Colour Psychology 101

I love colour.  I think colour makes the world a more interesting place as it can influence our mood or impulses.  The meaning and strategies each colour conveys makes for some interesting observations.  Here's my attempt at Colour Psychology 101.


Hot Colours:  red, yellow and orange
Cool Colours:  blue, green and violet


Bright or highly contrasting colours draw the eye more quickly and are easier to see than pastel or low-contrast colours.  They can define moods.  Colours indicate energy, either active and outgoing or receptive and introspective.  Let's take the colour red as an example.

Bright colours - fire engine red
Meaning - extroversion, energy sportiness, attention seeking behavior, aggressiveness


Shade - red + black = Moroccan red
Meaning - conservatism, masculinity, sexiness, suppressed physical energy

Tint - red + white = hot pink
Meaning - naughty, innocence, teenage quality, assertiveness, energetic, fun



More Tint - red +  more white = Baby Pink
Meaning - physical innocence, sweetness, softness, vulnerability


Let's look at the meaning behind the individual colours.


Red catches our attention and symbolizes energy which is why it is used so often in advertising.


Orange because orange is the combination of red "energy" and yellow "intellect", orange is therefore energy that is focused by the mind.  It is warm, stimulating colour.  Less intimidating than read, but more active than yellow.  Often fast food restaurants incorporate red, orange and yellow because the orange promotes appetite, yellow helps in the decision process and red gets the customers in and out the door quickly.


Yellow is associated with the mind and intellect.  Bright yellow is conveys joy, light and laughter.


Green is the colour of balance, harmony and sympathy.  Bright green indicates positive, practical, generous outlook.  Dark green can indicate jealousy, envy and lack of self esteem as well as resentment.


Blue can be relaxing, calm, represents loyalty and sincerity.  It can represent conservatism and a sense of self control. Navy is often used in uniforms because it conveys a message of authority.


Violet  intensity, royalty and sense of spirituality.


The bottomline is that no matter how you use colours, the effect and the message is the same whether applied to decor, fashion or advertising.  I am reminded of the little girl in the Great Wolf Lodge commercial when she shows her manicure to her mother.  She has a different colour nail polish on each finger and says "10 different colours are 10 times more beautiful."  I think she's right!