all about color
top of page The Psychology of Color
Color is all around us and effects how we perceive the world. Why do you get hungry when you drive by a fast food restaurant? Why do you trust companies with blue and/or gray logos? Why are you a fun person if you drive a yellow car? Why should you paint your kitchen blue if you're trying to lose weight? Why would you freak out if your doctor wears red? All of it has to do with color and what it says to our brain.
Color comes from light. Sunlight is white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum. The spectrum is what we're looking at when we see a rainbow.
In light, black is the absence of color and white is the blending of all colors. In pigments, the opposite is true.
Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are called "complimentary colors" and will actually vibrate when seen next to each other. The hues found in contrasting colors such as red and green appear the same to color blind people making it difficult and sometimes impossible to view a page using these colors. 1 out of ever 20 people have problems viewing this color combination. See below:
The psychology of color has been used for centuries to speed healing, influence mood and denote class. Let's answer the questions in the first paragraph for some insight on how we perceive color.
Why do you get hungry when you drive by a fast food restaurant?
- Because the colors of fast food restaurants are created to make you hungry. Think of McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and just about any chain fast-food restaurant. They color their logos and restaurants (inside and out) in warm colors (red, gold, orange, yellow, brown) because these colors stimulate hunger.
- Warm colors abound in the foods we eat (meats, grains, fruits, starches, vegetables, legumes). The coolest colors in the spectrum - violet/purple and blue appear least in food.
Why do you trust companies with blue and/or gray logos?
- Blue and grays make you feel calm and they denote stability and trustworthiness.
- Gray is the easiest color on the eyes.
- Green is a great color for food companies or environmental companies because green makes you think of nature.
- Green is also great for financial institutions because green is associated with money, wealth and abundance.
Why are you a fun person if you drive a yellow car?
- Yellow is the color of fun and happiness, that's why! Let the sun shine in!
Why should you paint your kitchen blue if you're trying to lose weight?
- Blue (as mentioned earlier) is the color least found in the foods we eat, therefore it is an appetite suppressant.
Why would you freak out if your doctor wears red?
- Red is associated with danger, passion and excitability, not things you want to think about at your next doctor's visit (unless your doctor is totally hot.) Blue denotes calm and peace and white denotes purity and cleanliness, which is why those in the medical field traditionally wear blue scrubs and white jackets.
Temperature/Seasons
Color can also denote a temperature or a particular season.
Color and Mood
- Calm and Peace - Blue
- Harmony - Green
- Happiness and Fun - Yellow
- Energy & Creativity - Orange
- Neutrality - Gray
- Hunger, Food, Eating - All Warm Colors: Yellow, Orange, Gold, Red and Brown are all colors that will make you hungry. Most fast food restaurants use warm colors for their logos, packaging and inside their restaurants.
- Youth, Revival, Renewal - Turquoise
- Dignity and Self-Respect - Purple
- Passion - Reds, Purples and Violets
- Comfort, Home - Browns and Earth Tones
- Power - Red
- Environmental, Natural -Green
- Cleanliness, Purity - White
- Strength and Stability - Black
- Royalty - Purple
- Spirituality - Depends on the faith, but Blue, Orange and Purple are the most popular
- Solid, Practical - Gray (gray is also the easiest color on the eye)
- Wealth, Money - Metallics, Green, Black
- Danger, Alarm - Red
- Femininity - Pink
For more information on how you can use color in your business, see inSITES article, Color Me Successful.
To see the latest fashion and home design color trends, read the inSITES article, Color Trends for Artists and Designers.
Sources:
- How to understand colors and their effects on you
- Color Psychology
- Color and Food Matters
- Color Green - The Color of Wealth