In the 1980’s, the walls of psychiatric units, holding cells, and jail cells were painted Baker-Miller Pink after research scientist, Alexander Schauss, claimed it could reduce physical strength and aggressive tendencies of inmates and disturbed patients. His theory was debunked 30 years later by psychologist Oliver Genschow and his colleagues. In a four-year experiment that began in 2011, a Swiss psychologist, Daniela Späth, used a different shade of pink thought to relax prisoners. She called it “Cool Down Pink.” The color was painted in a jail in Switzerland and prison guards reported less aggressive behavior in prisoners who were placed in the pink cells. However, a reporter for a British newspaper, The Telegraph, reported after an interview with a Swiss prison reformer, that the color was degrading as it looked like “a little girl’s bedroom.”

Color is clearly powerful; it’s used to shape perception and interpretation. For centuries, researchers have studied how colors influence the human psyche. And colors pose cultural differences as well — and can influence the way in which different cultures interpret messages. When it comes to the work we do with visual communications at Onward Publishing, colors are used to elicit emotions. Color similarity can change the meaning of text, and simultaneous contrast can either make different hues look the same or make the same hues look different. The way color is used in design is to increase readership, client base and to foster conversation.

These variables are all considered by a graphic designer during the process of creating a new design. Similarly, the actual tints being used play a large role. “Color is what draws us into a piece, it’s the first thing you see, and it is highly influential. It’s what gets the audience to see what you want them to see, feel what you want them to feel, and to do what you want them to do,” said Anthony Stiso, art director at Onward Publishing. Color is so important that we consider it separately from creating initial logo marks, knowing that the logo’s form and color are two related but equally important decisions to be made. Style guides containing fonts, brand logos, and color palettes are constantly evolving. With each new generation of consumers comes a need for new, personalized marketing techniques.

Comprehension and Call to Action

Color can draw attention to a word or image. Key factors that play into design using color are discernibility — how easily an item can be distinguished from its background; conspicuity — if the item is obvious and how obvious it is; and salience — if the item or data is bold in comparison to the rest of the design or its ability to attract attention. To achieve these, a complimentary color palette is used in unison with a contrasting palette. Readers should be able to comprehend an objective clearly and easily when color hierarchy is used well. Most modern brand guidelines feature main colors as well as accent colors. These colors should be used sparingly to help highlight important information and calls to action.

Colors and Emotions

Take a look at some major color connections to keep in mind:

Blue

Blue occurs in natural environments in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, and the sky on a clear day, however, does not occur organically in many food groups. Its hues are made up of cool tones, evoke feelings of calm, serenity, tranquility, and emulates trust. When an individual wears blue, others perceive them as being trustworthy and, for that reason, it is used widely in the sales industry. Examples of commercial companies whose employees wear shades of blue include Walmart, Ford, Lowes, Best Buy, and JetBlue Airlines.

Very Peri Blue Pantone 17-3938 was announced as the Pantone Color of the Year for 2022. “As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri brings novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved blue color family, encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time with its violet red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages creativity and imaginative expressions,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Between the years 2000–2022 various blue and turquoise tones have been named the color of the year eight times.

Red

By nature, red is a flashy color, that stands out in a crowd and evokes feelings of power, making it a common color for sports cars. Prominent at weddings, this warm tone was worn by brides during Roman times to warrant love and is still worn by Chinese brides as a symbol of luck as they enter marriage. Red is also symbolic of the blood of Christ and is why it is one of the colors associated with Christmas. It is also popular during Valentine’s Day because it is associated with passion, lust, love, and sex appeal — complimenting its flirtier sister-pigment, pink.

Red is one color on the spectrum that has nearly as many negative connotations as it does positive. The financial industry utilizes its hues to represent losses, and the medical industry uses the pigment to display negative results and mortality rates. For these reasons, its important to work with a company that understands both the positive and negative meanings of each color so that they are utilized properly to correctly convey a message.

Green

Green is associated with health and wellness because it is the natural hue of chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their color. Due to its connection to nature, green is used for environmental products by corporations such as Whole Foods and the USDA. It is known to be a positive color, evoking feelings of peace, freshness, vitality, and growth due to its connection to nature. It can also bring forth feelings of relaxation because natural environments are experienced as being peaceful and calming.

All over the world green symbolizes an array of ideas for different cultures. For Muslims, the color is related to the Prophet Muhammad. In England, it holds heroic meaning in connection to the stories of Robin Hood. And in Chinese culture – as well as Japanese – green represents luck and good health, which is why green Jade crystals are a popular stone for jewelry.

White

Clean, angelic, and balanced. White is made up of equal amounts of every color on the gamut. Primarily, it is used by technology and health-related institutions. In Western cultures, white symbolizes purity, and virginity, which is why brides usually wear a white dress on their wedding day — and on the contrary, in India, white is traditionally worn only by widows.

Moods elicited by white are:

• Reinvention – Promotes feelings of new beginnings.
• Clarity – Refreshes the mind and offers clarity.
• Structure – Increases the sense of cleanliness, and order.
• Serene – Calming properties that evoke moments of quietness.

Purple

Purple is tied historically to royalty and spirituality, dating back to ancient centuries of kings, queens, and members of high nobility. A Persian king named Cyrus wore a purple tunic as his royal uniform. Some Roman emperors forbid citizens from wearing purple, otherwise making them subject to the death penalty.

Purple was designated to members of royalty and nobility due to cost. The inflated cost to render the pigment meant that only those in power had the means to acquire it and stood to symbolize their monetary worth. The dye trade was once centered in the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre in Lebanon. Dye obtained from this city was known as “Tyrian purple” and came from a species of sea snail called Bolinus brandaris. To harvest the colorant from the snails, the shells had to be cracked open to extract a purple mucus that was then exposed to sunlight. Up to 250,000 snails were needed to yield one ounce of dye.

From Concept to Design

At Onward, we love thinking of color in creative ways — whether we’re creating a new identity or squeezing life from brand guidelines that are beginning to feel dated, we’re ready to help you tell your story and set the mood. From concept to design and delivery, colors are consistent, true, and ready to enhance your messages. Learn how Onward can bring your ideas to life in vivid color. Call 631-757-8300.