The Psychology of Color

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR



COLOR PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN OUR VISUAL PERCEPTION AS IT INFLUENCES OUR REACTIONS ABOUT WORLD AROUND US. A FUNDAMENTAL GRASP OF COLOR PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGY IN GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGN IS THEREFORE CRITICAL IN ORDER TO CREATE PALETTES THAT EVOKE THE APPROPRIATE AUDIENCE REACTIONS



PRIMARY SECONDARY



WARM



RED



The hottest and the most dynamic color,red is activating,stimulating,passionate,exciting,powerful, and expanding.



WHERE TO USE:



Use minimally in its purest form as an accent to draw attention to critical elements.



For depicting designs that portray power or passion.



ORANGE

Not as overwhelming as red, orange is a balanced color that is vibrant and energetic while being friendly and inviting.



WHERE TO USE:



To give a friendly and inviting impression.



For designs depicting movement and energy without being overpowering.



YELLOW



The brightest and most energizing of warm colors,yellow is happy warm, stimulating and expansive.



WHERE TO USE:



To give an impression of happiness and cheerfulness.



Young to Old:In its pure form,yellow can be used for designs concerning children,while darker shades can be used to give a sense of antiquity.



COOL



GREEN



This cool secondary color is calming,balancing and rejuvenating. Green represents stability and inspires possibility.



WHERE TO USE:



To represent balance and harmony in a design.



Use darker shades to represent stability and affluence.



BLUE

Blue represents dependability,trustworthiness and security.It can also characterize calm and spirituality.



WHERE TO USE:



Dark blues are excellent for corporate and business designs.



Lighter blues can be used for social websites that represnt calm and friendliness.



PURPLE

Purple represents nobility,abundance and dignity,but can also stand for creativity and imagination.



WHERE TO USE:



Darker shades of purple characterize wealth and luxury.



Softer shades can be associated with spring and romance.



NEUTRAL



MONOCHROMATIC

Used as a backdrop in designs in conjunction with brighter accent colors



BLACK:



Represents power,elegance and modernity,can also characterize mysteriousness.



GRAY:

Represents neutrality and calm. A lack of energy can be associated with conservative design.



WHITE:

Represents clarity,cleanliness,hope and openness.Can also be associated with sterility and simplicity.



BROWNS

Used as a backdrop in designs in conjunction with textures



CREAM/IVORY:

Represents calm, elegance and purity.



TAN/BEIGE:

Represents conservation and piety.Like gray,it can be perceived as being dull.



BROWN:

Represents wholesomeness and reliability.A stable color,brown can be associated with experience and comfort.



COLORS OF ALEXA'S TOP SITES

AS OF JANUARY 2011



1 GOOGLE

2 FACEBOOK

3 YOUTUBE

4 YAHOO!

5 MSN

6 BAIDU

7 BLOGGER

8 WIKIPEDIA

9 QQ

10 TWITTER

11 MSN

13 TAOBAO

15 AMAZON

19 WORDPRESS

20 LINKEDIN

21 BING

23 eBAY

24 MICROSOFT

25 YANDEX

30 PAYPAL

31 MAIL.RU

32 FC2

34 IMDB

35 V KONTAKTE

36 FLICKR THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR COLOR PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN OUR VISUAL PERCEPTION AS IT INFLUENCES OUR REACTIONS ABOUT WORLD AROUND US. A FUNDAMENTAL GRASP OF COLOR PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGY IN GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGN IS THEREFORE CRITICAL IN ORDER TO CREATE PALETTES THAT EVOKE THE APPROPRIATE AUDIENCE REACTIONS PRIMARY SECONDARY RED The hottest and the most dynamic color, red is activating, stimulating, passionate, exciting, powerful, and expanding. WHERE TO USE: Use minimally in its purest form as an accent to draw attention to critical elements. For depicting designs that portray power or passion. ORANGE Not as overwhelming as red, orange is a balanced color that is vibrant and energetic while being friendly and inviting. 4 WHERE TO USE: To give a friendly and inviting impression. For designs depicting movement and energy without being overpowering. YELLOW The brightest and most energizing of warm colors, yellow is happy, warm, stimulating and expansive. WHERE TO USE: To give an impression of happiness and cheerfulness. Young to Old: In its pure form, yellow can be used for designs concerning children, while darker shades can be used to give a sense of antiquity. GREEN This cool secondary color is calming, balancing and rejuvenating. Green represents stability and inspires possibility. WHERE TO USE: To represent balance and harmony in a design. Use darker shades to represent stability and affluence. BLUE Blue represents dependability, trustworthiness and security. It can also characterize calm and spirituality. 0 WHERE TO USE: Dark blues are excellent for corporate and business designs. Lighter blues can be used for social websites that represent calm and friendliness. PURPLE Purple represents nobility, abundance and dignity, but can also stand for creativity and imagination. WHERE TO USE: Darker shades of purple characterize wealth and luxury. Softer shades can be associated with spring and romance. MONOCHROMATIC Used as a backdrop in designs in conjunction with brighter accent colors BLACK: Represents power, elegance and modernity, can also characterize mysteriousness. GRAY: Represents neutrality and calm. A lack of energy can be associated with conservative design. WHITE: Represents clarity, cleanliness, hope and openness. Can also be associated with sterility and simplicity. BROWNS Used as a backdrop in designs in conjunction with textures CREAM / IVORY: Represents calm, elegance and purity. TAN / BEIGE: Represents conservatism and piety. Like gray, it can be perceived as being dull. BROWN: Represents wholesomeness and reliability. A stable color, brown can be associated with experience and comfort. COLORS OF ALEXA’S TOP SITES AS OF JANUARY 2011 2 4 GOOGLE FACEBOOK YOUTUBE YAHOO! MSN 8. 10 BAIDU BLOGGER WIKIPEDIA QQ TWITTER (11 13 15 19 MSN TAOBAO AMAZON WORDPRESS LINKEDIN 21 23 24 25 30 BING EBAY MICROSOFT YANDEX PAYPAL 31 32 34 35 MAIL.RU FC2 IMDB V KONTAKTE FLICKR Design: DEHAHS Sources: Techking http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/28/color-theory-for-designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/ http://www.colourlovers.com/business/blog/2010/09/15/the-most-powerful-colors-in-the-world/ http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/color-psychology-website-design/ http://www.feng-shui-and-beyond.com/color-psychology.html/ http://www.alexa.com/ POWERED BY TESTKING 20 WARM > Z E > TR AL