1. The Psychology of ColorThe Psychology of Color
Which Color, graphics and font for
what sites and why?

2. TopicsTopics
Why do we need to study colors?
What are some color terminology?
Psychological effects of color
What does each color represent?
Different cultural interpretations of color
How does fonts and graphics play a role?
Case studies

3. Important Role That ColorImportant Role That Color
PlaysPlays
Color influences our mood
Affects how we view certain things
The Ancient Egyptians, Chinese and
Indians believed in chromo therapy.
Today it influences the market and plays an
important role in marketing items and how
we view certain web sites.

4. Color TerminologiesColor Terminologies
 Spectrum: All possible color space
 Hues: Defines a specific location on
the color wheel or spectrum
 Value: Describes the range from
light to dark
 Muted: Colors that have very little
saturation.
 Tint: The process of adding white
to a color
 Tone: the process of adding black
to a color.

5. More TerminologiesMore Terminologies
 Color Wheel
 Primary Colors: RED,
BLUE, YELLOW
 Secondary Colors:
GREEN, ORANGE AND
PURPLE
 Tertiary Colors: Other
shades of color that are
produced when mixing
secondary colors

6. Color HarmonyColor Harmony
Analogous Colors are the three colors that
are side by side on a color wheel
Complimentary Colors are colors that are
opposite of each other on the color wheel.
- NY Mets uniform are complimentary
Blue and Orange

7. Psychological effects of colorPsychological effects of color
The human eye can see at least 7 million
colors. The colors we see can affect our
perceptions of the world.
Colors can affect our reactions to emotions
to even our appetite.
The color Blue

8. Our eyes can play tricks onOur eyes can play tricks on
us.us.
 High contrast between
colors creates
muscular activity
which fatigues the eye.
The greater the
contrast between two
colors the more
difficult it is to look at.

9. When we reduce the ContrastWhen we reduce the Contrast
 The two sets of
pictures are now easier
to see when we lower
the contrast.

10. Emotional Responses to ColorEmotional Responses to Color
Blue Tranquil, appetite suppressant
Green Soothing, being in a green room
relieves pain
Orange Improves mental clarity
Pink subdues
Red Increases bodily tension
White Cause more headaches
Bright Yellow Fatiguing; babies cry more in a
yellow room; couple fight more
Light Yellow Creates harmony

11. Some Colors Used InSome Colors Used In
MarketingMarketing
Hot Pink Vivid; shocking; high
energy; youthful; less
expensive
Glam Rock from Clair
Light Pink Romantic; feminine Victoria's Secret
Blue Dependable; reliable,
confidence
Terracotta Rustic; robust; upscale;
traditional
Cuban Cigars

12. Cultural DifferencesCultural Differences
 In every culture colors
are viewed differently
 In the Europe, U.S and
Japan brides
traditionally wear
white, while in China,
India and Pakistan it is
traditional to wear red.

13. Cultural DifferencesCultural Differences
Color Western
Europe &
U.S
China Japan Middle
East
Danger,
Anger, Stop
Joy, Festive
Occasions
Anger, Danger Danger, Evil
Caution,
Cowardice
Honor,
Royalty
Grace,
Nobility,
Childish,
Happiness,
Prosperity
Safe, sour, go Youth,
Growth
Future, Youth,
Energy
Fertility,
Strength
Purity, Virtue Mourning,
Humility
Death,
Mourning
Purity,
Mourning
Calm,
Authority,
Masculinity
Strength,
Power
Villainy
Death, Evil Evil Evil Mystery, Evil

14. On The WEBOn The WEB
 Colors play and important role on a web page.
 Unsuccessful color choices make it difficult to
view the web. Here is an example of a bad site.
 Brower-Safe Colors
-Cookwood Site
-Prime Shop
Example of the difference:
http://www.lynda.com/products/books/dwg/flatdither.html

15. Four Formula For SuccessFour Formula For Success
Convert images to the correct file format
 Select the most appropriate colors by analyzing
the store’s products or services and the target
market.
 Use color to create a functional user-interface
 Use color harmony principles
 In depth coverage at this site: Color Matters

16. FontsFonts
“There are no good and bad
typefaces, there are appropriate
and inappropriate typefaces.
Think about your reader and the
feeling you want to convey, then
choose a typeface that fits.”
- Daniel Will-Harris (http://www.will-harris.com/use-type.htm)

17. FontsFonts
 Fonts types are also important and should be taken
into consideration.
 Just because you like the font doesn’t mean you
should use it.
 Serif, San-serif, Monospace
 Type is on the page to serve the text. It
should make the words easy to read
and provide a suitable background.
Type should not overpower the text.
 Another alternative = embedded fonts

18. GraphicsGraphics
Graphics enhances a web site
Some different types of graph formats : jpg
and gifs
http://www.lynda.com/products/books/dwg/dither
Anti – Aliasing vs. Aliasing

19. www.hothothot.comwww.hothothot.com
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Are they using the right colors?
Analyzing the predominate colors:
RED
ORANGE
YELLOW

20. RevlonRevlon
Revlon
Re establishes it brand color: RED
Colors used: Red, Burgundy and Pink
shades

21. ConclusionConclusion
Colors combinations can effect the way we
feel about things therefore it is crucial that
we learn how to use that to our benefit to
market or site or product.

22. Works CitedWorks Cited
 http://colormatters.com/des_ecom.html
 http://library.thinkquest.org/50065/psych/effects.html?tqskip=1
 http://www.insteam.com/LauraFunderburk/
 http://webdesign.about.com/compute/webdesign/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?
site=http://www.bhg.com/default.sph/bhgcontent.class%3FFNC=next%5F
%5FAstory%5Fhtml%5F%5F%5F1%5F%5F%5F56%5F%5F%5F432%5F
%5F%5F2181%5F%5F%5F2%5F%5F%5F2
 http://www.hothothot.com/
 http://www.will-harris.com/use-type.htm
 http://www.victoriassecret.com/
 http://www.lynda.com/hex.html
 http://www.cigars-of-cuba.com/secure/index.html
 http://www.revlon.com/index.asp
 Chijiiwa, Hideaki. Color Harmony. Rockport Publishing, China, 1987
 Weinman, Lynda. Designing Web Graphics.3 New Riders, Indiana, 1999