The Psychology of......COLOR!
ROY G BIV, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, the colors of the rainbow, the light wavelengths that the human eye can see. Some individuals are able to perceive more color hues than others. Humanity as a whole has associated different colors with to different themes within their given culture. For example, Western countries tend to view white to represent purity and innocence while Eastern countries see it as a symbol of mourning. Although each of us have unique perceptions of color and the effect they individually have on us differs, there are color psychologists that have studied universal meaning in colors for emotional understanding which has been used for purposes of branding and marketing. We’ll check out these universal associations that psychologists have narrowed in on and how that ultimately applies to interior design.
Red- Excitement, Energy, Passion
Red font is everywhere in advertising. This is meant to convey passion and excitement for the product.
Orange- Creativity, Fun, Optimism
A lot of logos are orange to catch the viewer’s eye, to engage them in an optimistic and fun way.
Yellow- Spontaneity, Happiness, Opportunity
Yellow stimulates the left side of the brain, helping with clear thinking and decision, much like sunshine does!
Lime Green- Growth, Harmony, Kindness
A lot of wellness companies use light colors of green to convey a restful and secure feeling.
Kelly Green- Stability, Balance, Reliability
Have you ever noticed that a lot of banks, real estate agents, and financial institutions use green in their branding?
Sky Blue- Freedom, Wisdom, Joy
Sky Blue remind one of the skies and the heavens.
Royal Blue- Loyalty, Inner Security, Honesty
Corporate environments love to use royal blue in their offices as well as attire to promote the above attributes to the success of the team and company.
Violet- Sensitivity, Mystery, Imagination, Spirituality
Many psychics, psychologists, and religious organizations all employ violet in their environments.
Pink- Compassion, Love, Immature
The passion of red combined with the purity of white create this color associated with love, tranquility and femininity.
Brown- Reliability, Stability, Comfort, Natural
Brown relates to the idea of natural and simple. Often thought to be boring but reliable and wholesome.
Gray- Neutral, Formal, Quiet
Gray is considered to be an unemotional, detached color seeking to avoid attention. It conveys gloom and depression. While it is neutral and stable, it can also conjure feelings of frustration.
Black- Power, Control, Elegance, Discipline, Authority
Black is the most versatile as it is actually the lack of color. It can be seen as mysterious, a barrier, and convey evilness and pessimism. It can be formal and sophisticated, sexy and secretive.
Equipped with the knowledge that there are universal associations with colors helps us as interior designers understand what our clients might think and feel about certain colors and how best to design their spaces. In our next post we’ll explore how the interior design industry has used the psychology of colors to hone in on specific colors for specific spaces.