The psychological impact of color in design is entirely universal and unaffected by cultural or individual differences.

1. The Psychology of
COLORS

2. Colors play an exceptionally prominent role in
our lives. They influence our thinking, inspire
our decision-making, and impact our moods.
From causing changes to changing reactions,
colors are more powerful than we think.

3. It’s important to note that not all colors were
created equal. Though some shades are similar,
that doesn’t mean they’ll awaken the same
emotions. To truly grasp the meaning of color,
we must learn to accept this.
It’s also imperative to relinquish some control.
Try as we might, we won’t always have a
handle on our emotions.

4. Colors have such a substantial effect on the
mind and body, and until we make our peace
with this reality, we’ll remain forever perplexed
by inexplicable and random reactions.

5. ACTIVITY
Write the emotions that you feel when you
see or think of the following colors:

6. 1. RED

7. 2. BLUE

8. 3. YELLOW

9. 4. GREEN

10. 5. BROWN

11. 6. ORANGE

12. 7. PURPLE

13. 8. PINK

14. 9. WHITE

15. 10. BLACK

17. 1. RED
From the start of the rainbow to the ubiquitous
advertising for Valentine’s Day, red remains one
of the most evocative colors on the visible
spectrum. As a primary color, red is a color
entirely its own – that is to say, no other colors
can come together to form a perfect red. In
RGB, red is comprised of 100% red, 0% green,
and 0% blue.

18. 1. RED
• Associated with energy, war, danger,
strength, power, determination as well as
passion, desire, and love.
• Enhances human metabolism, increases
respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.
• It attracts attention more than any other
color, at times signifying danger.

19. 2. BLUE
In contrast to its sister primary color, red, blue
is associated with a calm serenity over intensity
or passion. A great deal of research has
indicated that this impact on the body is indeed
inverse to red’s, resulting in lower heart rates
and even slower metabolisms.

20. 2. BLUE
• Unique and authentic
• Enthusiastic, sympathetic, and personal; they
seek meaning and significance in life
• Warm, communicative, and compassionate;
they care about what they do
• Idealistic, spiritual, and sincere; they value
unity and integrity in their relationships
• Peaceful, flexible, and imaginative; they are
natural romantics and nurturers

21. 3. YELLOW
The brightness of this color unclogs mental
blocks and encourages people to seek new
perspectives by abandoning the dull ways of
looking at the world.
You can think of yellow as the main color of the
morning time, when you are the most alert,
insightful and analytical, and when you have
the chance to create a brand new day in your
life.

22. 3. YELLOW
• Associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and
energy.
• Produces a warming effect, arouses
cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and
generates muscle energy.

23. 4. GREEN
Green is the primary color that hints at our
primitive relationship with the first creation of
the world – nature. Considered the key color
that represents purity, health, and freshness,
green has been traditionally associated with
brands that encourage growth, vitality, and
productivity

24. 4. GREEN
• Color of nature. It symbolizes growth,
harmony, freshness, and fertility.
• Considered beneficial to the mind and body.
• Slows human metabolism and produces a
calming effect.
• Strongly associated with tranquility and
calmness.
• Used to symbolize piety and sincerity.

25. 5. BROWN
Traditionally associated with seriousness,
stability, and wisdom, brown is mostly worn by
people who impose respect and appreciation
through their status.

26. 5. BROWN
• Associated with the traits of dependability,
reliability, and resilience.
• Brown-lovers are most often reserved and not
looking to attract attention to oneself
• While light brown represents honesty and
stability, dark brown is considered mature,
predictable, and dull

27. 6. ORANGE
Orange sits in the middle of those extremities:
it promotes rejuvenation, communication, and
positivism. This color also enhances
extraversion, allowing people to let go of their
inhibitions and express themselves more freely.

28. 6. ORANGE
• Combines the energy of red and the
happiness of yellow.
• Associated with joy, sunshine, and the
tropics.
• Represents enthusiasm, fascination,
happiness, creativity, determination,
attraction, success, encouragement, and
stimulation.

29. 7. PURPLE
True to its red parent color, purple is often
associated with luxury and power. However, as
opposed to red’s tendency to reflect the
material facets of power and ambition, purple
errs towards royalty and nobility.

30. 7. PURPLE
• Combines the stability of blue and the energy
of red.
• Associated with royalty. It symbolizes power,
nobility, luxury, and ambition.
• Conveys wealth and extravagance.
• Associated with wisdom, dignity,
independence, creativity, mystery, and
magic.

31. 8. PINK
One of the gentlest and yet most contradictory
colors out there, pink is a color that varies
greatly depending on its context. Making it,
however, remains simple. Though it has a great
number of shades and undertones, pink is most
commonly known to be a pale red mixed with
white.

32. 8. PINK
• This is a color that represents a gentle type
of love
• Pink stands for tenderness, vulnerability, and
youth
• It is a calming, non-threatening color. It is
linked to innocence, hope, and optimism.
• The pink color also represents positive
aspects of traditional femininity like nurture
and kindness.

33. 9. WHITE
White is highly creative, and it invites
reflection, openness, and awakening. It is a
great color for those who want to declutter
their minds and spaces, hence why it is often
associated with cleanliness and order.

34. 9. WHITE
• Associated with light, goodness, innocence,
purity, and virginity.
• Considered to be the color of perfection.
• Signifies safety, purity, and cleanliness.
• Usually has a positive connotation.
• Can represent a successful beginning.
• Depicts faith and purity.

35. 10. BLACK
Black is highly versatile and, depending on
which angle you approach it from, you can see
it as elegant, mysterious, or downright
depressing. For this reason, we will dedicate
some time to explore the abundance of
meanings that have been historically bestowed
upon this color.

36. 10. BLACK
• Associated with power, elegance, formality,
death, evil, and mystery.
• A mysterious color associated with fear and
the unknown (black holes).
• Usually has a negative connotation (blacklist,
black humor, ‘black death’).