How we change what others think, feel, believe and do |
The Meaning of Colors
Disciplines > Communication > The Meaning of Colors Meanings of color | Use in retail and business | Gender effects | Cultural effects | So what?
Meanings of colorHere is a table of colors and many of the meanings they tend to evoke, particularly in Western cultures. Notice how colors can mean very different things - it is not that the colors themselves have meaning, it is that we have culturally assigned meanings to them. For example, red means warmth because of the color of fire. Likewise, it means anger because of the increased redness of the face when it flushes with blood. Purple symbolizes royalty only because the only purple dye that was available for many centuries was very expensive.
Also:
Use in retail and businessHere are some ways in which colors are used in retail and business:
Color can even change what you taste. Customers who bought 7-Up cans that had their color changed to yellow reported that the drink tasted more lemony. Gender effectsMen and women see colors differently. Men are generally less sensitive to color, so a subtle shade of orangey-red will just appear red. Men also see green things as more yellow than women. Women are less sensitive to color in the detail of objects and also in things which are moving quickly. Red has been associated with romance and an American experiment offering dates with identical pictures of the same woman in different colored dresses found that a red dress was most effective in stimulating male desire. Cultural effectsRemember that color can be culturally dependent. For example, although Black is the color of death in many countries, in China the color associated with death is White.
So what?So use the color in situations where you are trying to persuade. Use shades of brown and green to relax people and say you are environmentally friendly. Use red to kick people into action. And so on. McDonald's, apparently, use red and yellow because red=fast and yellow=hunger (hence fast food!). Remember also that meaning is what we create. It does not exist in the color itself and individual meanings may or may not exist in different cultures and individuals. See also
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Site Menu |
| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings | |
Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories | |
Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help | |
More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes | |
Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate | |
| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links | |
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