Monday, March 2, 2009

Colour Psychology



Red
In western society the symbolism of red is Passion, strength, energy, fire, love, sex, excitement, speed, heat, arrogance, ambition, leadership, masculinity, power, danger, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, socialism, communism, aggression, summer, autumn, stop, Mars (planet) and respect.
Red is also the color of the devil in modern Western culture.
It also represents hunger.



Orange
The symbolism of orange is happiness energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, aggression, arrogance, gaudiness, over emotion, warning, danger, autumn and desire, orange has less intensity or aggression than red and is calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow.










Yellow
The symbolism of yellow is sunlight, joy, happiness, earth, optimism, intelligence, idealism, wealth (gold), summer, hope, air, liberalism, cowardice, illness (quarantine), fear, hazards, dishonesty, weakness, greed, femininity, gladness, sociability, summer and friendship. Yellow evokes feelings of happiness but when we are confronted with too much yellow, we become annoyed or angered. Yellow like red can also represent hunger.





Purple
The symbolism of purple is nobility, envy, Sensuality, bisexuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, ceremony, mystery, wisdom, royalty, enlightenment, arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, mourning, profanity, exaggeration, confusion and pride.



Green
The symbolism of green is great intelligence, nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money (US), good luck, vigor, generosity, go, grass, aggression, coldness, jealousy, illness, greed, Marijuana and drug culture(hippies) , life eternal, air and sincerity. Green is believed to be the luckiest of colors in some western countries including, Britain, Ireland, and the U.S






Pink
The symbolism of pink is spring, gratitude, appreciation, admiration, sympathy, homosexuality, kittens, muffins, Paint, femininity, health, love, sex, June, marriage and joy. Pink is the sister of red, but could not be more different than if they were complimentary. Pink is also a tranquilizing colour and symbolizes innocence and child like flirtatiousness.










Blue
The symbolism of blue is Seas, men, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, trust, coolness, confidence, conservatism, water, ice, loyalty, dependability, cleanliness, technology, winter, depression, coldness, idealism, obscenity, tackiness, sex, air, wisdom, royalty and nobility. Many police uniforms are blue because the color says confident, security, while being non-threatening.



Black
The symbolism for black is absence, modernity, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, style, evil, death (Western cultures), fear, seriousness, conventionality, rebellion, anarchism, unity and sorrow. Black is a multi-dimensional color that can mean classic or new.




White
The symbolism of white is light, reverence, purity, truth, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, sterility, winter, coldness, sex, criticism, surrender, cowardice, fearfulness, unimaginative, air and marriage. White is also associated with neutrality—hence a white flag for surrender.



Gold
In society we associate gold with value, which is exactly what is triggered when we see it in marketing materials although it can seldom be used in marketing materials because the colour usually isn't duplicated well. Gold in western society also represent expensive and prestige. Gold is also the colour of wedding bands and all things that are expressions of spiritual illumination (halos), eternity and precious bonds.






Brown
The symbolism of brown is calm, boldness, depth, natural organisms, nature, stability, tradition, fascism, boorishness, dirt, feces, dullness, filth, heaviness, poverty and roughness.




Grey
The symbolism for Grey is elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, wisdom, old age, boredom, decay, dullness, dust, entanglement, pollution, urban sprawl, strong emotions, balance, neutrality, mourning and formality. Grey is somewhere between white (good) and black (evil) and is a blasé colour.










Maroon
Maroon in society is considered a cool colour the characteristics are understated elegance, cool, calm poise, graceful, up market, timeless, expensive, soothing, and aspirational. Negative aspects of maroon are that it may be interpreted as draining, unfriendly, aloof, elitist, and 'wishy-washy'.




Silver
In society silver also represents prestige just like gold. It sends signals of cold or scientific. This is why silver is used so much for kitchen appliances. It also represents cleanness in some instances, especially kitchens. Silver is also balancing, harmonizing and sensitive.

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