundy.
Burgundy has the most overlap with bordeaux, but compared to all these shades, burgundy stands out as the most purple-inflected dark red within the spectrum.
Conclusion
So in the end, while burgundy has undeniable ties to red as a base color, its nuanced mixture producing a sophisticated deep purple-red sets it apart as its own distinct shade both technically and culturally. Context also determines whether burgundy reads as more red or more purple. So describing burgundy as “basically red” is an oversimplification of this rich, complex color.
