Color Meanings and Design

We live in a very visual world and color is everywhere, even in the most mundane things. In terms of marketing and sales, a lasting impression is made within the first ninety “visual” seconds in which a prospective buyer views a product or ad. Therefore it is important to consider color in design. Colors can have many complicated scientific explanations, but to designers it is more how color is expressed visually and emotionally. Because colors can represent different things to different people, it is important to be sensitive to, and think about, how color can effect the design of the product and the reactions of a customer. What color and/or combination of colors make people become interested in different things? Some reactions are instinctual, while others are cultural or psychological. In different cultures colors are used to express meanings, enliven language, and portray feelings. In the West we have many of these connotations in our language: “black tie affair”; “green with envy”; “angelic white”; “paint the town red”; etc. So here is a small breakdown of how colors may be seen by different cultures. Try to keep these in mind when you start to look at new designs for a product or for a branding initiative. Remember, color can create a message, evoke a physical response, carry a negative or positive meaning and affect a mood.

Black
Western – Mourning, Mystery, Death, Sophistication, Elegance, Power
Eastern – Trust, High Quality, Bad Luck, Evil, Unhappiness
Latin America – Mourning
African – Impure, Unpleasant, Ominous Middle East - Rebirth
South Pacific – Color of the People
In Design – Use the color black to convey elegance, sophistication, or perhaps a touch of mystery. Black is the ultimate dark color and works well with bright, shades of red, blue, and green or yellow.

White
Western – Marriage, Peace, Purity,
Eastern – Funerals, Sterility, Age, Misfortune
African – Illness, Purity, Good Luck, Peace, Goodness, Cleanliness
Middle East – Holiness, Peace
South Pacific – Prosperity
In Design – White is bright and can create a sense of space and add highlights. Use white to signify cleanliness or purity or softness. White can make dark or light reds, blues, and greens look brighter, and more prominent.

Red
Western – Energy, Danger, Strength, Desire, Love, Communism
Eastern – Infidelity, Life, Good Luck, Wedding Color
Latin Ameica – Religious
African – Wealth, Vitality, Aggression, Death, Mourning
Middle East – Good Fortune
South Pacific – Land, Nobility
In Design – As a design element red brings text and images to the foreground. It is used as an accent color to stimulate people to action, or in advertising it is used to evoke erotic feelings. As relating to food, red is considered an appetite stimulant and may be effective in food packaging.

Pink
Western – Feminine, Romance, Love, Friendship
Eastern – Marriage, Feminine, Trust
African – Poverty
In Design – Pink is usually associated with love and romance but is also thought to have a calming effect. Use pink to convey playfulness and tenderness.

Orange
Western – Stimulation, Autumn, Royalty, Strength, Energy
Eastern – Sacred, Courage, Love
Middle East – Mourning
In Design – To the eye orange is a hot color, and can give a sensation of heat. It has high visibility and can be used to catch attention, highlight important elements. As relating to food, orange is associated with healthy food stimulates appetite.

Yellow
Western – Hope, Happiness, Cowardice, Hazards, Warmth, Envy
Eastern – Sacred, Imperial, Royalty, Courage, Commerce
Latin America –- Mourning
African – Mourning, Wealth
Middle East – Mourning, Strength, Reliability
In Design - Pure yellow has good visibility and is often used as a color of warning. Use it to highlight the most important elements in a design. It is seen before other colors when against black but hard to see on white. Use yellow to promote childrens products and also food products.

Green
Western – Environment, Healing, Go, Money, Growth
Eastern – Bridal Color, Celebration, Good Luck, Happiness, Life
African – Nature, Corruption
Middle East – Holiness, Fertility
South Pacific – Forbidden, Danger
In Design – In most cultures green is not considered a good color for packaging. However, it has been instrumental in being used to promote “green” products. Green also has a strong emotional connection to safety and can be used in advertising drugs and medical products.

Blue
Western – Soothing, Good Health, Masculine, Trust
Eastern – Immortality
Latin America – Soap
African – Positive, Happiness
Middle East – Protective, Heaven, Spirituality, Mourning
In Design – Combining light and dark blue promotes feelings of stability, trust, power and strength. Blue can cool down warmer color schemes and is eye catching when used with yellow. As related to food, avoid its use because it can suppress the appetite.

Purple
Western – Royalty, Power, Wealth, Creativity
Eastern – Nobility, Reincarnation, Mourning
Latin America – Mourning
Middle East – Virtue
In Design – Purple is a very rare color in nature so some people consider it artificial. Light purple is good for feminine designs because it is more romantic and delicate. Bright purple for children’s designs and deep purple for wealth.

Brown
Western – Earth, Poverty, Masculine, Genuineness
Eastern – Mourning
Latin America – Disapproval
South Pacific – Color of the land
In Design – Brown is a natural color. Use brown to convey a feeling of warmth, honesty, and wholesomeness.

REFERENCES -
Understand the Meanings of Color in Various Cultures Around the World By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide

Symbolism of Color and Colors That Go Together By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com Guide

Color: Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology by Kate Smith