Colour is a wonderful thing. It is used in every aspect of our lives from our clothes, furnishings, food, attainable items, to nature and our seasons. Each and every item has its own colour, based on what colour we select it can affect our emotions, culture, and gender, create impact or attracts others.There are many factors on selecting the 'right' colour; it can be harder than you think.Each colour holds a sensory meaning:Red: Lust, Negative issues, Excitement, Love, EnergyYellow: Lively, Jealousy, Competence, HappinessGreen: Natural, Soothing, Envy, Refreshing, CalmBlue: Reliable, Confidence, Corporate, Conservative, MasculinityViolet: Regal, Power, Spiritual, SensualBrown: Earthy, Ruggedness, Durable, ProtectiveOrange: Friendly, Fresh, Enthusiastic, WhimsyWhite: Innocence, Purity, Sincerity, HappyNeutral: Dependable, Expensive, ClassicBlack: Strong, Grief, Mysterious, Expensive, EleganceMany things can influence how each colour affects us, buy products or behave.There are six basic principles of colour psychology and they are as follows:1) Colour can carry a specific meaning2) Colour meaning and effect has to do with context as well.3) The perception of a colour effects evaluation instantly from each person4) Colour exerts its influence automatically5) Colour meaning is based on learned meaning or biological inborn meaning.That is why marketing colours are so carefully considered. Because blue is considered reliable, corporate and confident many companies use this as the main colour or upholding colour in advertising. Consider Kleenex, Tide or Wal-Mart.Red, another strong marketing colour, exudes excitement, energy and love which is why companies like McDonald's, Red Cross and Shoppers Drug Mart use it.Yellow is a colour that makes you think of being happy, competence and saving.Giant Tiger, Best Buy or Shell all selected yellow as their main advertising colour.The freshness and soothing effect of green make it a perfect choice for Starbuck's, Sobeys or Green Giant.Colour can attract attention. When a woman wants to be noticed she will often wear something red. It is an instant attraction. People are drawn to warm colours. However the opposite can be said for men, when they are wearing a dark black or blue suit it exudes confidence and strength and reliability. The colour white is a colour that in many cultures exudes purity and is often worn for weddings or christenings.Gender can be affected by inborn colour meaning such as the influence of pink items for infant girls and blue items for infant boys.Lighting also affects colour selections. Blue light is bright and seems to make things feel like they are moving fast, as opposed to incandescent lighting that gives everything a red or yellow hue and makes things dull and seem slower, as well as often corrupting colour especially in the evening. This is why restaurants need to consider the lighting they are using as it can actually make the food look less appetizing.Colour definitely affects us in every way, every day. What do your colour choices say about you?
