You might already know that color is a powerful way to convey mood and influence emotions.
For example, designers recommend painting bedrooms in white or shades of blue and green since these are calming colors that help you relax. In contrast, you wouldn’t want to paint your bedroom in red or orange because these colors are more stimulating and “loud” which can make relaxing for sleep difficult.
Countless scientific studies show that color can influence human emotions and act as powerful, unconscious signals to the human brain. The study of color and its influence on human emotions and behavior is called color psychology. There are countless books out there diving into the specifics of colors and color psychology, check out a few of them here on Amazon:
· Handbook of Color Psychology
Warm and Cool Colors
A color’s “warmth” or “coolness” is an important factor in how the human mind processes and perceives color. We can break down all colors into “warm” and “cool” colors.
Warm colors convey a feeling of warmth. These colors include red, yellow, and orange, plus any other color that contains significant amounts of red, yellow, or orange. Warm colors are associated with fire, energy, power, strength, and strong emotions like passion and anger. Warm colors are eye-catching and and typically intense (unless the color is dulled down with white or gray).
In art and design, warm colors are used to create a sense of warmth, draw attention, or stimulate the brain. For instance, red is a color often selected for dining rooms and restaurants to stimulate the appetite. Being that red is also the color of blood, red is often associated with danger. In the United States for instance, red is often used as a warning or to signify danger, so stop signs, fire trucks, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers are colored red.
Cool colors convey a feeling of coolness; think of all the colors and shades of color you’d see in the ocean or body of water. Cool colors include blue, purple, and green. Cool colors are often associated with peace, serenity, relaxation, water, and emotions. Spas typically use cool colors like soft blues and greens to convey calm.
If you want to learn more about color and interior design, check out Frida Ramstedt’s book, The Interior Design Handbook.
Color and Emotion
Here’s a quick breakdown of emotions and some of the symbolic associations with the primary and secondary colors:
· Red — passion, anger, romantic love, violence
· Yellow — happiness, energy, sunshine
· Blue — sadness, serenity, peace, water,
· Orange — fire, danger
· Green — earth, nature, jealously
· Purple –royalty, mysticism
The neutral colors that do not appear on the color wheel also have their own symbolic associations:
· Black — night, mystery, darkness
· White — innocence, purity
· Brown — earth, nature
· Gray — lack of clarity, dull, lifeless
Remember that a color’s symbolic associations can vary depending on the context. Cultural and personal associations with a color will play a significant role in a color’s specific meanings.
For example:
· Red signifies prosperity, fertility and good luck in India, China, and several other Eastern countries, making it a common color for brides.
· Green is color of money in the United States, so green is typically used to signify wealth and prosperity in the U.S.
Color Brightness
A color’s “brightness” (meaning the color’s intensity), also affects how the human mind perceives color.
Bright colors draw attention:
· Chartreuse
· Hot pink
· Electric blue
Pale colors (colors closer to white) convey softness; these colors have more white and are less intense:
· Pale pink
· Baby blue
Dark colors (colors closer to black) can be perceived as moody and dense:
· Evergreen green
· Navy blue
· Crimson
Consider how bright the color is when trying to convey a particular mood in your art. You should also think about the color’s brightness in room design. Brighter colors are more “energetic” while softer colors are more relaxing. So if you want to paint your bedroom pink, choose a softer pink color over a magenta or hot pink to create a more relaxing atmosphere for sleep.
If you want to learn about more color psychology and interior design, check out The Art and Science of Color in Holistic Interior Design by Amy Christine Lindenau.
Conclusion
Understanding how colors are formed and their relationships with each other gives a richer meaning to the art and designed spaces around us. The next time you step into a museum, think about the colors used in the art and how the chosen colors draw your attention. Which parts of the painting does your eye go to first? Thinking about that can give you additional clues to understanding the artist’s message.
When you walk into a building or even into your own home, look around at the colors on the wall — what colors were used in this building? Why? How does the color inform how people interact with this particular space? And what do the colors tell me about this place’s intended purpose?
Once you start looking, you’d be surprised at all the messages hidden in plain sight.
If you liked the art in this post, check out my work on my website at ashleyirizarry.com. I’m an artist and writer working through my own healing journey through my creative processes.
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