Research: The Significance of Colour

The following colour information is largely taken from articles and studies from Colourmatters.com

(http://www.colormatters.com/color-symbolism/the-meanings-of-colors)

Red:

• In Greek past, Red has symbolised super-human heroism.
• Approximately 77% of flags contain the colour red.
• Red is an international colour for STOP.
• Red is the colour of good luck in China.
• Most Japanese children draw the sun as a big red circle (like their flag)
• Red captures attention hence why it is used on fire engines. Red focuses behind the retina in the eye which forces the lens to grow more convex pulling it forward- this then gives the illusion that red areas move forward.

Orange:

• Orange has been used to symbolise energy, vitality, cheer, excitement, adventure, warmth and good health, but it can also come across as a suggestion of lack of serious intellectual values or bad taste.
• Symbolic of autumn.
• Orange used on safety equipment like vests and traffic cones, is used because it stands out from its surroundings.

Yellow:

• Yellow is often associated with happiness, optimism, enlightenment, creativity, sunshine and spring.
• Yellow also has a darker side- cowardice, betrayal, egoism and madness. It also symbolises caution and illness.
• The human eye processes yellow first- which may be why emergency vehicles often use yellow or signs of caution.
• Yellow has a high light reflectance value so can be used as a secondary light source.
• The eyes Peripheral vision is 2.5 times higher for yellow then red.

Green:

• It has long been understood that green is a symbol for nature, growth, rebirth and fertility.
• The Green Man is a symbol of fertility in Paganism, Muslim countries use green as a holy colour, Ireland considers it lucky and during the Ming Dynasty in China it was said to be the colour of the heavens.
• There are more shades of green than any other colour, from yellowy greens to turquoise greens.
• It is suggested that green is the most restful colour for the human eye (handy seen as most of nature is green)
• The number of people who committed suicide by jumping off Blackfriars Bridge, London, dropped by 34% when it was painted green.
• If a woman takes a green M&M she is said to possess a heightened sexuality.

Blue:

• Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other colour.
• Dark blue has connotations of trust, dignity, intelligence and authority.
• Bright blue signifies cleanliness, strength, dependability, coolness.
• Light blue means peace, serenity, ethereal, spiritual and infinity.
• Blue also has connotations with sadness.
• 53% of world flags contain the colour blue.
• In Europe, aristocracy are said to be Blue-blooded.
• In Greek, blue is said to ward off evil.
• In English, “To feel blue” has no equivalent translation in any language.
• The God Krishna, from Hinduism has blue skin.
• The eye sharply refracts shades of blue causing the lens to flatten, pushing blue images back creating the illusion of blue areas receding or being smaller. The same refraction also causes visual fog within interior spaces with too much blue.

Purple:

• Purple is rarely seen in nature and has a high expense rate for creating it so over the centuries it has earned its association with the supernatural.
• Purple has the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow.
• Of all the colours it has the richest history.
• In 1900BC it took 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5grams of pure dye, so this colour was often associated with the rich and powerful. With modern technology it is now much cheaper to reproduce but it still has associations with nobility and luxury.
• Purple is the most powerful visible wavelength of electromagnetic energy. This could explain why purple has associations with the supernatural, energy and the cosmos, rather than the physical world.
• Colourmatters.com describes purple as symbolising magic, mystery, spirituality, the sub-conscious, creativity, dignity and royalty.
• Different shades of purple have different meanings- light purples are light hearted, floral and romantic. Darker shades are more intellectual and dignified.
• Negative meanings of purple are decadence, conceit, mourning and pomposity.
• Only 2 flags in the world contain the colour purple.
• Purple is the hardest colour for the eye to discriminate. The Lilac Chaser demonstrates how this works http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/col_lilacChaser/index.html

  

In conclusion, colour is clearly significant and holds lots of different meanings to different cultures and for different situations. It can evoke emotions, tastes, smells, caution, fear, calm, passion, sadness, joy and many other things. Colour can be individual to a person- I personally love the colour Orange but others hate it.

When I design for The Magicians Nephew I will try and take into consideration what the different colours mean and represent, allowing it to be connected with on a subconscious level e.g. If I design Charn to be all green and yellow it will come across as a happy place full of nature and joy, where as a more appropriate colour scheme would be to use Red, black and possibly hints of blue, this creating a more dangerous atmosphere, instantly causing the viewer to feel that this place is evil or unsafe.