Colour Psycology 101

Human behavior is influenced by colours; however it is important to remember that these effects differ between people – factors can include gender, age, and culture.   

Here is a quick reference guide to help you narrow down your colour pallets when starting a project.  

​https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html

Red – is a warm and positive colour with strong and powerful energies, the colour red excites emotions, motivates, stimulates appetite (often found in restaurants) and increases cravings,shows confidence, passion, causes action, creates ambition, determination, and can heighten sexual passion.
​China and India - red is the colour for luck and purity, most brides would wear it (they have started wearing more whites).  Be careful though, too much red can cause us to become irritated, agitated, and angry!  ​

​Orange – has adventure and risk-taking, it has the physical energy from red, and cheerfulness of yellow.  It is a colour that is social, interactive, and aids in new ideas, freeing the spirit.  Orange encourages self-respect and stimulates two-way communication.  It is the most rejected and under-used colour.
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Yellow – is happy, and relates to the mind, and awakens confidence and intellect, it is optimistic, uplifting and creates enthusiasm for life.   It is a great communicator, entertainer and provides clarity, stimulates growth and change.  
Too much yellow can create anxiety and is non-emotional,  It is one of the most highly visible colours, but many older people do not respond well to large amounts.

Green – is the colour of balance, harmony, and rebirth.  It relates more to the heart and health with growth, self-reliance, positivity, and sense of well being.  Green is a peacemaker colour, with the mental clarity from yellow and the emotional calm from the insightful blue.  Green creates hope and love, a sense of nature and family, it creates stability and endurance.  

Pink – is the colour for unconditional love and understanding.  It has the passion and power associated with red, and the openness and completeness associated with white.  It is thought of a feminine colour but was originally used for boys as it is a strong colour.   Pink is a colour for hope, and alleviates feelings of anger and aggression – Did you know you can not be angry in a pink room? 

Brown –  is friendly but serious hue.  A down-to-earth colour brown relates to security and protection, but the comfort of stability, and material wealth.  Brown is a practical colour and draws the mind to the quality of a product.  Brown suppresses emotions, creating the feeling of a ‘safe-haven’, resulting in calmness and comfort,

Blue – creates a feeling of trust, responsibility, honesty, and loyalty.  Blue is the colour of inner peace and calmness, it needs order and direction.  Blue can slow the metabolism, and the paler the hue the freer we feel.  It is the colour of meditation and deep reflection.

Purple – reflect spirituality, imagination, creativeness, mystery, and individualism. Purple contributes to mental balance, stability, peace of mind, and is a link between the spiritual and the physical promoting harmony between the mind and emotions.  Purple influences pursuits and inspiration, it inspires uniqueness and independence
Purple was a colour only royalty and nobility could afford, generating it as a colour of luxury, wealth, power and extravagance.  Too much purple can create depression and should be used extremely carefully in small amounts.

Grey – is an unemotional colour, it detaches and neutralizes the surroundings creating a calm and composed environment.  Grey can be drab and depressing, or elegant and formal, it is conventional, dependable, practical and mature.  It has a steady effect on other colours that it comes into contact with by toning down and illuminating different colours.  

White – is pure, perfect, innocent and represents wholeness and completion.  White is the colour of new beginnings and opens the way for creativity, and equality.  It is natural and independent, and totally reflective.  
In some cultures, white is traditionally related to death and mourning by indicated the completion of a ‘cycle in your life’.    Too much white can cause feelings of isolation and emptiness.

Black – creates an air of mystery and secretive.  It creates a barrier by providing comfort while protecting and hiding the vulnerabilities.  Black is also the colour of control, intimidation, elegance, discipline, and authority. Black is the end but also implies a new beginning.

Here is a fun colour test you can take for free - ​What colour did you get? Let us know in the comments below! 

Colour test