The Psychology of Colour

Our reaction to color is instantaneous, color is a meaningful constant for sighted people and it's a powerful psychological tool. By using color psychology, you can send a positive or negative message, encourage sales, calm a crowd, or make an athlete pump iron harder.


Today we look at three colors of interest, 3 being a magical number and all of that :)


Blue 

The overwhelming "favorite color." Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. The color of sky and the ocean, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives.

As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming; however not all blues are serene and sedate. Electric or brilliant blues become dynamic and dramatic, an engaging color that expresses exhilaration.

Gray

Gray is most associated with the practical, timeless, middle-of-the-road, solid things in life. Too much gray leads to feeling mostly nothing; but a bit of gray will add that rock solid feeling. 

Some shades of gray are associated with old age, death, taxes, depression or a lost sense of direction. 

Silver is an off-shoot of gray and often associated with giving a helping hand, strong character (sterling in-fact!).

Orange

There is usually strong positive or negative association to orange and a true orange color generally elicits a stronger "love it" or "hate it" response than any other color.




For more on color psychology go here.