This hue is inspired by the bold red of the modern stop sign, standardized in the United States in 1954. While red was the original preferred color as early as the 1920s, stop signs were yellow with black lettering for three decades because red pigments that could withstand fading and remain visible at night hadn’t been developed yet. That changed in the 1950s with the introduction of more durable coatings and retroreflective materials, allowing for white lettering that glowed under headlights. Red was then adopted to match the color already used for traffic signals and to distinguish stop signs from other yellow warning signs. Today, this high-contrast red isn’t just a visual cue, it’s the result of decades of innovation in safety, materials, and design.