Color Psychology & Color Meaning

Colours have a big impact on the way we view something and how we feel about it. Below you will find a description of how different colours affect us.

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Red

 

• Increases heart rate and respiration.

• Used by restaurants and fast food chains to promote appetite (e.g. Pizza Hut, McDonalds).

• Promotes passion and symbolises strength, which is why it is used in many national flags.

• Commonly associated with love.

• Very good at attracting your attention, which is why it is used on stop signs and traffic lights.

• Encourages action and causes you to make quick decisions (red is often used on buttons).

• Associated with energy, strength and passion.

• Can be used to indicate danger.

• Can intensify anger.

• Can give you a feeling of protection from danger.

• An emotional colour.

• Common car colour.

• Red clothes may appear hostile during negotiations.

• Red clothes make you appear fatter.

• Symbol of life (blood).

• Pink calms aggression and is associated with femininity.

• Used to indicate heat, such as on a hot water tap.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Orange

 

• Increases oxygen supply to the brain, and stimulates mental activity.

• Stimulates appetite.

• Represents happiness, creativity and success.

• Can create the sensation of heat.

• Very good at attracting attention.

• Can give you a feeling of energy and invigoration.

• Stimulates social interaction.

• Less aggressive than red.

• Suggests endurance and strength.

• Can represent the flames of the sun.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Yellow

 

• Stimulates mental activity.

• Too much yellow can be overpowering and make you feel angry.

• Associated with sunshine, happiness and energy.

• Has a warming effect.

• Attracts attention and is a highly visible colour (used on many signs, taxi cabs).

• Works best when contrasted with darker colours.

• Dark yellow suggests caution.

• Stimulates nervous system and can make you feel energetic.

• Encourages communication.

• Helps activate memory.

• Small amounts of yellow promote optimism and happiness.

• A lot of yellow is difficult to look at and appears very bright. Almost like looking into the sun.

• Enhances concentration.

• Speeds up metabolism.

• Darker yellows are associated with wealth (gold).

• Can signal a hazard, such as a risk of electrocution.

• Yellow promotes creativity when you are exposed to it briefly, but can quickly overpower you if you look at it for too long or there is too much of it.

• Yellow can be associated with cowardice, such as the yellow of a chicken.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Green

 

• Symbolises nature, growth and freshness.

• Associated with safety and stability.

• Dark green is associated with money.

• Said to have healing properties on the body, and especially the eyes.

• Is a soothing and relaxing colour.

• Can help to alleviate depression and nervousness.

• Suggests harmony and self control.

• Bright green is a refreshing colour.

• Associated with luck.

• Green suggests initiative.

• Green can be seen well from long distances, which is why it is used in traffic lights.

• Darker greens can appear dull and gloomy.

• Green can be associated with envy “green with envy”.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Blue

 

• Slows down metabolism and suppresses appetite.

• Has a calming and relaxing effect on the nervous system.

• Symbolises trust, communication, loyalty, peace and intelligence.

• Blue suggests health and purity.

• Too much dark blue can be depressive.

• Too much light blue can make you feel cold.

• Aids intuition and is good for creative thinking.

• Colour of the sky and ocean.

• Causes opposite effect to red (calmness vs. energetic).

• Blue clothes are good to wear to an interview because they suggest loyalty.

• Blue rooms increase productivity.

• Some police uniforms are blue because it suggests confidence and security in a non threatening way.

• In some cultures blue is believed to keep bad spirits and misfortune away.

• Associated with a conservative point of view, such as with political parties.

• One of the most popular colours.

• Traditionally associated with males (baby boys).

• Used to represent temperature, such as on a cold water tap.

• Used by the United Nations because blue is associated with peace.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Purple

 

• Associated with royalty, power, wealth, ambition, magic, mystery and wisdom.

• Too much dark purple feels gloomy, and can cause frustration.

• Encourages creativity and problem solving.

• Calms mind and nervous system.

• Suggests spirituality.

• Purple items suggest luxury.

• Rare in nature.

• Colour of mourning in Thailand.

• Can create envy.

• Overuse of purple appears artificial or disingenuous.

• Lonely colour.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour White

 

• Associated with light, purity and innocence.

• Is a cool and clean colour.

• Suggests simplicity.

• White is used in hospitals to suggest sterility and safety.

• Associated with low fat products.

• White clothes makes your skin appear darker.

• Aids mental clarity.

• Encourages you to clear clutter or obstacles.

• Associated with a fresh beginning.

• Brides wear white to suggest innocence and purity.

• Works well when combined with any colour.

• Is a neutral colour and is associated with neutrality, such as a white flag for surrender.

• White suggests trust.

• Too much white can make something appear empty and bright.

• White makes rooms look larger.

• Some eastern countries associate white with death.

• Associated with creativity.

• Associated with winter and snow.

• White objects reflect heat.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Black

 

• Associated with power, authority, evil, death and mystery.

• Black can symbolise fear.

• Creates perception of depth.

• Black clothes can make you look thinner.

• Has a negative connotation to it.

• Combines well with bright powerful colours such as white, orange, red and yellow.

• Too much black can be depressing.

• Can make things look stylish and expensive, such as with cars, computers and furniture.

• Is a colour associated with death, such as at funerals.

• Black is often worn by authority figures, such as judges or policemen.

• Black gives a sense of professionalism, such as black suit.

• Black objects absorb heat quickly.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Brown

 

• Associated with earth.

• Suggests stability and order.

• Gives a feeling of wholesomeness.

• Light brown suggest genuineness.

• Dark brown can be depressive.

• Used in environmentally friendly products because it symbolises natural things.

• Can stimulate appetite.

• Suggests reliability and friendliness.

• Colour of morning in India.

• Associated with wood.

• Gives a sense of familiarity.

 

Meaning & Effects Of The Colour Grey

 

• A colour in between white and black.

• Can symbolise stability, respect and wisdom.

• Too much grey can appear dull and boring.

• Is associated with pollution and an urban environment.

• Small amounts of grey can suggest solidity, such as solid as a rock.

• Associated with old age (grey hair).

• A neutral colour which can enhance the effect of other colours.