Ring, Ring
No, this phone is not really red, and yes, the quotes are superfluous. But, in this case, it’s all fine. It’s not a red phone but it is a “RED PHONE.”
It’s funny that I noticed this phone this week, since we’ve just seen Hillary Clinton’s “Children” ad, which asks which candidate you’d rather have answering a ringing phone–a “red phone” is the implication–in the White House. At the end of the ad, Clinton is seen speaking on a phone just like this one. Not a red phone, though apparently a “RED PHONE.”
In product design, we often use cultural knowledge as a shortcut to building a relationship with the consumer. A radio may have a built-in “smile” to make it more friendly. The controls on a piece of software might look like physical buttons or switches to quickly convey function. A car with an automatic transmission might include a tachometer to remind you of the control (and maybe the fun) of driving a stick-shift.
In this case, “RED PHONE” is cultural shorthand for “phone that immediately connects you to something important.” It’s the Kremlin hotline, or the phone on Commissioner Gordon’s desk that summons Batman. It doesn’t really need to be red; it just needs to be prominent. In this case, the bare plank behind the phone, though hideous, probably helps.
All in all, a great example of OK design from a complete lack of design.
