Email Text Emphasis: Red Means Red!

I often get emails asking what a sender meant by including specific text in their email that has been purposely changed to red. I believe most folks know what the sender meant—they just want an outside party to confirm their suspicions. And I’m happy to help.

Red is an Aggressive Color

“Seeing red” means someone is mad or so upset that they see red. But what level of red, exactly?

When communicating in writing, it is safe to assume that when someone changes the selected text to red, they want to make a point. But how much of a point?

They could have bolded the text or added emphasis. But the sender didn’t—they changed the text to red.

How do you determine how much of a point they are trying to make? There is no universal answer to that question. Depends on the context, the email’s overall tone, and the relationship between the respondents.

Red Generally Indicates Importance and Anger

How would you perceive it if the sender changed certain words or sentences to red in important old-fashioned printed communication? I’ve seen this approach in snail-mail advertising, primarily to elicit a response and emphasize the importance of whatever is being promoted.

Most would assume, and correctly so, that the author places a strong emphasis on those particular terms or sentences when anything is changed to red. The same goes for email.

When you use red, a known aggressive color, you risk leaving that level of emphasis up to the person on the other side. You’ve lost control, as they will decide the intensity. So always plan on them adding more emphasis than you may have intended.

Any change to standard and customary email settings will cause recipients to pause and wonder about your intent. For example, if certain words or phrases are a different color, one can assume you want them to stand out. Color them red—that is a critical or aggressive point!

Choose Vocabulary Over Colors

Show those you communicate with that you have a breadth of vocabulary to express what you mean, whether anger or simple emphasis, instead of relying on formatting to get your message across.

Yep, I’ve written about this topic before…

Structure and formatting influence perceived emotion, which you can control by keeping these tips in mind. Who doesn’t like fewer misunderstandings? I bet you do!