Poynter Online - Thursday Edition: Teachers Use Purple Ink

Al Tompkins offers story ideas to journalists via "Al's Morning Meeting" on Poynter.org (an influential web site for professional journalists).

This morning, he talks about Boston Globe article which says writing teachers are switching from red ink to purple.

Ever since my first semester of teaching, I've avoided red ink. I figured it was just too traumatic: all that horrible blood-color over a person's writing. YEECH! So instead I use whatever color catches my fancy--tourquise, brown, green, blue, and my current favorite: the aristocratic blue-black.

The Boston Globe explains that red ink as a correcting medium has history behind it: "Red's legacy as the color used in correcting papers and marking mistakes goes back to the 1700s, the era of the quill pen. In those days, red ink was used by clerks and accountants to correct ledgers. From there, it found its way into teachers' hands."

Purple, however, has a psychological rationale, as The Boston Globe explains:

A mix of red and blue, the color purple embodies red's sense of authority but also blue's association with serenity, making it a less negative and more constructive color for correcting student papers, color psychologists said. Purple calls attention to itself without being too aggressive. And because the color is linked to creativity and royalty, it is also more encouraging to students.

"The concept of purple as a replacement for red is a pretty good idea," said Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute in Carlstadt, N.J., and author of five books on color. "You soften the blow of red. Red is a bit over-the-top in its aggression."

Businesses are taking the new trend to heart. Apparently, manufacturers are cutting back on the production of red pens and goosing the supply of purple. Stores such Staples and OfficeMax are stocking more and more purple writing utensils, all just waiting for the teachers to snatch them up.

So remember: purple is the new red.