Psychological
of Color
Our reaction to color is instantaneous and has a profound
impact on the choices we make.
We all have our different practices that we use for starting
a design of any kind. Sometimes we start with paper and pen or sometimes we may
even jump right into Photoshop or Illustrator and begin tossing around ideas.
One step we can’t skip though is choosing the right color scheme for our
design. It is something that we don’t really thing about but has a subliminal
effect on how we react to what we do every day.
We have all heard of the phrase, ‘First Impression’s are the
most important’. Well, it is true, I
have discovered that most important first-impression, and psychological factor
impacting website viewers is COLOR. It
is always important to ensure that we understand the color we use in our design.
Whether our design be a web site design or print work the color combination we
choose is one of the most important choices. In order to ensure that we have a
combination that will work well there is always some research that may be done.
The internet is a very visual and extremely psychological
medium. Before a user reads a single
word of a marketing advertisement, the user is confronted with the background
color of the website, the header, the text color. Different cultures react to
colors differently, and this brief overview focuses on the responses of people
in the Western Hemisphere.
Red is the most emotional
color that will deliver any one of the following feelings to your
visitors/readers depending on the mannerism you use it and intents you have to
use it: Energy, strength, passion, eroticism, fire, lust, desire, blood, risk,
war, danger, attention and romance. When you think of this color you should be
thinking about hearts, stop signs and fire trucks.
Pink is an easy one and
is more of a soft color that will deliver the following feelings: Romance,
love, friendship, femininity, truth, passivity, good will, emotional healing,
peace, calming, affection, emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, sweet
tasting, sweet smelling, ethereal, delicacy. It can also give the emotion of devoting
to breast cancer. For obvious reasons you can see why the National Breast
Cancer Foundation chose this color for the breast cancer awareness month. You
should be thinking about women, breast cancer, romance and candy when you think
of this color.
Orange is a stimulating
color and is used to be associated with life and health. In restaurants it is
used to encourage appetite. Orange is also associated with being tropical,
fresh and invigorating. Orange usually is associated with the following feelings:
warmth, energy, vibrancy, the sun, friendly, intense, joy, tropics, growing
things, heat, creativity, autumn, earth, appetite stimulant, and youth. When
you think about orange you should be thinking about fresh oranges, sunsets and
sunrises.
Brown is an earthy tone
and usually is associated with growth and life. When using brown it is usually
to associate with health and nature. The typical emotions derived from brown
are: earth, materialistic thoughts, home, outdoors, inexpensive, reliability,
credibility, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity, comfort, longevity,
intimacy, tranquility, masculine, nurturing, contentment, fertility,
generosity, dirt, substance, practicality, and hard work. Brown is best used
with a texture to imply these things; otherwise it is simply just to plain of a
color. When thinking of brown you should be thinking about dirt, wood and
general nature.
Gold is a color that
exerts wealth and has a general sense of class associated with it. In order for
it to be used properly to get these connotations though it must be shiny in
some mannerism otherwise it looks cheap. The obvious and only think that comes
to mind when using gold is money and alcohol. But mostly just money and wealth
are the two main and universal associations with the color gold. When thinking
about gold you should be thinking about wedding bands, class and wealth.
Yellow is said to
stimulate mental activity and be one of the primary colors of attention. When
using yellow it is best to not use it too lightly or loses its stimulating
effects. The typical emotions that are derived from yellow are: intelligence,
light, cooperation, sunshine, joy, happiness, intellect, energy, cheerfulness,
optimism, purity, warmth, honor, caution (only when used in small amounts), and
cowardice (although only within the last thirty years or so), imagination,
hope, summer, philosophy, uncertainty, restlessness, glory, and enlightenment.
When you are thinking of yellow you should be thinking of the sun, religion and
caution signs.
Green is an earthy and
calming color that can also imply intelligence also. Green also signifies health and growth (vegetation) and wealth (money). The color green symbolizes spring, renewal and fertility. Typically green is
associated with the following emotions: earth mother, physical healing,
monetary success, abundance, fertility, growth, renewal, youth, stability,
endurance, freshness, nature, environment, tranquil, refreshing, quiet, hope,
immortality, health, healing, good luck, renewal, youth, jealousy, trees, grass,
vigor, growth, harmony, envy, calm, contemplation, and friendliness. When
thinking about green you should be thinking about money, health and
tranquility.
Blue is the color of
wisdom and trust. It is considered to be a safe color and signifies intelligence, reassurance, and trust. The most
common feelings that people have with blue are: communication, wisdom,
protection, spiritual inspiration, calmness, reassurance, fluidity, water, sea,
creativity, peace, calming, higher thoughts, the sky, devotion, progress,
freedom. trust, loyalty, intelligence, reassurance, artistry, compassion,
sadness, tranquility, confidence, security, cleanliness, order, comfort, cold,
technology, intellect, ideas, sharing, empathy, relaxation, affection,
inspiration, friendship, patience, contemplation, infinity, harmony,
non-threatening, and dependability. When thinking about blue you should think
about the ocean, technology, and tranquility.
The combination of red and blue, purple is one of the most intriguing colors and symbolizes creativity. Purple is a color
typically associated with royalty and is also the most liked color of
pre-adolescent children over any other color. When thinking about purple the
most common feeling are: influence, spiritual power, self assurance, dignity,
high aspirations, royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery,
transformation, sophistication, arrogance, dreams, imagination, wealth,
extravagance, magic, creativity, energy, ego, ambition, fame, luxury, and
power. When thinking of purple think of monarchy, children and luxury.
White is a pure color and
is typically associated with being good and is the most religious color. The
typical emotions that are derived from white are: spirituality, peace, higher
self, purity, virginity, reverence, simplicity, cleanliness, humility,
precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, cold,
clinical, sterility, clarity, perfection, innocence, goodness, light, fairness,
safety, positivity, faith, coolness, charity, union, self-sacrifice, holiness,
feminine divinity, pristine, chastity and positivity.
Black is a color that has mysterious and sometimes
negative connotations that can create the wrong image if used improperly. The
typical feelings that are derived from black are: protection, repelling
negativity, power, sexuality, sophistication, elegance, mystery, fear, evil,
anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger,
underground, space, secretiveness, night, emptiness, dramatic, authority,
prestige, grief, anger, and serious. Black can represent power, elegance, and sophistication.
Gray is generally conservative and formal, but can also be modern. It is sometimes considered a color of mourning. It’s commonly used in corporate designs, where formality and professionalism are key. It can be a very sophisticated color. Pure grays are shades of black, though other grays may have blue or brown hues mixed in.
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