Color Symbolism

March
2015
Red
The color red can stimulates of appetite,
attracts attention,
makes blood pressure and pulse increase,
encourages action and confidence and
provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety.
Red symbolizes vitality,
activity, energy,
productivity, physical
courage and strength
Red also represents desire,
appetite and craving, sexual
love, passion and
eroticism...
...excitement, speed, danger,
intensity, stimulation...
…blood, war, anger, conquest, aggression, revolution,
radicalism, defiance, strain, basic survival, ‘fight or
flight’.
pink
Represents:
Relaxing calming:
Physical tranquility,
nurture, warmth,
Sexuality,
Romantic love,
Simple
uncomplicated
emotion
Femininity,
Softness,
Innocence,
Health
inhibition, emotional
claustrophobia,
emasculation,
physical weakness
orange
The color orange can boost
appetite and stimulate
communication and activity
Orange can represent
over-emotion
warm exuberance
enthusiasm, playfulness
fun and cheer
...comfort, food, warmth, security,
vitality, energy, action, sensuality,
passion, abundance
...warning, danger, attention drawing, environmental, fire,
heat and warmth...
...aggression, flamboyance, gaudiness,
deprivation, frustration, frivolity, and
immaturity.
Orange is also used in
Buddhism.
Yellow
Yellow can increase mental stimulation
boost alertness and IQ levels
Yellow is the most fatiguing color
to the eye.
People are more
likely to lose their
tempers in yellow
rooms and babies
tend to cry more
in yellow
rooms.
Yellow can also
increase the
metabolism, stimulate the
nervous system stimulates
memory and encourages
communication
Yellow can represent happiness, cheerfulness, joy optimism,
confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength,
friendliness, creativity
Expansiveness, idealism, positivity, hope and desire for
change
Gold, a variant of
yellow, represents
wealth.
Yellow can
also symbolize
the Divine.
Yellow also represents
warning, caution and
hazards, illness and
weakness...
 ...lack of inhibition,
dishonesty,
cowardice, legalism
betrayal, irrationality,
fear, emotional
fragility, depression,
anxiety, suicide.
Green
Green can reduces stress.
It’s the easiest color on the eyes,
improves reading ability,
soothes and relaxes,
helps alleviate depression, nervousness and
anxiety,
offers a sense of renewal,
self-control, and harmony.
Green can symbolize nature
and growth, the environment,
environmental awareness,
spring and fertility
Green can also represent youth and freshness,
inexperience, optimism and good luck, generosity,
physical vigor
and health...
...Tranquility, harmony, balance, equilibrium,
peace and universal love...
...finance, business, economic stability, entitlements and wealth
Envy and aggression, misfortune, sickness and greed,
boredom, stagnation, blandness and enervation
Blue
Blue may relax muscles and the central nervous system,
lowers blood pressure,
promotes productivity,
calm hyperactivity,
calms, sedates,
cools and aids intuition
Blue is not a
very appetizing
color.
 Blue may represent intelligence,

communication, logic, reflection...

...peace
calmness
relaxation
tranquility
serenity...
...authority, dignity, security and
faithfulness...
...unity and harmony...
...sea and sky,
water and ice
winter...
...fidelity and loyalty dependability
trust and duty
conservatism idealism...
...depression, coldness, aloofness, lack of
emotion, unfriendliness, obscenity,
tackiness.
purple
Physical Effects of purple can be relaxing and soothing,
uplifting and calming the mind and nerves,
offer a sense of spirituality and
encourages creativity...
Represents intensity,
bravery, royalty, authority,
nobility, wealth,
sophistication, costliness,
luxury,
quality
...spirituality
mystery,
the occult
ceremony, wisdom,
enlightenment
magic, vision...
 Purple and also denotes cruelty, arrogance,
mourning, profanity, exaggeration, confusion,
containment, introversion, decadence, suppression,
inferiority
Black
 Black can makes one feel inconspicuous, providing a
restful emptiness. It is mysterious by evoking an sense of
potential and possibility...
...mystery, things not yet
revealed sophistication,
style, glamour, elegant,
modernism or being
classic...
Power and Wealth
Protection
Formality
Seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness and
security,
emotional safety, efficiency, substance
 Black can signal corruption, emptiness, depression,
anonymity, anger, unhappiness, mourning and grief,
sadness, remorse, death, evil, oppression, coldness,
menace and heaviness.
Brown
Brown can represents
Roots,
family security,
Strength,
tradition and
support...
...The Environment,
earthiness,
nature and what’s natural
woodsy-ness
rustic
...stability reliability
utility

Calm, Depth, Subtle

Richness, warmth,
comfort...
 boorishness,
dirt, filth,
dullness,
Heaviness,
Poverty,
Roughness,
heaviness,
lack of
sophistication,
seriousness,
lack of humor.
Gray/Grey
 Represents: psychological
neutrality
humility, respect, reverence,
timelessness, elegance,
wisdom: stability, subtlety
...boredom, Decay, decrepitude, dullness, dust,
pollution,
urban sprawl, somberness, authority, practicality
and a corporate mentality.
Gray can also
represent lack of
confidence,
dampness,
depression,
hibernation
lack of energy.
White
 White can aid mental clarity, encouragement to clear
clutter or obstacles, evokes purification of thoughts and
actions, and enables fresh beginnings.
 White can
symbolize
reverence, humility,
marriage,
purity, innocence,
clarity...
...security, peace, sterility: clinical,
hygiene...
...cleanliness: simplicity:
sophistication:
efficiency...
Winter and Coldness
Surrender, Cowardice, Fearfulness,
Unimaginative, emotional, coldness,
barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
Surrender: Cowardice : Fearfulness
Unimaginative: emotional coldness, barriers,
unfriendliness, elitism
Reference:

Color Psychology: Profit From The Psychology of Color: Discover the Meaning
and Effect of Colors Richard G. Lewis

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm

http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours

http://www.imageset.com/Houston-Marketing-Services/communicating-with-
color-in-design.html