Color Psychology

We all know that color is fundamental in design– but why is that? What is it about color that can evoke a certain mood or convey a personality? Well, when you look at the psychology of color, this concept becomes a lot more clear.

Color has always had the power to influence people. From status to emotion, there are countless ways that color has been used over time as an unspoken indicator. For example, purple has a long history of signifying royalty. Red is known for channeling passion. Yellow inspires and excites people. Blues on the other hand can calm or subdue a mood.

These ideas have been used by artists, kings, and scientists alike. For example, take a look at these graphics created by the website, Your Art Path, explaining how artists used color in their work to convey certain messages.

Or take the infamous story of Baker-Miller Pink. A paint color that was developed in the late 70’s by scientists based on the observation that the specific shade of bubblegum (or pepto-bismol) pink could reduce aggression and promote calmness. This is why you might recall seeing images of pink prisons from back in the day, but over time, this observation was revealed to be faulty,

“Subsequent studies on the colour's influence have shown that the calming effect only lasts for a duration of 15-30 minutes. The Maricopa County jail in Arizona had quite a different experience with their pink cells. They found inmates grew noticeably more aggressive when confined to these environments for extended periods of time. The jail was quick to switch to an alternative solution – repaint the cells a different colour and make the prisoners wear pink underwear,” (Bob Hambly, Color Studies).

Baker-Miller Pink in a locker room.

For a more fool-proof way of understanding color psychology, refer to this color wheel detailing the emotions that go hand-in hand with certain colors.