Understanding Colour
Review the Colour Matters site and determine why some colours appear to hurt the eye!
The Psychology of Colour
Because of their power to provoke reactions in us, we use colours for their symbolic meaning. It is no accident that fire engines are painted red; red is a hot colour and denotes the idea of danger. Police uniforms are blue; being a cool colour, blue projects the idea of being under control, being calm and collected.
You can use colours in your visual designs to convey a mood, create an association or express your feelings about a particular event, activity or object.
Choose colours to convey the following:
q Aggression – Red
q Friendly – Light Blue, pastel colours
q Solid – Balck
q Weak – Light Pink
q Serious – Navy Blue
Selecting Colours
Many things will affect your choice of colour. Consider the situation and choose your colours wisely. Think about the following factors.
Fashion
The mass market
Strong and bold colours are used to attract the mass market. Advertisers usually use primary colours because they are the most appealing colours to the bulk of the population.
The environment
Culture
Culture and history shape colour choice. If you visit Asia you will find temples painted in bright, primary colours. A European church is more likely to have more sombre colours.
