Arts & Entertainment

Tickled Pink, Green With Envy - It’s a wonderful world of color!

Written by Lissette Arias on April 9, 2008 11:25 am EST

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Pink and green. What an awesomely great combination, wouldn’t you say? (Depends on the tones, of course.) And my point was…oh yes, colors! I figure this is a great topic to begin the birth of our design posts. But before I do, let me explain what my role here is… I am simply your tour guide on Le Grand Tour de Design. I will point to things as we ride along streets of pixels and gradients; I may give you a little history on a random process or effect. I will even share with you my personal favorites; spot colors, styles, fonts, sites, design techniques, latest design software, etc., etc… So sit back, keep arms and legs inside at all times and hang on to your mouse!

So about that pink and green. Well, other than it being a great combination, I was about to say how vital color is at effectively expressing feelings, verbally sometimes (tickled pink), but most importantly in our world, visually. Basically, we know there’s a psychology of color; we associate colors to feelings, to sentiments, to emotion and we have a reaction to such. And that’s where it starts to get tricky. Yes, that forsaken word, emotion (don’t cringe too hard guys) but such an integral part, nevertheless. Let’s think about this and use white as an example. Funny example, indeed, for white is essentially not even a ‘color’, it has no hue, but in practice it’s considered a color. In Western cultures, we associate white with purity, brides and weddings. (Aww) But in Eastern cultures, white is associated with death and mourning. Go figure! One color representing two completely opposing ends of the emotional spectrum. What’s the defining factor here? Your cultural background. Bingo! One down.

Cultural background is a huge factor in determining what the reaction will be to a particular color, or better said for us designers, considering your audience and their cultural background will allow you to design effectively through the use of specific colors thereby getting the attention and reaction desired. But even within the same culture, colors change with the times. Trends come and go and these carry with them their own unique colors. I mean, you’ve seen that really fun (funky for some) hue that can’t be described as anything other than a mustardy-green avocado color, haven’t you? Yeah, totally 70’s! Totally groovy man. Far out! You get the idea. So as a designer you have to stay up to date with the cultural trends. You just gotta. (By the way, I keep trying to find a spot to talk about one of my personal favorites, RED!) So here seems to be the perfect spot because I’m about to focus on another determining factor, the physical human reaction to color.

Red is so up there on my list, definitely on the top three. Red is said to be the most emotionally intense color (not surprised that it’s on top of my list), red is extreme, it is bold, it is power. It is even said that red raises your heartbeat! Can you imagine that? A color that powerful! For those of you who know Feng Shui, red will remind you of the element of fire, of sun and life, of destructive and creative powers. Such a great example of how colors affect us just because. Here’s another, blue. Blue calms us, maybe because the ocean and the sky are blue and we relate that color to those calming and peaceful elements. Yellow is supposedly a happy color, the sun is yellow and bright and wonderful but that same color can also be harsh on our eyes, a little irritating even. Have you ever read through a printed article that was just over-marked by an overzealous highlighter-friendly person? Yeah, not so much fun.

Color affects us without us even noticing it. It’s not a conscious effort. (The way I see it, color is not a necessity of life, it is more of an added bonus, the kind that’s meant to stimulate you, move you). It is simply a human reaction to be moved emotionally by a color and maybe that’s the main reason why we see in color, to stimulate our senses the way factual things can’t. Just a wild theory there but still, gray days will continue to make most people sad and somber and bright blue skies will continue to do the opposite. What does this mean for us designers? We have been given this power to affect/move our audiences through the use of color! We have this huge tool called the color spectrum to choose from when designing any project but wise we must be when selecting a hue from the other.

So how do we make the right choice? Do your research. Don’t just use your favorite color. Imagine I did that, all of my designs would have to come with a warning sign: “If you suffer from a weak heart, please don’t stare at the color red!” So, yeah, don’t get personal with these colors. It’s not difficult at all. Start by thinking of the two main aspects we considered today, your audience and by that I mean their general and natural physical reaction and their cultural background. Then consider what you’re trying to accomplish. The right message partnered with the right color scheme, among other things, will help you effectively communicate and most importantly stimulate and move entire audiences! Happy color hunting!

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