Color
Theory and Psychology
Videos
La La Land
- Colors used in each scene demonstates what is happening with the characters emotional state
- There isn’t a stray prop, a dress choice, the colors of the walls or decor that hasn’t been placed in the movie by accident. Every color is put there to represent what is happening with the characters.
Euphoria
- Characters clothing color and background lighting are used to convey their personality and emotional state.
- Clothing color changes as their emotional state is altered
Breaking Bad
- Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan revealed the chart he used to refer to the characters.
- Certain colors are associated with different attributes.
The Color Wheel
Primary colors
red, yellow, blue
- The colors that all other colors are made from
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When put together they are bold and attention grabing
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Create feelings of happiness, joy, fun and innocence
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Colors are attractive to babies and toddlers, they captivate their attention and entice them to engage in play.
Secondary Colors
orange, green, purple
are made from 2 primary colors mixed together
Tertiary Colors
Red–orange, blue–purple, Yellow–green
one primary color and one secondary color
mixed together
Contrasting Colors
- Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel
- Colors can appear very exciting seem to vibrate when placed side by side
blue and orange rap
Blue and Orange
PURPLE and YELLOW
RED and GREEN
What do Colors Mean?
Red
Draws attention
It is one of the most visible colors, second only to yellow. (Think stop signs, fire trucks, Target)
Symbolizes
Aggression, Speed, Anger.
Evil
Courage
- The red stripes on the United States Flag stand for courage.
- Approximately 77% of those flags in the world include red.
Confidence
- Fashion experts recommend a splash of red when dressing for a job interview or any other important meeting, because red symbolizes power, decisiveness and leadership
Intimidating/Sports:
- Tiger Woods, wears red on the final day of golf tournaments.
- Study found that athletes wearing red “have an advantage over blue-suited competitors,
Love, Romance & Sensuality:
- Seeing the color red can make your heart beat faster.
- Think valentines day, red roses, red lipstick.
Beauty
- Islamic, Hindu, and Chinese brides traditionally wear red
Red Hair: 2% of people in the world have red hair
Grading
- People associate red”with mistakes and failures
- It may impair performance on achievement tasks because it’s associated with failure
- Many teachers have stopped grading in red pen
Sight: The first color babies can see
Pink (red and white combined)
- Suppresses anger and anxiety due to its calming effect. That is why prisons and mental health care institutions paint their walls pink to control the behavior of those out-of-control prisoners and patients.
Orange
Stimulate:
- Stimulating the emotions and even the appetite.
- If you want to get noticed without screaming, consider the color orange — it demands attention.
- Orange creates a stronger “love it” or “hate it” response than any other color.
Safety
Objects used to set objects apart from their surroundings especially outdoors as it contrasts with the blue sky.
Symbolizes
- energy
- excitement
- warmth
- fall
Fun Facts
Nothing rhymes with orange
Which came first?
- Orange appears in the English language in the 13th century referring to the fruit.
- The color orange was initially called Geoluhread meaning yellow-red which are the two colors that make up orange.
YELLOW
Stimulating
- Mind…….believe yellow rooms are more stimulating to production
- Cause nausea, so it is avoided in airplanes.
- Activates memory
- Makes you feel joyful
Safety:
- Yellow is the most visible color of the spectrum.
- The human eye processes yellow first.
- This explains why it is used for cautionary signs and emergency rescue vehicles.
Positive Symbolism:
- happiness, joy and optimism
- enlightenment
- sunshine and spring
Negative Symbolism:
- illness: jaundice, malaria,
- Yellow journalism: newspaper articles that are sensationalized in order to sell more papers
- Yellow bellied: Coward
Fun Facts
- Yellow Pencils: During the 1800s, the best graphite in the world came from China. In China, the color yellow is associated with royalty and respect. American pencil manufacturers began painting their pencils bright yellow to communicate this ‘regal’ feeling and association with China.
- Legal Paper Pads: Yellow is more intellectually stimulating. It is difficult to tell how old paper from a legal pad is, since paper yellows with time.
- Yellow is also the most visible color in daylight, which is why the McDonald’s M can be seen from a far distance.
Green:
Green Is:- Most common color in the natural world,
- The symbol of ecology movement
- Calming, stress-relieving.
- It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision
- Improves reading ability and creativity.
- Helps alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety
Symbolizes:
- Growth and Nature
Negatives
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Jealousy
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Envy
- Disgust
- Inexperience (being green)
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Fertility
The bride in this Renaissance masterpiece wears green as a symbol of her fertility
Fun Fact:
* Green is the color used for night-vision goggles because the human eye is most sensitive to and able to discern the most shades of that color
“It Isn’t Easy Being Green” Kermit the Frog
Blue:
What is Conveys: a sense of trust, loyalty, cleanliness, success and understanding.
Appetite: blue suppresses the appetite and is the least appetizing color. Blue is associated with spoiled or toxic food and can even suppress appetites. Most restaurants do not use blue
Sadness and Depression: “Singing the blues” and feeling blue” “winter blues”
.
Technology: Suggest precision when promoting technology.
Corporate: Most used color in corporate identity. Think of the traditional blue suit.
Fun Facts:
- Blue is the favorite color of all people
Purple:
VERY Rare in Nature
Royalty/wealth
Only the wealthy wore purple. The most expensive dyes were used to produce the color purple. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye – barely enough for dying a single garment the size of the Roman toga. It’s no wonder then, that this color was used primarily for garments of the emperors or privileged individuals.
Magic/magicians
Spirituality
BLACK
Black Is
- Black is the absorption of all color and the absence of light.
Symbolizes
- Hidden
- Secretive and the unknown
- Intimidating
![Batdog [ Actually a Cane Corso, an Italian mastiff breed ]:](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/28/37/ef/2837eff367067e16531da66136b357eb.jpg)
- Unfriendly
- Unapproachable
Sophisticated
- ‘the little black dress’, or ‘the black tie event’
- Businesses selling luxury, elegance and sophistication. high quality professional products and luxury goods, and up market car companies.
- Black packaging makes an item seem heavier and more expensive and of higher perceived value. It creates a classy and elegant impression.
=
Teenagers
- The youth market tends to be attracted to black with its association of rebelliousness especially in music.
![Rob Sheridan - Cartel del álbum de Nine Inch Nails "With Teeth" [2005].:](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/03/a6/19/03a619de0bde69015e9a269782e755c5.jpg)
White
Symbolizes
Impartial: White contains an equal balance of all the colors of the spectrum, representing both the positive and negative aspects of all colors. Equality, whole and complete.
Safety:White rescues us from the dark. It is the white knight, rescuing the damsel in distress. A white picket fence surrounds a safe and happy home.
Futuristic: Symbolizing a clean slate, we can envisage anything with white. Creates a sense of order and efficiency, a great help if you need to decluttered your life.
Clean:The color white is the ultimate in cleanliness and purity. This is why it is traditionally worn by western brides and the reason why doctors wear white jackets. Affects the mind and body by aiding in mental clarity, promoting feelings of fresh beginnings and renewal.
Negative
- cold, isolating and empty.
- sterility,
- detachment and disinterest
- little stimulation for the senses
- boring
- plain
- unimaginative
Understanding Warm and Cool Color Combinations
Warm Colors
REDS, YELLOWS AND ORANGES
- These colors appear to JUMP out at you
- Make you feel Warmth and Heat
- Red and yellow are the most appetizing colors.
- This is why fast food restaurants use them.
- When you combine red and yellow makes you feel you want to Get In – eat – get out again.
Cool Colors
Blues, Purples and Greens.
They can calm and soothe.
Cool color appear to RECEDE
