Colour Psychology

Colour Psychology is the study of colour as a determinant of human behaviour. Colour is a very influential source of information and when a customer makes a judgement on a product, between 62% and 90% of that judgement is based upon colour. Likewise, when people see a new logo or brand they associate that brand with the characteristics that come to mind when they see the brand's main colour. 


I have always had trouble making decisions, and deciding on an appropriate colour palette for design projects is not an exception. I believe I have a good eye for what colours compliment each other, and to support this I found a website (http://www.colourco.de/) to confirm my decisions. However, I can still be unsure on what main colour to use as the foundation of my palette, as I am aware that different colours have different meanings and have more of an effect than you would think. I therefore decided to take the time to look into colour psychology and the meaning of different colours as whether it is a conscious decision or not, a lot of customers will make a judgement on a brand primarily based on the main colour used.

Since researching this I am now aware of the characteristics that are linked to specific colours and I feel I can make more informed decisions on colour palettes for future design projects and carefully select colours that are both appropriate for the project and visually represent characteristics that I want my audience to associate with it. There is a lot of in depth research available online about colour psychology, but if you have the same problem as me when it comes to deciding on colour palettes, check out the list of colours and characteristics below that I have been using as a guide to help you make some informed decisions for your own designs!


Colours and their meanings:

Orange is the colour of social communication and optimism. From a negative colour meaning it is also a sign of pessimism and superficiality.

Yellow is the colour of the mind and the intellect. It is optimistic and cheerful. However it can also suggest impatience, criticism and cowardice.

Green is the colour of balance and growth. It can mean both self-reliance as a positive and possessiveness as as a negative, among many other meanings.

Blue is the colour of trust and peace. It can suggest loyalty and integrity as well as conservation and frigidity.

Indigo is the colour of intuition. In the meanings of colours it can mean idealism and structure as well as ritualistic and addictive.

Purple is the colour of the imagination. It can be creative and individual or immature and impractical.

Turquoise is the colour of communication and clarity of mind. It can also be impractical and idealistic.

Pink is the colour of unconditional love and nurturing. Pink can also be immature, silly and girlish.

Magenta is the colour of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life.

Brown is the colour of security, protection and material wealth.

Grey is the colour of compromise - being neither black nor white, it is the transition between two non-colours.

Silver has a feminine energy; it is related to the moon and the ebb and flow of the tides - it is fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious.

Gold is the colour of success, achievement and triumph. Associated with abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance, the colour psychology of gold implies affluence, material wealth and extravagance.

White is colour at its most complete and pure, the colour of perfection. The colour meaning of white is purity, innocence, wholeness and completion.

Black is the colour of the hidden, the secretive and the unknown, creating an air of mystery. It keeps things bottled up inside, hidden from the world.

EMPOWER-YOURSELF-WITH-COLOUR-PSYCHOLOGY (2013). Understanding the Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology. [online] available at http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html last accessed 05/09/13