Color Meaning
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| Brand Colors |
Red
Red is the color of fire and
blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power,
determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Red is a very emotionally
intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and
raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs,
stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is
used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.
Red brings text and images to
the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick
decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or 'Click Here' buttons on
Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke
erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, 'Lady in Red', etc).
Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights).
This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when
promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical
activity.
Light red represents joy,
sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love,
and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with
vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and
denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated
with harvest and fall.
Orange
Orange combines the energy of
red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the
tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity,
determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
To the human eye, orange is a
very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not
as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an
invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted
among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food
and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry,
orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.
Orange has very high
visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most
important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food
products and toys.
Dark orange can mean deceit and
distrust.
Red-orange corresponds to
desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for
action.
Gold evokes the feeling of
prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often
symbolizes high quality.
Yellow
Yellow is the color of
sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
Yellow produces a warming
effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle
energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an
attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When
overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more
in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black;
this combination is often used to issue a warning. In heraldry, yellow indicates
honor and loyalty. Later the meaning of yellow was connected with cowardice.
Use yellow to evoke pleasant,
cheerful feelings. You can choose yellow to promote children's products and
items related to leisure. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so
use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually
perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not
recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men –
nobody will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an
unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest
stability and safety. Light yellow tends to disappear into white, so it usually
needs a dark color to highlight it. Shades of yellow are visually unappealing
because they loose cheerfulness and become dingy.
Dull (dingy) yellow represents
caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy.
Light yellow is associated with
intellect, freshness, and joy.
Green
Green is the color of nature.
It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong
emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated
with money.
Green has great healing power.
It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green
suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience;
for example, a 'greenhorn' is a novice. In heraldry, green indicates growth and
hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage
in road traffic.
Use green to indicate safety
when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to
nature, so you can use it to promote 'green' products. Dull, darker green is
commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street.
Dark green is associated with
ambition, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green can indicate
sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy.
Aqua is associated with
emotional healing and protection.
Olive green is the traditional
color of peace.
Blue
Blue is the color of the sky
and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust,
loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
Blue is considered beneficial
to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.
Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is
used to symbolize piety and sincerity.
You can use blue to promote
products and services related to cleanliness (water purification filters,
cleaning liquids, vodka), air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners),
water and sea (sea voyages, mineral water). As opposed to emotionally warm
colors like red, orange, and yellow; blue is linked to consciousness and
intellect. Use blue to suggest precision when promoting high-tech products.
Blue is a masculine color;
according to studies, it is highly accepted among males. Dark blue is
associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for
corporate America.
Avoid using blue when promoting
food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite. When used together with
warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact, vibrant designs;
for example, blue-yellow-red is a perfect color scheme for a superhero.
Light blue is associated with
health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark blue represents knowledge,
power, integrity, and seriousness.
Purple
Purple combines the stability
of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes
power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance.
Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery,
and magic.
According to surveys, almost 75
percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors. Purple is
a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be artificial.
Light purple is a good choice
for a feminine design. You can use bright purple when promoting children's
products.
Light purple evokes romantic
and nostalgic feelings.
Dark purple evokes gloom and
sad feelings. It can cause frustration.
White
White is associated with light,
goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of
perfection.
White means safety, purity, and
cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation.
White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith
and purity.
In advertising, white is
associated with coolness and cleanliness because it's the color of snow. You
can use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an
appropriate color for charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined
wearing white clothes. White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and
sterility, so you can use white to suggest safety when promoting medical
products. White is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy
products.
Black
Black is associated with power,
elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
Black is a mysterious color
associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative
connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and
authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color
(black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.
Black gives the feeling of
perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. A black
suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery of art or
photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors
stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange
– other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme.
Infographic made
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