The Psychology of Color in Design

Summary

This script delves into the emotional impact of color in design, highlighting how different hues can evoke various feelings, from calmness to excitement. It introduces a 'Psychology of Color Chart' as a guide for designers to select colors that elicit desired emotions. The video discusses the strategic use of warm colors like red, orange, and yellow for energy and attention, and cooler colors like green, blue, and purple for stability and calmness. It also touches on the resurgence of purple and the evolving use of pink beyond traditional gender associations, emphasizing the importance of intentional color choices in design.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Color has a profound psychological impact on viewers, influencing emotions and perceptions.
• 🔥 Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange evoke energy and vibrancy, with red being particularly powerful for drawing attention.
• 🚨 Red is often used in call-to-action buttons and fast food logos due to its association with appetite and alertness, but it should be used intentionally to avoid overuse.
• 🍊 Orange combines the enthusiasm of red with the energy of yellow, offering a versatile option for design that complements cooler colors like blue.
• 🌟 Yellow is bright and can evoke happiness, but it's also the least used color in design due to its tendency to be overused and visibility issues when printed with red.
• 💚 Green is associated with cleanliness, nature, and growth, making it a popular choice for cleaning and financial industries.
• 💰 Green's positive connotations also make it a common choice in banking and stock market representations, symbolizing wealth and status.
• 🔵 Blue is a versatile and commonly used color in branding worldwide, evoking stability, trust, and calmness, particularly favored by banks and healthcare.
• 💜 Purple combines the stability of blue with the vibrance of pink, associated with royalty, sophistication, and a sense of passion, making it suitable for hospitality and healthcare.
• 🌈 Pink, traditionally associated with femininity, is evolving in its use and can remind viewers of romance, love, and simpler times, working best when paired with calming counter colors.
• 📈 The script encourages designers to use colors wisely and intentionally, experimenting with different color combinations to evoke desired emotions and enhance design impact.

Q & A

What is the significance of color in design according to the script?

Color in design is significant as it can evoke emotions, provide a sense of calmness, and even influence behaviors such as increasing appetite or drawing attention to certain areas of a design.

What is the 'psychology of color chart' mentioned in the script?

The 'psychology of color chart' is a downloadable resource that lists common emotions associated with different colors, intended to guide designers in selecting colors that elicit the desired emotional responses from viewers.

Why are warm colors like reds, yellows, and oranges considered to bring energy and vibrance to a design?

Warm colors are associated with energy and vibrance because they can spark emotions of happiness and joy, and are often used to draw attention or increase alertness in a design.

Why is red particularly powerful in design?

Red is especially powerful in design due to its ability to draw attention and increase alertness, making it a common choice for buttons and call-to-action elements. However, it should be used intentionally to avoid overwhelming a design.

How does the color orange balance the design when used with cooler colors?

Orange balances the design with cooler colors by maintaining the bright energy of red while also incorporating the enthusiasm of yellow, creating a sense of contrast that works well in design.

What are the challenges associated with using the color yellow in design?

Yellow can be challenging in design because it can easily be overused and is the least used color due to its brightness. Additionally, it can be hard to see when printed with red, so it should be used carefully and sparingly.

Why is green often the color of choice for cleaning industries and financial industry?

Green is associated with cleanliness, freshness, and nature, making it a suitable choice for cleaning industries. In the financial industry, green signifies positive gains and wealth, which is why it is commonly used to represent a good day in the stock market.

What unique blend of emotions does cyan evoke, and where might it be commonly seen?

Cyan combines green's organic, clean feeling with blue's calm feeling, creating a unique blend. It may be commonly seen in biotech startups to convey optimism.

Why is blue the most commonly used color for brands worldwide?

Blue is widely used because it evokes emotions like stability and calmness, making it a favorite for banks, industries, and healthcare to convey trust and reliability.

How does the color purple combine different emotions to create a unique effect in design?

Purple combines the stability and calmness of blue with the compassion and vibrance of pink, adding warm tones that give it a sense of royalty, sophistication, and passion, making it suitable for hospitality and healthcare industries.

What are some considerations for using pink in design, and how can it be effectively paired with other colors?

Pink should be used considering its past association with femininity, but it can evoke romance and love. It works best in tandem with calming counter colors to balance its strong presence and highlight certain areas of the design.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Emotional Impact of Color in Design

This paragraph discusses the profound influence of color on emotional responses and design choices. It emphasizes how different colors can elicit various feelings, such as calmness, happiness, or even hunger. The speaker introduces a 'psychology of color chart,' a tool to understand common emotions associated with colors. Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange are described as energetic and vibrant, with red being particularly powerful for drawing attention in design. However, overuse of these colors can be overwhelming. The paragraph also touches on how colors like orange and yellow can complement cooler colors and create a sense of contrast in design. The discussion on yellow highlights its potential to evoke happiness and youthfulness but also its challenges in readability and overuse. Green is presented as a color associated with cleanliness and nature, often used in the financial industry to symbolize positive growth.

05:01

🌈 Exploring the Versatility and Nuances of Colors

The second paragraph delves into the color spectrum, starting with blue, a color that represents stability and calmness, frequently used by banks and healthcare industries. It also mentions cyan, a less common color that combines the organic feel of green with the calmness of blue, often used by biotech startups to convey optimism. Purple is highlighted for its mix of blue's stability and pink's vibrance, associated with royalty and sophistication, and increasingly popular in youthful, vibrant brands. The paragraph discusses the resurgence of purple in design, using it in duotones, gradients, and photo overlays for a rich retro feel. Pink, traditionally associated with femininity, is noted for its evolving role in design, capable of evoking romance and simpler times. The importance of using pink carefully to avoid overwhelming the design is stressed. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for designers to use colors intentionally, experiment with color combinations, and consider the emotional impact of their choices on the viewer.

Keywords

💡Color Psychology

Color psychology is the study of how colors can influence human behavior and emotions. In the video, it is the central theme that explains how different colors can evoke various feelings such as calmness, happiness, or even hunger. For instance, the script mentions that warm colors like reds, yellows, and oranges can bring energy and vibrance to a design, while cooler colors like blue and green can provide a sense of stability and calmness.

💡Emotion

Emotion refers to a complex reaction in response to a specific stimulus, which in this video, is color. The script describes how colors can spark emotions, such as happiness and joy, and even remind us of childhood memories. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding these emotional responses to effectively use colors in design to influence the viewer's feelings.

💡Warm Colors

Warm colors include reds, oranges, and yellows and are associated with energy, vibrance, and excitement. The script explains that warm colors can draw attention and are often used in design to create a focal point, such as in call-to-action buttons or to increase alertness. However, they should be used with intention to avoid overwhelming the design.

💡Red

Red is highlighted as a powerful color that can draw attention and increase alertness. It is commonly used in design for call-to-action elements and in the fast-food industry to stimulate appetite. The script warns that red can be overused and may evoke negative emotions like anger or fear, so it should be used purposefully.

💡Orange

Orange is described as a color that retains the enthusiasm of red but with a bit of the edge taken off. It combines the energy of red with the brightness of yellow, making it versatile for design use. The script mentions that orange works well with cooler colors like blue, providing a sense of contrast and balance in a design.

💡Yellow

Yellow is associated with high energy and happiness but also noted as a color that can be difficult to use in design due to its tendency to be overused or hard to read when printed with red. The script points out that yellow can evoke a youthful vibe and is commonly seen in children's products, but it can also cause anxiety, which is why it's less prevalent in the healthcare industry.

💡Green

Green is the color of choice for many cleaning industries and is associated with cleanliness, freshness, and nature. The script explains that green also symbolizes positive gains in wealth and status, which is why it's heavily used in the financial industry and by banks in their branding to remind viewers of positive, increasing stock market days.

💡Blue

Blue is the most commonly used color for brands worldwide due to its association with stability, calmness, and trust. The script mentions that blue is particularly favored by banks, industries, and the healthcare sector. It is also noted for its versatility and ability to stand alone in design without needing other colors to temper its impact.

💡Purple

Purple combines the stability and calmness of blue with the compassion and vibrance of pink, taking on warm tones. The script describes purple as a color associated with royalty, sophistication, and optimism. It is commonly used in the hospitality industry to make guests feel regal and in healthcare to convey a sense of love, passion, and trust.

💡Pink

Pink, traditionally associated with femininity, is evolving in its use and can evoke feelings of romance and love. The script notes that pink can be challenging to use in large areas of design due to its strength, but when used correctly with calming counter colors, it can draw attention without overwhelming the viewer.

💡Color Wheel

The color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship, which is central to the discussion of color theory in the video. The script uses the color wheel to explain how colors can be complementary, creating a sense of contrast and balance, or analogous, creating a harmonious effect. Understanding the color wheel helps in making informed decisions about color combinations in design.

💡Contrast

Contrast refers to the difference in color, lightness, or saturation that makes an element stand out against its surroundings. The script emphasizes the importance of contrast in design, especially when pairing warm and cool colors to create a visually appealing and balanced composition.

💡Design

Design in this context refers to the intentional arrangement of visual elements, such as color, to communicate a message or evoke certain emotions. The script discusses how the careful selection and application of colors in design can transform a concept from dull to inspiring, highlighting the power of color in the creative process.

Highlights

Colors have the power to evoke emotions and influence our perception in design.

Warm colors like reds, yellows, and oranges bring energy and vibrancy to a design.

Red is a powerful attention-grabbing color often used in call-to-action buttons.

Overuse of red can overwhelm a design and increase appetite, which is why it's prevalent in fast food branding.

Oranges combine the energy of red and yellow, offering versatility in design applications.

Yellows are high-energy colors but can be difficult to use in large areas due to their brightness.

Green is associated with cleanliness and nature, making it a popular choice for cleaning and financial industries.

Blue is a versatile color that evokes stability and calmness, widely used in banking and healthcare.

Cyan is a unique color combining the organic feel of green with the calmness of blue, often used by biotech startups.

Purple combines the stability of blue with the vibrance of pink, associated with royalty and used in hospitality.

Purple is experiencing a resurgence in design, often used in youthful and vibrant brands.

Pinks, despite past associations with femininity, can evoke romance and are slowly evolving in design use.

The psychology of color chart is a resource that lists common emotions associated with different colors.

Color choices in design are influenced by the emotions designers want to elicit from the viewer.

Contrast in design is achieved by using a balance of cool and warm colors or analogous colors.

Creating custom color combinations is a practical way for designers to explore emotional responses to color.

Colors can transform a design from dull to inspiring with careful and intentional use.

Transcripts

[Music]

the psychology of color in design there

is power to color and design and there

are emotions that are sparked when we

view certain colors and colors can give

you a sense of calmness they can move or

spark emotions of happiness and joy

colors can remind us of something simple

from childhood or make us feel hungry

how we pick and choose the colors we use

in design are greatly influenced by the

type of emotions you want to bring about

in your viewer

I created this downloadable resource

called the psychology of color chart it

lists common emotions associated with

colors

so taking a look at this chart your warm

colors Reds yellows and oranges are

going to bring more energy and Vibrance

to your design with Reds being

especially powerful

this is why warmer colors tend to be

harder to use on large area of designs

because of this energy and draw it has

especially Reds there could be a good

reason to draw your eyes to a design to

gain the attention among the crowds red

is a great color to use to draw that

attention and increase alertness red is

commonly used on buttons and call to

actions to pull your eye toward that

area

Reds can easily be overused use too much

and it can drown a design and too much

attention

Reds tend to increase your appetite so

there's a good reason why fast food

restaurants tend to favor red in their

logos and ads

red should be used intentionally and

with a purpose Reds can also evoke a

response of anger and fear as well so

keep that in mind when considering using

this attention grabbing color

as we move along the color wheel we run

into oranges oranges keep some of the

enthusiasm and excitements of red but

also starts to combine the energy of

yellow

since they take a little bit of the edge

off of red you can find more ways to use

orange in your designs but also keep

that same bright energy

oranges work wonderfully with cooler

colors like blue they tend to be

complements on the color wheel and it

shows as you see orange being that

bright highlight in a sea of cool colors

this balance works well in design

because it provides a sense of contrast

now as we continue to move along the

warm colors into yellows the energy is

undeniable with yellows but it can also

be one of its biggest weaknesses along

with pinks yellow is the least used

color and design because it can easily

be overused but it can be a great

complement color alongside other colors

where the other other colors feed off

the brightness of yellow

the only downside is yellow can be hard

to see and red when printed so I try to

avoid using it with type unless it's

very intentional and very readable

yellow does have a place in design but

wield it carefully and sparingly this

color can evoke happiness and give off a

youthful Vibe and it might be why you

commonly see it used in children's

products

yellows can evoke anxieties as well and

it might be why you don't see a lot of

yellow used in the health care industry

it's now time for green we start to move

toward the cooler colors and there's a

reason why green is the color of choice

for many cleaning Industries green

equals clean and fresh but also reminds

us of nature it reminds us of fresh

spring days when those bright green

leaves start to bloom on the trees after

a long dark light winter

green can also be used heavily by the

financial industry to show positive

gains on wealth and Status we see the

stock market highlighted in green we

know it was a good positive day on the

market and there's no wonder why Banks

commonly use green in their branding why

not remind viewers of those positive

increasing stock market days

there's no wonder that alongside blue

green is one of the most commonly used

color palette choices and Design

cyan is a unique color not as commonly

used as some other colors like green and

blue but it combines Green's organic

clean feeling with Blues calm feeling to

create its own unique blend of the two

and you may commonly see biotech

startups use cyan to show optimism

blue is most commonly used color for

brands worldwide there's many reasons

why because it evokes emotions like

stability and calmness and Banks love to

use the color blue for that reason

especially with banks losing trust since

the 2008 recession you also see it used

by Industrials and those in the

manufacturing industry and you see it

also in the healthcare industry

blue is a gray color to use for large

areas of the design like a background

for example especially ones that have

shades of blue blue can easily stand on

its own with less of a need to depend on

other colors to tame it down Blues chill

nature makes it one of the most

versatile colors on the color wheel

next we move into purple purple mixes a

bit of stability and calmness of blue

with the compassion and Vibrance of pink

it starts to take on a bit of warm tones

giving it a little kick

purple is commonly associated with

royalty and sophistication it's also

commonly used in the hospitality

industry for that very reason they want

you to feel like royalty

we also see used by the health care

industry as well has a sense of love and

passion that mixes with the stability

and Trust of blue

purple is another color that can easily

be used in larger areas of the design

yet add a little bit of that energy from

the warmer tones purple is Rich it's

silky it's it's luscious and when used

right in a design it can feel wonderful

purples are having a bit of Renaissance

in the design world with a huge

Resurgence of its use in youthful

vibrant Brands you see purple used as

duotones or gradients and as as overlays

on photos giving photos a richer retro

vibe

purple and vibrant yellows are

compliments on the color wheel and you

can see that combination of energy

happening every time you see these two

colors together purple can take up more

space in your design more than the

yellows and your yellow should always

just play a highlighting role being used

a little less often to highlight certain

areas of the design

pinks are a bit tough to use because of

their strong past association with

femininity but don't count them out too

soon as that stereotype is slowly

evolving and changing pinks can remind

us of romance and love they can also

remind us of a simpler time when no one

was afraid of wearing pink like my

favorite decade the 80s

pinks are similar to yellows and that

they can be hard to use in large areas

of the design lighter versions of pink

tend to do better with this than those

hot bright pinks which have the same

problem as yellow because they're too

strong

Pink's work best in tandem with calming

counter colors take for instance this

example where the pink draws your eye

but the cooler color calms it down just

enough to take it all in

and now we come full circle back to Reds

feel free to download this Resource as a

guide when thinking about how the

emotions of color affect your color

picking decisions when doing logos and

creating brand color palettes this

should come in handy

outside of typography color can move

mountains when used right in design it

could change your design from dull to

inspiring with a few clicks of a button

use colors wisely and carefully and with

intention as designers it takes time to

find the right color combos and the best

way to practice this is by creating your

own color combos

try creating a series of your own color

combinations try just combining two

simple colors then try three and then

work your way up to four think about how

the colors you put together make you

feel

remember that contrast and color can

work well with a cooler color and a

warmer color together but also analogous

or colors that are similar in Hue can

create a calming harmonious effect what

emotions do you want to evoke with your

design how does changing a color and

your design change how you feel about

the design