Colour
This research project is going to be based on the psychology behind colour and what is the future of colour theory based on technology advancement and why is it so important in Graphic design. Throughout this essay I am going to analyse, critical examples of colour using visually rich research about my chosen topic discussing how it will be foreseen in the future. The designers referred to in this essay will be working in this current industry who heavily use colour within their designs. I will also focus on asking these designers where they think the future of colour is heading and how it will affect their work, as well as how and why they use colour within their designs. It is also important to remember the foundation of colour therefore this essay will look into how colour is made and how it is an important part of how colour has and will develop within the future. The purpose of this essay is to understand colour and why designers use it within their work. Is it different for everyone or does it all underpin and end up being for the same reason? Any designer who uses colour within their work will benefit from this research as it gives a broader knowledge, giving insight into a designer’s judgment of colour and where colour started, how it is perceived and how it may develop within the future.
Fig.1: Dispersion of sunlight of colours of the spectrum, (1970)
The fundamental beginning of colour begins with Isaac Newton when in 1676 using a triangular prism Newton analysed white sunlight into a spectrum of colours. Newton shows this in Fig.1 above showing how sunlight enters through a slit falling upon a prism which leads to a ray of white light being dispensed allowing colours such as orange, green, blue and violet to be seen. The colours are produced by refraction but there are other ways to create colours such as interference, diffraction, polarisation and fluorescence. ITTEN J, (1970)
Fig.2:.Chinese Hong Bao, (n.d.)
These early descriptions of the foundation of colour began the understanding of how colour worked and allowed artists to work with colour better. To briefly give an insight to some colours which Newton analysed and highlight how designers can perceive these colours therefore use them to communicate a message, whether that be through a painting, logo, book cover etc there is certain correlations behind a colour and a feeling. For example Red is associated with many things including passion, love, excitement, strength, power, anger, aggression and danger. (The psychology of colours and their meaning.n.d) A study has proven that seeing Red releases epinephrine in the body, a chemical that causes rapid breathing and raised heart rate, blood pressure and pulse rate. This is why Red can be seen as seductive, dangerous and a powerful colour. (The psychology of colours and their meaning.n.d.) Different cultures also perceive red differently, For example in China red is associated with death appearing on graves and tomb stoneS. However, in contrast Red is also associated with joy and good luck, Red envelopes called Hong Bao shown in fig.2. are given at big events such as weddings with money inside as a gift and is also used to warn off any evil spirits.
Red is also associated through the devil as he is portrayed to be wearing Red. Prostitution is also linked for example the Red Light district in Amsterdam. Lastly, it was once a sign of power as kings and cardinals were fond of red clothing. A brand that have used Red well is Virgin “perhaps the best example of a company that has successfully harnessed red’s innate power but only by positioning itself as a bold outsider.” (Clair, 2018, p137) Fig.3 shows that the virgin logo is bold, simple and striking. It is also used for more than one purpose such as Virgin airlines, Virgin media, Virgin records therefore it needed to be diverse in order for it to succeed in more than one area.
Yellow is a colour that corresponds with happiness. It is a joyful and radiant colour, bringing warmth, optimism, creativity, friendliness, enthusiasm and confidence but in opposition relates to anxiety, jealousy, depression, fear and caution. (Color Psychology The psychology of colours and their meaning, n.d)
Fig.3: 2000px-Virgin-logo.svg (n.d.)
In my personal opinion Yellow has always been a colour that represents happiness, joy and warmth within someone’s design work; A strong example of this is Emily Coxhead as she uses yellow as one of her main colours, in her illustrations, products and within ‘the happy newspaper’ logo shown in fig.4. The yellow used in this is an imperfect circle supported by a black hand drawn font saying ‘The Happy News.’ The text enhances the design as if I personally just saw the yellow circle I wouldn’t understand the concept, however both combined this makes a strong design piece.
Fig.4.Emily Coxhead banner Happy Newspaper (n.d.)
Fig.5. Emily Coxhead banner products, (n.d.) Coxhead mixes her palette however quite frequently using pink, blue and white within her illustrations shown in fig.5 above. The illustrations that Coxhead makes then turn into products, which are fun, unique and high-spirited, and are now being sold in stores such as John Lewis. This proves that even though Coxhead is a freelance designer having her own style helped her become successful and colour is one of the main elements that support her designs and make them successful and individual.
Yellow is also related to sickness such as jaundice, sallow skin or a bilious attack and has also has been a colour used to demoralise human beings, the most notorious example being the yellow stars that Jews where forced to wear by Nazi’s as a symbol of stigma. Other minorities were also forced to wear yellow clothing or signs in the middle ages, however contradicting this point yellow has always been seen as beauty especially Hitler accepted people with blonde hair and blue eyes; Blonde hair is seen as ideal proving this point furthermore as at one point in time prostitutes with blonde hair were also able to demand a premium. A culture that relates to this point is China as most of their printed materials like books that include pornographic images are mostly yellow. On the other hand, yellow has also been perceived to show power throughout high-class society as royal buildings where marked out by yellow roofs. (Clair, 2018, pp 64, 65)
Blue is a colour related too, calmness, sadness, serenity, intelligence, confidence and aloofness. (The psychology of colours and their meaning.n.d) Much like yellow depending on the shade of blue that you use it can create a different feeling. In my personal opinion dark blue highlights a dull mood whereas a light Blue creates calmness for example a clear blue sky on a sunny day allows me to feel calm and peaceful. Blue has positive impacts on people depending upon how its used for example in 2009 on Tokyo’s Yamanote railway line Blue lights were installed to reduce the likeliness of suicide’s, From doing this results have shown that since these lights were installed suicides have fell by 74% in the particular stations which the Blue lights were installed. The goal the government have is to drop these numbers by 20% of the 2005 suicide rate. The 2013 rate of suicides was the lowest in fifteen years and is the second year the rate has been below 30 thousand;
The government are focusing on making train stations safer in order to prevent these accidents happening which will also effect peoples journey meaning fewer delays. (Mckean 2014) Gatwick Airport train platforms has also followed through and installed these blue lights as there are many claims to say the Blue light makes people feel calmer and less impulsive. (Westland, 2017) Although it is not scientifically proven that colour doesn’t have an effect on the way we react this study alone emphasises the theory that colour does subconsciously affect people’s moods Blue is also proven to be both females and male’s favourite colour overall from a study I have found online from 2003 and 2012.
Fig. 6 Female - favourite colour (2003)
Fig.7. Male - favourite colour, 2003)
Fig.8 Whats your favourite colour? (2013) Both of these results show that blue is people’s favourite colours even ten years apart. Female’s have increased in liking blue however men have decreased dropping by 15% however, this can’t be fully confirmed as it is not known if both of these surveys asked the same population. From the pie chart in 2013 I can see there has definitely been less choice of your favourite colour therefore this may have impacted some peoples decisions. Overall, the survey highlights how blue still has an effect on people for an unknown reason. Personally I think this links back to blue being a calming colour people think of serenity it is non-threatening and brings calmness and a sense of stability to people.
‘Egyptians, Hindu’s and the North African Tribe, have a special place for blue and blue things in their lives.’ (Clair, 2018: 180) This proves Blue is a diverse colour and throughout different societies can be viewed quite differently. Furthermore, Blue is also seen negatively as with current technology we have blue light on our phones throughout most of our days this impacts an individuals sleeping pattern indicated in a 2015 report that an American adults on average gets around 6.9 hours of sleep a night compared to 150 years ago getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Romans also perceive blue as a colour of mourning and misfortune. (Clair. 2018 pp181, 182)
Although this report has quite a massive timescale difference, it suggests how technology is impacting us a human beings and colour is linked behind it. The next colour is Green this is still many peoples favourite colour, in fact it has increased with both men and women in 2013 shown in fig,8. My view on this would be because green reminds me of nature, health and optimism; As well as this many people view green as money therefore green could be seen as a sign of good fortune. Another thing that impacts colour is Hue this is colour in it purest form, then added there is saturation this decides how intense a colour is whereas desaturation means a colour is getting closer to grey. Value can also be used to show the quantity of light reflected within a colour the higher the value the lighter the colour.
All three of these elements influence designs massively. However film is most likely the strongest example as colour sets the undercurrent for a film. There is no scientific evidence that colour makes us feel a particular way however the film industry used to draw over the colours to enhance a film before colour technology was even invented. I’m not sure to why this was but none the less this proves colour was a powerful part of a film and is used to set the scene in order to make people feel a particular way. (Chriswell, 2015) ‘Benjaman Christian proved red on a film made us feel much more on edge which contrasted to serine shots bathed in blue. Colour soon became a way to symbolise the inner workings of characters, In Eric von Stroheim’s “Greed” his wife wins the lottery the mans hand is then tinted yellow and by the end of the film as the mans possessiveness has grown the entire film is engulfed in yellow symbolising the mans complete consumption through the use of colour alone.’ (Chriswell, 2015, 2 minutes 30 seconds)
Fig.9.Disney Inside Out (2015) This is the start of how colour was being used effectively to portray storytelling and has developed throughout history another example of colour being used effectively is shown through Star Wars as you automatically know good and evil based on the colour of a lightsaber, Furthermore, Wes Anderson an American film maker uses colour as the context to his stories for example just looking at “The Grand Budapest Hotel” you can easily see because of the colours that there is no emotional weight (Chriswell, 2015) Lastly, a film which uses colour to portray emotion is “Inside Out” where Disney portrayed Joy as yellow, sadness as Blue, Red as anger, green as disgust and purple as fear.
Even though Disney are always ahead of the game and create amazing animations the thought process that has gone into this highlights just how much colour has an impact on how people feel. To Critically analyse why this has been done fig.10. shows the colour wheel and has words linked to the colours The two colours they have made there own is purple and green this isn’t unusual as it’s normal for films to create their own perception of a feeling through a colour, while allowing viewers to gain a new emotion of the colour especially as there is no scientific evidence provided thats a colour makes you feel a particular way.I perhaps think as this is a children’s animation they have related green to disgust as children don’t like vegetables such as broccoli though, I'm not certain why they made purple fear other than they wanted to distinguish a clear link between the film and the colour. This highlights how colour theory is being used throughout not only graphic design but the film industry and many other areas as this knowledge helps people to gain a quicker understanding without realising.
Fig.10. Message Design: What is the Creative Solution? (2015)
I decided to conduct surveys, one for designers and one for the general public in order to see how colour makes them feel. The results I received from general public was quite different from designers I had three females and four males all aged 18-24 apart from one aged 45+. I asked basic questions about how colour made them feel and these where the answers shown in fig.11, fig. 12, and fig,13; I decided to ask basic questions around how three colours made them feel, which could give me an insight to how others portray colour. The most common answer for Blue was that it is a relaxing colour, whereas Red was varied. People related it to love, anger and Christmas, whereas Yellow was similar to Blue and received quite similar answers as people related Yellow to positivity and energy.
All who answered the survey agreed that colour does enhance a story. I asked if they could provide an example but the only answer I found useful was ‘Sets the mood e.g. a story describing the sky as blue and bright would likely be a happy scene, but a grey sky would symbolise sadness.’ This was the best description I received of how colour can enhance a story that shows some understanding. I don’t think I gained much from this questionnaire other than people do have a basic understanding of colour and colour theory is most definitely linked to how people view colour.
Fig.11. How does the colour blue make you feel? (2018)
Fig.13. How does Red make you feel? (2018)
Fig.12. How does Yellow make you feel? (2018)
Fig.14 Does colour aid in telling a story? (2018)
On the other hand the questionnaire I made for designers was a lot more helpful. I only had three people answer all aged 18-24 however, they all gave me different answers for example; Does colour psychology influence how and if you'll use certain colours within your work? One answered ‘no,’ another said ‘It depends on the colour, the theme and the work, if a colour matches the 3 requirements/variables then I will use them. So it does influence my work sometimes if not all the time.’ Lastly, ‘Yes I always think about a mood I want to convey.’ Fig.14. highlights how designers think colour can help aid in telling a story I received a link for a Youtube video in this answer which gave me more knowledge on colour and how its used in film which I incorporated into this essay. Another related to my first questionnaire, which I asked the public as they included about a grey sky, can indicate a sad moment in a film
Fig.15. What is the future of colour? (2018)
I asked designers how technology has affected colour and if it will change how they work within the future. One answer said technology can be positive and negative as colour can be created on a computer quickly whereas a designer still has the choice of mixing the colour by hand. The next said ‘Yes, when using traditional paints artists/designers really had to think and plan ahead with their palettes, artists would plan ahead and prepare a limited selection of paints they can use to mix with a specific colour scheme in mind for the final image. Nowadays many artists don't have this level of intent with their colours because there isn't an obvious need for it and they just pick whatever colour seems to work on the fly because they can. This works well to create something pretty but without planning can lack any purpose (narrative, function etc).’
This gives me the insight that designers know technology is here and is still developing and although there are many positive aspects of technology that aid a designers work sometimes traditional aspects are missing within artists work. In my personal opinion it is about finding a balance being able to work both traditionally and digitally and also being able to combine the two can assist in enhancing a design. When I also asked designers how the colours red, blue and yellow made them feel the responses where similar to the questionnaire I asked the public red is related to anger and passion whereas blue is a calming and relaxing as well as yellow being perceived as a friendly, happy colour. Fig.16 Collage of Maalavidaa’s work (2018) I also asked a variety of designers that I like why they use colour the first is “Alycia Rainaud, a French graphic designer and digital artist. I started working almost two years ago as a digital artist also known by the name of Maalavidaa, mostly experimenting with new technologies, digital painting, programming, and visual effects. My work always focuses on expressing anxiety and mental disorder through abstract art and an alternative digital dimension.” (ELLO, n.d)
I messaged her privately asking ‘if as an artist do you consciously choose colours within your artwork to make someone feel a certain emotion and do you take into consideration colour psychology?’ She responded ‘Hello! Absolutely, my designs are all related to emotions and I work a lot on psychology and mental health too.’ Maalavidaa (2018) I then asked ‘Can you explain any further, for example do you relate certain colours to certain emotions for me I relate yellow to positivity and happiness!’ She then responded by saying ‘my work is all about expressing my feelings, it’s a kind of conscious creative exercise inspired by Jungian therapy. The daily abstract creative process helps me to manage my anxiety and express my daily mood through colours and shapes. I have several existing colour schemes that I already use and that refers to a lot of my emotions. Recently I’ve been working a lot with warm tones and reds because I feel really anxious. On the other hand I usually use a lot of purple, which represents a lot of unknown and unprocessed thoughts.’ Maalavidaa 2018
This has helped me understand Maalavidaa’s designs more as the only thought I had was they look amazing and her designs are abstract, having insight into why she creates these pieces has given me further knowledge of her work I also spoke to @madebystudiojq ‘Jonathan Quintin. Founder and Creative Director at StudioJQ.’ (Skillshare n.d) I asked Quintin ‘Do you use pantone colour trends to produce his work as Ultra Violet is the pantone colour trend of the year, and does he think it’s important to follow colour trends?’. He responded ‘Hey, I haven’t really but now I look back at my work A LOT of it is purple so maybe I do without realising.’ Madebystudiojq (2018) This is evidence that not everyone uses colour consciously within their work and although I can see it throughout Quintin’s pieces he hasn’t been aware himself when producing which is quite surprising considering just how much of his work is purple.
I also got in touch with the designer @studio.txiki I asked her a series of questions including ‘why do you use colour within your designs? Do you use it to enhance a story or do you subconsciously use colour and do you think colour has an effect on the way we feel when we look at something? For example a photo in black and white compared to a full colour photo?’ She responded “I think colour is necessary in engaging a viewer in an equal manner to all the other elements involved (ie. Form, contrast, sound, texture etc) and it has a role in communicating a message/story. I don’t necessarily use it to enhance a story but I use it to enhance a story but I use it for whatever measure I need to, eg. To invoke a feeling, allude to a time, creating nostalgia or provoke. I don’t think colour is ever unconscious and YES definitely I 100% believe (and many studies prove) that colour affects our perception of things in myriad ways.’” studio.txiki (2018)
This is a statement agrees my work. I like to use colour consciously in order to communicate a message or evoke a feeling, brighter colours suggest a fun piece of design whereas as darker piece for me would be more serious. A mix of these colours show that I want to be professional but I want to keep elements of design that interest me and showcase me as a designer.
Pantone have recently released the colour of the year for 2019 this is “Living Coral Pantone accumulate this through a selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.” (Pantone n.d.)
This statement highlights the future of colour is and how it’s being created. I cannot prove that Pantone will get this correct as I cant predict the future however from looking at this years trend being Ultraviolet I can see throughout many designers work that the colour has been used therefore I am certain next year’s prediction will be accurate.
To conclude this essay I have learnt that colour is perceived differently to each individual however, looking at colour psychology no one has perceived a colour in a completely different way to the meanings they already have around them.
Colour can have both positive and negative subconscious effects on a human being subconsciously like blue lights being used on railway stations as blue makes you less inclined to do something and calms you down. But blue can also be a depressing colour depending upon how it is used. I personally think I haven’t fully answered my question as technology is forever changing but what I have realised is that designers understand the impact that technology has on colour and how it effects the way their work is perceived, and even though its not scientifically proven people are realising how colour can have an impact on them without noticing. Research is also being done to predict the future of colours and from previous predictions I feel has been predicted previously so thereforetaking this research into account does help into understanding the future of colour.
Bibliography lair. K, (2018) The Secret Lives of Colour, Great Britain, John Murray (publishers) Clair. K, (2018) The Secret Lives of Colour, Great Britain, John Murray (publishers) pp 64, 65 Clair. K, (2018) The Secret Lives of Colour, Great Britain, John Murray (publishers) pp.135, 136, 137 Clair. K, (2018) The Secret Lives of Colour, Great Britain, John Murray (publishers) pp.179,180, 181 Color Psychology The psychology of colours and their meaning.(n.d) Red Color Psychology and meaning,[online] available from:https://www.colorpsychology.org/red/ Accessed on: 25th November 2018 Color Psychology The psychology of colours and their meaning.(n.d) Yellow Color Psychology and meaning, [online] Available at: https://www.colorpsychology.org/red/ Accessed on: 25th November 2018 Color Psychology The psychology of colours and their meaning.(n.d) Yellow Color Psychology and meaning, [online] Available at: https://www.colorpsychology.org/blue/ Accesed on: 1st December 2018 Criswell (2015) Colour In Storytelling | CRISWELL | Cinema Cartography [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXgFcNUWqX0 Accessed on: 4th December 2018 ELLO (n.d.) Anxiety 2.0 [Online] Available at: https://ello.co/maalavidaa/post/l8xyjxlkzaewbyzdraxshq Accessed on: 4th December 2018
Bibliography Fig.1. Newton, A (1970) Dispersion of sunlight of colours of the spectrum [Digital diagram image] available at: https://monoskop.org/images/4/46/Itten_Johannes_The_Elements_of_Color.pdf Accessed on: 20th November 2018 Fig.2..Chinese Hong Bao, (n.d.) [Digital Image] Chinese Hong Bao Available at: https://www.partyemporium.net/product-page/chinese-hong-bao Accessed on: 25th November 2018 Fig.3 2000px-Virgin-logo.svg (n.d.) [Digital logo image] 2000px-Virgin-logo.svg Available at: https://getjoan.com/joan-room-booking-solutions/2000px-virgin-logo-svg/ Accessed on 25th November 2018 Fig.4. Emily Coxhead happy newspaper (n.d.) [digital Image] Emily Coxhead banner Happy Newspaper Available at: http://www.emilycoxhead.com Accessed on: 26th November 2018 Fig.5. Emily Coxhead products (n.d.) [digital Image] Emily Coxhead banner products, Available at: http://www.emilycoxhead.com Accessed on: 26th November 2018 Fig. 6. Favourite Colour by Gender Female (2003) [digital image] Female - favourite colour Available at: http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html Accessed on: 1st December 2018 Fig.7. Favourite Colour by Gender Male (2003) [Digital Image] Male - favourite colour, Available at: http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html Accessed on: 1st December 2018 Fig.8. Pie Chart: Humanity's Favorite Colors (2013) [Digital Image] whats your favourite colour? Available at: https://www.livescience.com/34105-favorite-colors.html accessed on: 1st December 2018 Fig.9. Inside out (2015) [Digital Image] Disney Inside Out, Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/?ref_=vi_close Accessed on: 4th December 2018 Fig.10. Colour Wheel (2015) [Digital Image] Message Design: What is the Creative Solution? Available at: https://conardcreative.wordpress.com/tag/color-wheel/ Accessed on: 4th December 2018 Fig.11 McDermott K (2018) [Screenshot] How does the colour blue make you feel? Answered on: 26th November 2018 ďŹ g.12 McDermott K (2018) [Screenshot] How does yellow make you feel? Answered on: 26th November 2018 Fig.13. McDermott K {2018) [Screenshot] How does red make you feel? Answered on: 26th November 2018 Fig.14. Mcdermott K (2018) [Screenshot] Does colour aid in telling a story? Answered on: 26th November 2018 Fig.15. McDemott K (2018) [Screenshot] What is the future of colour? Answered on: 26th November 2018 Fig.16. McDermott K (2018) [Collage] Collage of Maalavidaa’s work Created on: 1st December 2018
Bibliography
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