Color Matters

Color Matters Color plays a vitally important role in the world in which we live. Color can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite. When used in the right ways, color can even save on energy consumption. As a powerful form of communication, color is irreplaceable. Red means "stop" and green means "go." Traffic lights send this universal message. Likewise, the colors used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. Color Matters! Basic Color Theory Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. There are enough to fill several encyclopedias. However, there are basic categories of color theory. They are the color wheel and the color harmony. Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other. The Color Wheel A color wheel is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first color wheel in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied a number of variations of this concept. Different opinions of one format of color wheel over another sparks debate. In reality, any color wheel which is logically arranged has merit. 1 The definitions of colors are based on the color wheel. There are primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue o In traditional color theory, primary colors are the 3 colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. o All other colors are derived from these 3 hues. Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple o These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors. Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green o These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. o That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green and red-violet. Color Harmony Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae. In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer, and it creates a sense of order. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. 2 The human brain will reject dull information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it cannot organize, what it cannot understand. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order. There are many theories for harmony. The following descriptions and illustrations present some basic color schemes. Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow, yellow-green, green. Usually one of the three colors dominates. A color scheme based on analogous colors. Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration below, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red- purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create maximum contrast. A color scheme based on complementary colors. Adapted from Color Matters; retrieved February 19, 2014 from http://www.colormatters.com 3 Purple The Meanings of Purple Purple’s rarity in nature and the expense of creating the color and has given purple a supernatural aura for centuries. Purple is also the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow. It’s a color with a powerful history that has evolved over time. In fact, the origins of the symbolism of purple are more significant and interesting than those of any other color. Our pre-historic ancestors probably never saw a purple fruit, flower, bird, or fish because purple is very rare in nature. This is hard to imagine in today’s world. As civilizations developed, so did clothing and colored dyes. The earliest purple dyes date back to about 1900 B.C. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye which was barely enough for dying a single garment. It’s no wonder then, that this color was used primarily for garments of privileged individuals. Over time, purple dyes became less costly and complex. Regardless, purple continues to symbolize nobility and luxury to most people in the world. Purple symbolizes magic, mystery, creativity, and royalty. Variations of purple convey different meanings. Light purples are light-hearted, floral, and romantic. The dark shades are more intellectual and dignified. The negative meanings of purple are decadence, conceit, and 4 pomposity. Purple is also a color of mourning. It evokes all of these meanings more so than any other color. Unique Meanings of Purple in Different Cultures The “Purple Heart” is the American award for bravery. In Italy most performing artists would not go on stage if they have to wear anything purple. Among Mediterranean people, purple was reserved for emperors and popes. The Japanese christened it “Imperial Purple” Purple is the color of mourning or death in many cultures including the United Kingdom, Italy, Thailand, and Brazil. Designing with Purple The colors of red and blue combine to create this intriguing color. There are three distinct purples: Red-Purple, Purple, Blue-Purple. Red-purples are warm, blue-purples are cool, and pure purple is neutral. Interesting FACTS Roman emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus both decreed that only the Emperor could wear purple. When Nero became Emperor, the wearing and the sale of purple was punishable by death! Purple tends to be a color that people either love or hate. Purple is not a common flag color; only two flags contain purple. Adapted from Color Matters; retrieved February 19, 2014 from http://www.colormatters.com/purple 5 Red The Meanings of Red Red is the color of extremes. It’s the color of love, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Red is the international color for stop. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the color of fire and blood. Most of today’s red symbolism arises from its powerful associations in the past. Red is also a magical and religious color. It symbolized super-human heroism to the Greeks and is the color of the Christian crucifixion. Red was rare and expensive in ancient days. This fact may explain its magic and power. Ironically, today’s intense red dyes come from crushed insects, such as the lac beetle and the cochineal. Unique Meanings of Red in Different Cultures In Russia, the word for "red" means beautiful. Red is the color of good luck in Asia and is the most popular color in China. Most Japanese children draw the sun as a big red circle. In East Asian stock markets, red is used to denote a rise in stock price. In North American stock markets, red is used to denote a drop in stock prices. Red is a favorable color for marriage. For example, brides in India and Nepal wear red saris. In Japan, a red kimono symbolizes happiness and good luck. 6 Designing with Red All reds are not created equal. Aside from light and dark shades of red, there are two kinds of red: “tomato” reds and “berry” reds. Yellow-based reds are tomato reds. Blue-based reds are berry reds. Some say that males are more drawn to the tomato reds; whereas, females to the berry reds. Context is everything when using red. For example, when red is place on a black background, it glows with an otherworldly fire. On a white background, red appears somewhat duller. In contrast with orange, red appears lifeless. Notice that the red square appears larger on black. Regardless of how it is used in a design, a little bit of red goes a long way. How Red Affects Vision Red captures attention. It is one of the most visible colors, second only to yellow. This explains why it is used on fire engines and stop signs. Hence, it is used to trigger alertness. Red focuses behind the retina which forces the lens grows more convex to pull it forward. Therefore, we perceive that red areas are moving forward. This may explain why red captures attention. 7 Interesting FACTS Red is one of the top two favorite colors of all people. Red is the most popular color used on flags in the world; approximately 77% of all flags include red. Eight percent of the male population has a red-green color vision deficiency and cannot see red at all. Adapted from Color Matters; retrieved February 19, 2014 from http://www.colormatters.com/red 8 Yellow The Meanings of Yellow Yellow is the most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. It’s the color that captures our attention more than any other color. In nature, yellow is the color of sunflowers and daffodils, egg yolks and lemons, canaries and bees. In the human-made world, yellow is the color of Sponge Bob, the Tour de France winner’s jersey, happy faces, post its, and signs that alert us to danger. It’s the color of happiness, optimism, creativity, sunshine, warmth, and spring. However, yellow also has a dark side of yellow. Yellow is the color of caution. It is also the color of cowardice and betrayal.

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