Like Sram's Force chainset, the Sram Red is an all-carbon crankset with an integrated BB spindle. It has carbon arms built on an aluminum spine, which in turn is attached to a carbon spider. The primary difference other than appearance is that Red's arms have a lower profile, leading to a lower Q-factor and added stiffness, this places the feet in a narrower more natural position, which in turn improves your pedalling action. The cranks are then finished off with SRAM's use of decals on the outside and the inside of the arms, which look simply stunning.

Sram didn't just stop at the cranks when creating this new chainset, they redesigned the profile of their PowerGlide chainrings to make them noticeably stiffer, this reduces loss of power through transmission flex. This lack of flex has another benefit though, it means smoother shifts up and down the rings.
Speed-sapping friction? The Red Crankset virtually eliminates it with new hybrid ceramic bearings housed within the GXP™ BB's case.

Ceramic bearings ride in a stainless steel race, are more efficient, use a lighter seal, and are lighter, stiffer, and longer-lasting than normal bearings.
The overall end result: a crank that's evolutionary in its design and revolutionary in its ability to put you at the front of the pack no matter which size you choose.