Color Your World (Or at Least Your Walls) and Change Your Mood

It is important to note that colors can be subjective—what might make one person feel cheerful can make another person feel irritated depending on the viewers’ past experiences or cultural differences.

Color is not completely agreed on universally and can appeal differently to individual countries. But colors and emotions are closely linked no matter what, so we need to take their effects into account whenever we are using colors.

Cool colors include green, blue, and purple. Cool colors are usually calming and soothing but can also express sadness. Purple is often used to help spark creativity as it’s a mixture of blue (calm) and red (intense).

If a company wants to display health, beauty or security, incorporate these colors.

Red, orange and yellow are next to each other on the wheel and are all warm colors. Warm colors often evoke feelings of happiness, optimism and energy.

However, yellow, red and orange can also have an attention grabbing effect and signal danger or make we take action (think stop signs, hazard warnings and barrier tape). Red can also increase a person’s appetite.

1. YELLOW: HOPE

Yellow is carefree and confident. It’s not on the defensive. It acts as a shield against despair and feelings of humiliation. It’s eager for our attention.

2. ORANGE: VITALITY 

Orange is a little more mature, strong and threatening than its neighbour and sibling, yellow. It almost tips over into something frightening. 

3. LIGHT RED: ADVENTURE

A bright, light red is adventurous, witty, even a touch heartless. It’s not too bothered by what others think. It isn't harsh, just independent. It’s more interested in being followed than in being a follower.

4. DARK RED: POWER

This is the color of thrones, of cardinals, of power and pomp, of ceremony and feasts. Dark red is sympathetic to authority, favours the idea of maturity, assertive and assured.

5. VIOLET: AMBIGUITY

The color evoked the idea of an infinite ‘beyond’ that was not threatening or dangerous, somewhere we could long for but which remained always just out of sight.

6. LIGHT BLUE: CLARITY

It’s a color for being active. It’s undaunted, cheerful, ready to get on and face all the things we’ve been putting aside. It is logical, clear. It wants you to tidy your desk.

7. DARK BLUE: DISCIPLINE

This is the color of order and discipline. It tells us not to give up, to search for reserves of resilience. It is resolute, reliable.

8. LIGHT GREEN: SANITY

Light green has the fresh, natural feel of sanity. It is summoned when we are grateful rather than envious.

9. DARK GREEN: REALISM

The soothing realms of deeper, greyer green are about realism. It pulls us back to sobriety, to patience and moderation.

10. LIGHT BROWN: MELLOWNESS

This is a color that does not want to draw attention to itself. It is conscious of times past, and feels their wistful tug. It likes quiet. It is meditative and gentle.

11. DARK BROWN: DIGNITY

Dignity means not having to try to impress. It's not glamorous, but deeply good and reassuring. It is solid and dependable.

12. BLACK: AUTHORITY

Black is the perennial colour of fashion and sophistication in the modern world. It is strong, without illusions. It flirts with cynicism. We need black when we want to keep our cool. Black is lean.