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Home > Psychological Effects of Color
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| Psychological Effects of Color |
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White |
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White - is cheering and reflects sunlight, particularly when used with red, yellow, or orange. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Purity, cleanliness, precision, innocence, sterility, death
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Signifies virginity, marriage in the U.S. but death in India and other Eastern cultures.
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Black
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Black suggests color and like gray it is depressing unless combined with a livelier color. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Power, sexuality, sophistication, death, mystery, fear, unhappiness, elegance
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Signifies death and mourning in many Western cultures. In packaging, conveys elegance, wealth, and sophistication.
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Blue |
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Blue - reduces mental excitability and therefore helps one to concentrate. It is both cooling and sedative, but cannot be used indiscriminately, as too much of it produces melancholia. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Trust, conservative, security, technology, cleanliness, order
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Used in the U.S. by many banks to symbolize trust.
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Green |
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Green is a cooling color and acts as an opiate. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Nature, healthy, good luck, jealousy ("green with envy"), renewal
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Doesn't do well in a global market. There are problems associated with green packaging in China and France. Green has been successful in attracting investors in the Middle East.
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Yellow |
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Yellow is cheering and stimulating and draws attention. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Optimism, hope, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice (a coward can be described as "yellow"), betrayal
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Yellow is a sacred color to Hindus.
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Red
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Red is exciting and stimulates the brain. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Power, energy, warmth, passions, love, aggression, danger
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Red changes meaning in the presence of other colors. With green, it becomes a symbol of Christmas. When combined with white, it means joy in many Eastern cultures.
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Purple
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Purple is a sedative and soothing. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Spirituality, mystery, royalty, transformation, cruelty, arrogance
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Purple appears very rarely in nature.
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Brown
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Brown is restful and warming but should be combined with orange, yellow, or gold, because it can be depressing if used alone. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Earth, reliability, comfort, endurance
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Food packaging in the U.S. is often colored brown, to great success. In Colombia, brown discourages sales.
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Grey
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Grey suggests color and like brown it is depressing unless combined with a livelier color. |
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- PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Intellect, futurism, modesty, sadness, decay
- NOTES OF INTEREST
Gray is the easiest color for the eye to see.
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*Effects of Color information obtained from College course study material for Architectural Design.
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