Good morning readers!

Have you ever walked into an orange room and felt invigorated? What about a yoga studio with soft, earthy green walls…does it make you feel relaxed? Colors have meaning and for the next few blogs we are going to share an article explaining just what they mean, the emotions they evoke, and the style they give off. Have fun!

“Color Psychology

Colors have deep subliminal meanings that affect our thinking and rational. They have symbolic meaning that changes amongst different cultures and countries.  We are faced with color choices all the time. The first crucial decision of the day usually comes in the morning when deciding what to wear. Often times we will choose our clothes based on the color of the mood we are feeling or wish to portray that day. Even more important than choice of wardrobe is the color selection for your brand or website. Color research and planning is a vital part of the design process. Before you even begin a design you must choose the appropriate colors that are effective in re enforcing the brand, message and overall tone.

Colors are a part of our pop-culture. We associate our favorite sports team by their team colors. Red Sox, White Sox, Cleveland Browns, Duke Blue Devils are among a few teams to incorporate a color into their name. Colors have become a part of our every day vocabulary; “Canary Yellow” “Carolina Blue” “John Deere Green” “Fire Engine Red.”

“An executive for a paint company received complaints from workers in a blue office that the office was too cold. When the offices were painted a warm peach, the sweaters came off even though the temperature had not changed.” – Pantone

There are the three primary colors of Red, Yellow and Blue. Then there are secondary colors of Green, Orange and Purple. Additionally, there are Tertiary colors that are combinations of the first two sets. Complimentary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel and often evoke feelings of excitement. Analogous colors are those that are close to each other on the color wheel. These give a particular feeling whether it be warm and cozy or cold and depressing.

There are many different technical aspects when it comes to working with colors. In the print world Pantone and CMYK are the color formats, while online RGB and Hexadecimal is the medium. Because of this it is important that both the web and graphic designers work closely on the color process to make sure their colors transfer smoothly from one medium to another. A color may look one way on a particular screen but when printed out it looks totally different. It is important to come up with a color palate listing all of the different color codes that will ensure a unified color scheme throughout print and web.

Red is a very strong color. It is a noticeable color that is often used on caution and warning signs. It is often associated with stop or “beware”. It’s a hot color that evokes a powerful emotion of passion, lust, sex, energy, blood and war. Red is a good color to use for accents that need to take notice over other colors. Red is often used in flags for nations, as it is a symbol of pride and strength. It is also a sporty color that many car manufactures choose to showcase their signature vehicles…”

…to be continued…

Contact us if you need a new website, inbound marketing campaign, or IT consulting. Have a nice day, and stick around for more color psychology next time!