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erSadnessRage iationAnxietyG Content asyInfactuation rrowLoveBere edFearStressJ mentHappines pairDistressH 3 Introduction Brown & Grey Red Pink Orange Yellow Colour in Life. Green Blue Purple Black White References
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What is colour? colour is scientifically the spectrum that results from light in the form of wavelengths and frequencies. The human eye can only detect three particular colours which we call additive primaries: red, blue and yellow. These three colours are mixed together in our minds to create the other various colours of the spectrum as we see it. The length of the wavelengths and frequencies that appear in light has a prominent influence in which particular colour we see through our eyes. For instance, red and violet are at different ends of the spectrum because red has a higher wavelength but has a much lower frequency than violet. Colour has always been around us since the day we were born. Its presence is just as constant in our lives as our emotions and our ability of intelligent thought. With the existence of both colour and the different states of mind hand in hand, human kind are inevitably affected mentally (and even physically) by the sight of different colours in various ways.Thus each colour has been given connotations and symbolism by people throughout history. This book explores the many colours that we can see and the connotations we apply to them, while explaining the psychology behind it all and why they can evoke a variety of emotional responses from us.
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Grey is the combination of black and white and is the most neutral of all the shades. It is a conservative color and good for use as a background color. Gray (also will take on qualities of its colored undertone) Neutral, Non-committal, cold sophisticated. Grey can also signify psychologically gloominess, sadness, ghosts, ashes, cobwebs, and the dust of a haunted house and other scary things. People who like Grey tend to be neutral about life. They like to protect themselves from the hectic world in a blanket of non-commitment preferring a secure, safe, balanced existence. They work hard and are the “middle of the road” type of individual. They have often made compromises in their lifestyles. They are practical and calm and do not like to attract attention. To dislike Grey is to dislike neutrality. These individuals look for a richer, happier and fuller lifestyle. This may lead them to get into one involvement, hobby, or interest after another in the pursuit of happiness. Brown is a warm and comforting colour. It is also a colour that can be seen throughout nature, reappearing in the soil and trees. Being a colour that is strongly connected to the earth, it may be why we associate it with convention with the earth being the very foundation of things. It may also be why it brings to mind good-natured personalities or being “down-to-earth”. Brown can also be associated with strength, possibly because of thick, unmoveable tree trunks and the sturdiness of wood. Earth and nature is the natural environment of mankind, so the earthy colour of brown reminds us of comfort, home and security. A room or a house furnished in brown would certainly have a homely and warm feeling to it. But, despite all this, it can also evoke a feeling of isolation or sadness, especially a dull shade of brown. If you’re surrounded by brown, maybe a room that over uses the colour, you may feel uncomfortably alone. But, if it were used a little more sparingly and in the right situations, it can evoke happier emotions and even an appetite. I’m sure the picture presented here can be proof of that! In fact, most warm colours are capable of raising appetite, like red for example.
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Red is one of the most extreme colours in the spectrum. Such a bright and dominant colour attracts our attention immediately which is why you may see it often in advertising, even to highlight a certain part of information that they would want you to see or read the most. It’s very important that the colour red dominates our attention because, in nature, such bright colours usually convey that the object or creature is dangerous. The same message of danger is combined with its attention-grabbing effect in situations such as driving; the “Stop” sign being the best example. Red is such a strong and emotionally charged colour that it can even affect us physically. It’s scientifically shown that the sight of the colour can cause a raise of blood pressure and pulse rate. Such a stimulative colour is therefore associated with strong emotions and adrenaline-inducing situations including energy, survival, anger, excitement, hate and love.
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Pink, which can be identified as a very light shade of red, can also be associated with love and romance. However, it is not as stimulative a colour as red and its effects are instead more subtle. As a result, it comes across as a sweeter colour, losing the aggressive and extreme effects of red. In fact, the effects of pink seem to be the very opposite of red as pink is seen to have a soothing influence over the viewer. In some prisons, the walls of cells are painted a shade of bubble-gum pink as a way to calm inmates. However, the tranquil effect of pink is only effective from initial exposure and after a person has become accustomed to the colour, they can actually become increasingly irritated from continued exposure. Despite this, the nurturing and calming impression of pink is what gives it its feminine quality. While red seems more “grown-up�, pink seems less mature but pretty all the same. As a result, it is almost always associated with young girls.
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The secondary colour orange is another warm and light-hearted colour. Like brown, it reminds viewers of comforting things, especially of summer and good times. In fact, it is also effective in stimulating appetite. It’s no wonder, considering how bright and energetic orange is. The combination of the high energy and optimism of yellow and the passion of red is what give orange its associations with ambition and fun. However, not everybody likes the colour for these qualities; interestingly, it is normally a colour that you either love or hate. Some people probably dislike it because of the frivolous nature of orange, or simply because it isn’t an attractive colour to them. Either way, it is the most likeliest colour to evoke either a strongly positive or negative reaction. Orange is also, like most warm colours, used to grab attention. Unlike red, it signifies safety to many people and is often used to guide and attract others for help (for example, traffic cones and life jackets). It also attracts the eye in advertising as well for the effect of affordability due to it’s light-hearted nature.
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Yellow, just as fun-loving as orange and perhaps even more so, is the brightest and most attention-grabbing of all the colours. It gives the impression of being a happy, confident and optimistic colour due to it’s effect on the human brain. When we are surround by the colour, our brains releases a greater amount of a chemical called seratonin which is what makes us feel happier. This effect is most likely the reason behind why we relate it to higher self-esteem and emotional strength. Strangely, however, we also associate it with emotional fragility, anxiety depression. It almost doesn’t make sense that we give both positive and negative ideas that oppose each other to a colour that is supposed make us feel good – but it actually does make sense.Because it is so bright, yellow is in fact the harshest colour on the eye. This is because yellow reflects a high amount of light and if the viewer were surrounded and exposed to it for a prolonged time, he or she will become frustrated and stressed. Furthermore, it is proven that babies who are placed in yellow rooms cry more often and adults who try to read from a yellow page or computer screen tend to suffer from eye-strain and, in extreme cases, vision loss. However, yellow isn’t really as terrible a colour as it may now sound as long as you use it sparingly and in an appropriate place or composition. Yellow can also cause a faster metabolism and the happy-go-lucky colour can also support our creativity!
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Unlike yellow, green has the complete opposite effect on the eye as it is the easiest to look at; it gives the human eye no need to adjust, allowing no eyestrain. Instead, this makes the viewer feel calm and at ease. Green can be seen recurrently throughout nature which makes it a very familiar and , therefore, a comfortable colour to us. Also, because of this, we associate it best with the earth and the environment. Green is the perfect harmony of warm and cool colours and can be found exactly in the middle of the colour spectrum. This gives us a sense of balance which, in turn, adds to the soothing effect green has on us.
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The calming and environmental conveyance of green also makes it a peaceful colour to us. And, of course, green also represents growth as inspired by the sprouting of plants. Green can convey many positive things as long as you use the correct shades. If you were to implement a dull shade of green however, it may remind the viewer unpleasant images like the green of algae, normally caused by stagnation or of illness due to the slight and unnatural shade of green of sickly pale skin. In the history of green, it is also said to be the representative colour of envy, as per the expression â&#x20AC;&#x153;green with envy.â&#x20AC;?
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blue. Blue is the most popular colour, winning over the majority of people as their favourite colour. Another colour that can be found in the natural world, it is the colour of the sky as well as the ocean which takes up 70% of the Earth. Blue is also a colour that calms the viewer. In fact, some shades of blue actually cause the body to produce chemicals that calms and lowers the pulse rate of the viewer upon sight of the colour. This is why many people would choose to paint their bedrooms blue. Light blues are especially effective in increasing concentration and calmness while deeper blues effectively encourage clear thought. However, there are other shades that do not evoke this same effect and, instead, can create a message of aloofness and a lack of care. It is also apparent that blue is the least appetising colour. This is reasonable considering it would be human instinct to avoid eating blue plantation in order to avoid poisoning ourselves.
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After all, blue rarely appears in natural foods except for plums and blueberries. Dieticians even recommend people to eat their food off of blue plates in weight loss programs. But it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just bad connotations that are applied to blue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is still good that comes from the use of blue. After all, the calming effect of blue relieves stress and allows for increased productivity which is why many offices are painted blue. The productivity that blue causes may be the reason it is popularly seen as an intellectual and loyal colour.
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Purple, however, is very different from blue and green as it is a rarity to find in nature. The few exceptions may be with some types of flowers like violets and lavender. For this reason, people find purple to be a very exotic colour and associate it with royalty and wealth. In fact, since purple was so difficult to find naturally, purple dye for clothing was only affordable to peopel of royalty in the past. Despite this, if the colour was overused in some situation, especially advertising, it would instead degrade its air of quality and it will have the complete opposite effect of being cheap and flimsy. The rarity of purple has an otherworldly impression on people whenever they have the chance to see it which would explain its association with spirituality. It evokes a sense of introverted thinking and encourages reflecting on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self. But this message of introverted thinking can be seen as a negative implication rather than a positive one.
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Black is the total result of all colours, creating the darkest value as well as one of the most overwhelming colours. In many cultures, including our Western one, black is a colour that has many negative connotations. Black absorbs all light in the colour spectrum and it is the colour that we see when it is completely dark, so inevitably it is viewed as a menacing colour to which people feel vulnerable rather than safe. Thus, giving itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connotations with fear and stress. The sight of black is often overwhelming, as though the viewer is staring into an abyss. The empty, albeit restful, feel of black and its lack of safety are associated with grief and death which is why we wear black to a funeral in our culture. But the overwhelming and strong effect of black is what also gives its associations with power and authority. Although black is often the chosen colour of attire for villainous fictional characters to support the impression that they are evil, it is also to make them seem more powerful as the main villain. However, in other and more realistic situations, the command for respect can make black a very sophisticated colour in fashion and clothing. It is also a popular colour to wear due to its slimming quality. This is caused by the illusion that black appears to contract space; if you were in a room that was entirely black, including the ceiling, you may feel claustrophobic.
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White, on the other hand, is the complete opposite to black and in many ways. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contract, but expand space and distance. For this reason, the ceilings in houses are always painted white both in bright and dark rooms to ensure a feeling of space. While black is seen as evil and unsafe, white represents the light of day and the heavens. We feel safe as long as there is light and so we associate it with good and sanctuary. This would be because, being the brightest value, white reflects the full spectrum into our eyes.
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Although this causes its brightness, this can make white quite a strain to look at. Its strong radiance is what probably makes it such a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cleanâ&#x20AC;? colour. But some people, especially of other cultures, find the overwhelming brightness of white quite frightening. Like how we see black, some people find the colour white quite confronting and so it has connotations made with death and mourning as well. The white of snow reminds us of coldness and the lack of emotion derived from white makes it both an unfriendly and boring colour.
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appinessAnge References tementHumili onfusionEcsta elightCalmSor usAloneAmuse syGriefExcitem asyAngerDesp 32 Barlowe, T. (2011). DEF1108 Design foundations 2: Colour - â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing in colourâ&#x20AC;?. Edith Cowan University, Bradford Street, Mount Lawley, Western Australia, 6050, Faculty of Education and Arts, Perth.
Barto, K. (n.d.). The Meaning of the Colour Grey/Gray. Retrieved 31/10/2011, from KMB Designs: http://www.kmb-designs.com/colors/grey.html
Cherry, K. (n.d.). Colour psychology: How colors impact moods, feeling and behaviours. Retrieved 31/10/2011, from About.com: Psychology: http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm Color psychology and marketing: Business, sales and the world wide web are in color. (n.d.). Retrieved 31/10/2011, from Precision Intermedia: http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html Color psychology: Do different color affect your mood? (n.d.). Retrieved from 31/10/2011, from Infoplease: http://infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html
Color: Meaning, symbolism and psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved 31/10/2011, from Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/colorexpert
Wright, A. (n.d.). Psychological Properties of Colours. Retrieved 31/10/2011, from Colour affects: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
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