Those whom know me well had heard me at some point in time said: "Life is every color and even colorless." Think about it, at specific times in our lives, we tend to associate colors with our emotions.
Colors stimulate our brain in very different ways. Actually, in the past, Egyptians and Chinese linked the effect of color with the idea of healing, encouraging certain states of consciousness or emotions. Colors, in essence, are so much more than an optical phenomenon. That is, all colors have their own meaning. All have a specific impact on our brain.
Blue
Blue is the most widely used color in offices and business because of how productive and not intrusive it is.
It is a color that suggests a sense of confidence and trust in a brand.
Blue has been proven to suppress people’s appetite, therefore it shouldn’t be used to advertise food.
It is the color of harmony, fidelity and sympathy.
It is the "coldest" color, yet it is linked to the concept of spirituality and fantasy.
There are 111 shades of blue.
It is a primary color, and for painters, the most popular shade of blue was the “ocean blue.” It is the most expensive, but give paintings an exceptional vividness.
Red
Red is also one of the most widely used colors in marketing: it stands out from the other colors, is appealing, and is used to attract attention.
It increases people’s heart rate and creates a sense of urgency, danger or immediacy.
Red is used to stimulate the appetite and encourage impulse buys.
It represents love as well as hate.
Red is the color of kings, joy and danger.
It represents blood and life.
It is a dynamic, seductive color capable of awakening our most aggressive side.
Yellow
In marketing, it represents optimism and youth.
It represents clarity and is often used to draw attention to certain products on the shelf.
It should not be overused in stores because it quickly tires the eyes. That is why it is usually used more on peripheral shelves than on the central shelves of a store.
Some studies show that deep yellow tones cause babies to cry.
For experts in the psychology of color, yellow is a contradictory color: it represents both good and bad, optimism and jealousy, understanding and betrayal.
Yellow illustrates and favors creativity.
It is considered a "masculine" color, and in China it represented royalty. (If you asked me... no colors have gender relationship though.)
Green
Green is the color of growth, renewal and rebirth.
It is associated with health, nature, freshness and peace.
It helps with problem-solving and encourages freedom, healing and tranquility.
Dark green represents money, economic matters and the bourgeoisie.
There are more than 100 shades of green, the ones closer to the middle being mood-boosters.
It also represents budding love.
Green is a color that helps us to relax. Actually, it’s useful for people with depression.
Black
Black is actually not a color, yet the phenomenon of absence of light and color is a phenomenon of light. However, a black object or black images printed on white paper are made from pigment, not light.
The "color" black is associated with elegance, secrecy, mystery and also power.
It generates strong emotions, and it’s an authoritative color.
In the world of fashion it is considered stylish and as conferring sophistication.
There are 50 shades of black
It also symbolizes the end of something: death, loss.
In the past it represented priests and now it represents conservative people.
White
In the psychology of color, white symbolizes innocence and purity.
It represents beginnings, the will to start something new.
White brings openness and honesty to a space, as well as a sense of peace, healing and tranquility.
It is associated with perfection.
There are 67 shades of white.
A white collar on clothing symbolizes status.
Purple
In marketing, beauty or anti-aging products often use purple.
It is calming.
Many brands use it to represent creativity, imagination and wisdom.
Purple and "femininity", magic and spirituality go together.
There are 41 shades of purple.
When we use it too much, it generates ambivalence: experts advise against painting whole rooms this color.
Purple symbolizes power, but also ambiguity.
Orange
In marketing, it is associated with enthusiastic shopping, and it reflects emotion and warmth.
However, if an intense orange tone is used, it can be associated with aggression. Therefore the tone should be soft, friendly and comfortable.
It is a favorite in the world of advertising because it encourages buying.
It is associated with transformation and Buddhism.
Orange not only favors positive emotions, it also generates sensations of “flavor”.
Pink
Pink symbolizes charm and courtesy.
In marketing, consumers associate it with children or romanticism.
It is the shade of erotic tenderness.
Pink symbolizes the sweet, childlike, and small.
It was Madame de Pompadour’s favorite color. (FYI - Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour , commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and remained influential as court favorite until her death.)
Maybe you don’t agree with these descriptions — or maybe you will. As we pointed out at the beginning, the impact of each color sometimes depends on our experience. However, commercially and artistically these basics are useful and effective.
Other colors are missing from this list, like brown, gold, silver or gray. We have limited the list to the most impactful colors, those that the art world and marketing use more often and unbelievable almost without us noticing secretly influencing us.
Just a final note... you might have noticed that some colors are associated with genders and I purposely used ("") in those feminine / masculine gender descriptions. Well, it is because personally, I do not associate colors with genders yet with emotions. Like I said at the beginning: "Life is of every color and colorless", it will all depend on our emotional state at a precise point in time.
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