Colour Psychology from Douglas's blog

Table of contents

Colour Theory

Colour is set by the mind

Colour Psychology

Recommended Books

Colour Theory

This is a sufficiently complex (and controversial) topic to be covered in a write-up, but you want to leave the key elements that can guide or make one understand if colours genuinely have any impact on the psyche or emotions and are therefore likely to change states of perception.

In 1666, the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that whenever pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into all the visible colours. Newton also discovered that every colour is made up of single wavelength and cannot be separated into other colours.

For the reason that past, other experiments showed that light could be combined to make other colours. For example, red light mixed with yellow light creates an orange colour. Some colours, such as for instance green and magenta, cancel each other out when mixed together and create a white light. If you've ever painted, then you've probably noticed how certain colours could be mixed together to generate other colours.

“Given the prevalence of colour, one would expect colour psychology to be a well-developed area,” noted researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier. “Surprisingly little theoretical or empirical work has been conducted up to now on the influence of colour on psychological functioning,1 and the job that's been done has been driven primarily by practical concerns as opposed to scientific rigour.”

Despite the overall not enough research in this area, the thought of colour psychology has become a hot topic in marketing, art, design, and other fields. Much of the evidence in this emerging area is often purely empirical but researchers and experts have made some important discoveries and observations about colour psychology and its impact on moods, feelings and behaviours.webdesign portugal

Colour is set by the mind

Once you look at a coloured object, your brain determines its colour in the context of the surrounding colours. The impression you obtain whenever you look at bright complementary colours next to one another is an energetic or pulsating effect.

It seems such as the colours are moving far from each other. It's brought on by an impact called colour fatigue. Whenever a colour hits a percentage of the retina good enough, the optic nerve starts sending confusing signals to the brain. This confusion is intensified by the complements. Mixing bright complementary colours draws attention but ought to be used in combination with restraint.

The result is disconcerting and could make your eyes feel like they have been shaken. Do these experiment: Stare at the centre point of the corner area for 30 seconds.

Then close your eyes or look at a white wall. What do you see?

Colour Psychology

Our personal and cultural associations affect our experience of colour. Colours are perceived as warm or cool mainly due to long-standing (and often universal) associations. Yellow, orange and red are associated with the heat of sunlight and fire; blue, green and violet with the coolness of leaves, sea and sky. Warm colours appear closer to the viewer than cool colours, but bright, cool colours can overwhelm light and subtle warm colours. Using warm colours for foreground and cool colours for background enhances the perception of depth. Although red, yellow and orange are generally considered high colours and blue, green and most violets are low tones, the brightness, darkness and lightness of a colour can alter the psychological message.

While a mild blue-green appears to be tranquil, damp and cool, a bright turquoise, often associated with lush tropical ocean scenery, will be more exciting to the eye. The psychological association of a colour is often more significant compared to the visual experience.

Colours act on both the human body and the mind. Red has been proven to stimulate the senses and increase blood pressure, while blue and light green has the alternative effect and calms the mind. This is why doctors'gowns are generally of the colours. People will in actuality gamble more and make riskier bets when sitting under a red light, in place of an orange light.

That's why Las Vegas is the town of neon red. For most people, among the first decisions of the afternoon concerns colour harmony. What am I planning to wear?

This question is answered not just by choosing a style and fabric worthy of the summer season, but also by making the best colour choices. And it continues from there. Whether you are designing a fresh kitchen, wrapping a present or making a bar chart, the colours you select greatly affect your end results. How often times have you taken a breath whenever you see a flower bed in full bloom?

Probably the gardener arranged the flowers according with their colour for an extra vibe. Have you ever seen a picture where a co-ordinated colour scheme helps the film develop a world unto itself? With only a little understanding of good colour relationships, you possibly can make colour work healthier in your business graphics and other applications. Colour is light and light is energy.

Scientists have discovered that actual physiological changes occur in humans when they're subjected to certain colours (vibrations). Colours can stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilise, increase appetite and develop a sense of warmth or coolness. This is called chromodynamics. There are numerous stories about the psychological ramifications of colour such as for instance when a paint company executive received complaints from workers in an orange office that work was too cold.

When offices were painted with a warm peach, the jumpers came off even though the temperature hadn't changed. I myself have tried pink cardboards showing how the influence of a colour can influence momentary physical strength.

The illusions discussed below will show that sometimes colour combinations can trick the viewer, sometimes in ways that work in your favour. They can also cause unfortunate effects in your graphics, so make sure to be cautious about these little pitfalls.

Sometimes colours affect each other in unexpected ways. For example, most colours, when placed alongside their complements, produce vibrant, electric effects. Other colours, in the best combinations, look quite different from what you might expect.

But probably the most striking colour illusions are those where identical colours, when surrounded by different backgrounds, appear to be different from each other. In a related effect, different colours can appear to be the same colour when surrounded by certain backgrounds.

In the image below, the center is the same colour, but since the surrounding areas are markedly different in comparison, it seems to our eyes that they're different. Just as a colour can look different in numerous environments, two similar colours can look identical under some conditions.