"Smart in Your World" for Arent Fox, cover and interior spread.

When you want to deliver a one-two color punch, red and black boasts a creative bite to back up its bark. In this brochure for Arent Fox, the cover is black but has a faux leather finish with white foil-stamping. While it may seem basic, it's actually quite bold—especially for a law firm. Outside, the soothing black cover inspires competence and confidence while inside, justice-seeking clients are emboldened by a blast of red. Jurisprudence doesn't have to mean creative caution. Strive for colorful law and order.

Posters for Georgetown Theatre, WWWW, AIA National and Signature Theatre.

What's white and black and RED all over? You guessed it: posters. While black and red may be a placard cliché, when the combo is executed well in pure typographic forms, it grabs you. Whether it's high visual contrast or simply basic instinct, the pairing proves magnetic. The red-and-black marriage strikes a chord with everyone—from aspiring architects to theater mavens to the toughest design critics of all, our peers.

Global Fund for Children annual report and Mentor Youth "ME + YOU."

Red and black can be hot, pop, and shocking—but it can also be warm and fuzzy. A black and white photo on a cover pulls you in without the clutter of other colors. You notice the details, the subtlety of tones—you study the image and digest the meaning until the overall composition comes into focus. No photo? No problem! Well-crafted and carefully colored typography brings your concept home. Whether it's for the Global Fund for Children or Mentor Youth, the right mix of red and black can achieve a design holy grail: always compelling and forever young.

At the end of the day, sometimes it's best to rely on that mythological rule of Design 101—make it big and make it red. And at the end of the night, after the red-and-black muse helps you meet that impossible deadline, kick back with some ribs and beer and listen to your favorite R&B tune.