The Meaning of Color
We all know about color. We see it every day–the sky is blue; the grass is green. There may be different shades or tints of these colors, but they are, for the most part, the same value. We learn, early on, about the color wheel and all its intricacies (for a great look at this, read The Definitive Color Wheel by over at our sister site, Fuel Your Creativity); learning how to match colors together properly, but sometimes we tend to overlook the deeper meaning of color.
Color can touch an audience on a psychological level making them feel things they never thought possible, or never thought they could by just looking at a color. Diving into this deeper meaning can allow you, the designer, another way to better deliver the message in your project.
It’s very important to note, this is written from a strictly American point of view. Though the general meaning of your colors can be derived from your work, they can and do mean different things in other countries and cultures. Make sure you are aware of your target audience before you start slapping down colors, because that great piece you’ve been working on for the past month can give mixed signals to your intended audience, in the end. That said, let’s take a look at the meaning of color.
A neutral color. Lacking hue and brightness; absorbing light without reflecting any of the rays composing it. [2]
The absence of color, black plays two roles. On one side, it can give the presence of power, formality and elegance; on the other, it can be associated with death, evil and mystery.
Decreases Toxins in the body and is said to promote knowledge and self-assuredness. [1]
When you hear the word blue it is often linked to the emotional state of sadness (”He was feeling blue.”), but in design it actually means many different things depending on what shade of blue you are using. A light blue emits a calming effect, a mid-range blue can be invigorating and exciting, while a darker blue portrays strength and reliability.
Used for calming the nervous system and promoting creativity and spiritual awakening. [1]
Purple has been long associated with wealth and royalty, and things haven’t changed much. Dark purples are still associated with royalty and wealth, while the lighter purples are thought of as a romantic color.
Enhances energy and stimulates the production of red blood cells. It is the color of strong sexual desire and intensity. [1]
Red plays a part on both ends of the emotional spectrum. On one hand, red can be associated with war, violence and even death. On the other hand, it can be associated with love and seduction. It’s all in the way you use it. Because of its stimulating properties, it is often used in sales brand identities (such as Target), and throughout the store to promote sales.
A color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple. [2]
Pink is often associated with femininity. It also emits feelings of being prim and proper, and maybe a little pampered.
Represents sensations of the body and bodily functions. It is an earthy tone indicating the importance of home and feeling of belonging. [1]
Brown is often associated with earth, being the color of the soil, and is thought of as a solid and strong color in the darker tones. Lighter browns are often thought of as giving off a more genuine feeling.
It represents vital forces of desire, appetite and hunger. It also represents youth, curiosity and activity. [1]
Much like brown, orange is also an earth tone, but because it is lighter, it is often thought of as a more energetic color. It also gives off a healthy, vibrant feeling because of it’s obvious association to the fruit of the same name.
An intense hue that stands for sunny, bright and happy thoughts. It can also have religious significance or connotations and represent the future. [1]
Believe it or not, yellow is often associated with happiness and hope. It brings out a cheerful nature in people. A lot of this can be traced to their feelings of the sun and sunshine and how that affects moods. Of course, yellow can also play a negative role as it means cowardice as well.
Steadfastness–standing up tall and firm like a tree. It is no accident this is also the color associated with money and wealth. [1]
Green, being another earth color, brings emotional ties to growth and prosperity. It is, of course, tied in with money and riches, but it can also mean greed and envy.
A neutral color; it is free from all stimuli. [1]
Gray rides the middle ground between black and white. It is often considered formal and business-like (which is why most computer equipment is gray), and it can also bring about feelings of depression and sadness.
A neutral color. Contains all the colors in the spectrum and is used to relax and soothe. [1]
White is the opposite of black. It is often associated with purity, cleanliness and all those wonderful “good” feelings. Also, on a side note, it works well with just about any other color.
What Does It All Mean?
Colors are more than just numbers in your program and pretty values that go well together. They do have a deeper meaning that everyone should learn. When you learn, and start using, them, your projects will start feeling more complete and more professional as a whole. Also, once you know the meaning of color, you can start playing with the meanings, giving your audience a false sense of what to feel only to turn it back around on them. It’s another tool for you to use in your ever-growing arsenal.
References[1] [2] Dictionary.com
John Kostrzewski is the Editor of Fuel Your Motionography and a freelance motion graphics and visual effects artist, videographer and writer living in Minnesota. He is awesome. Follow him on Twitter at and .
Ah, design basics. Always an excellent resource! Thanks!
very useful information.. informative post. thanks :)
Sources of these color associations would be helpful and perhaps examples where they’ve been used as such.
There are many studies and opinions on color and not all are in agreement. I’ve read elsewhere that blue is associated with serenity, and red is an impulse or “buy now” color (visible in marketing where red is used on advertisements and even multiple fast food chains as their primary color).
Anyway, with color it’s often how it’s used with all the other style and design elements. It can always be flipped on its head and meanings re-interpreted, or added to.
Mike,
Thanks for your comments and questions.
I was going to add where these colors have been used, however, to keep the article length down I decided against it. Perhaps it was a good idea; perhaps it wasn’t. Regardless, what’s done is done. Besides, you can see colors being used in this fashion in most any film, television show or brand identity.
My source for this article was myself and, to go further into detail, college (particularly two classes: Color & Design and Drawing & Perspective). I did reference an old book I had called , but that book didn’t associate the colors with anything; only broke it down to its basic feelings. I decided to go with what I had learned which was what feelings the colors were associated with.
As for your comments about color studies not being in agreement, I can understand that. When dealing with the human mind (which we are still learning) and a huge array of colors, shades, etc,; it would be very difficult for anyone to lock down what general feelings each person associates with what color. On top of that, you factor in people raised in different cultures where colors mean different things and associations are thrown way off. That is why I threw in the disclaimer at the top. However, studies have associated quite a few colors with certain feelings, and I can’t see them being completely wrong; only added to, as you mentioned. For example, different shades of a color bringing up different feelings.
Your comment about the color blue being used for serenity is right on the mark, which is why I wrote, “A light blue emits a calming effect…”. As for red, perhaps I could have broadened my definition more. The book I referenced earlier even reads, “Red enhances energy and stimulates the production of red blood cells.” It is used a lot in sales brand identities such as Target, Cub Foods, etc. The reason I left that out is simply because this is a site aimed at motion graphics and visual effects and rarely are we coming up brand identities on our own. Most of the time we are handed things to work with, and we work with them. However, to further the education process I will ammend my article to reference this and I will change all the Dictionary.com quotes to reference the book Contemporary Color: Theory & Use (where applicable).
I do agree that with color in your projects, it’s often how it is used. However, before you can reinterpret or re-imagine it, you must first know how it is supposed to be used. It’s like the old saying, “You don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been.”
I appreciate your comments and questions, Mike! Thanks for reading!
I knew that certain colors were the cause for certain emotions when viewed, but wasn’t sure what. I was actually wondering that when I was redesigning my blog! Glad I came across this post.