Color symbolism

Colors are used as symbols by many cultures. But to understand the meaning of a symbol you have to know that culture! ( As a matter of fact there was a story with the “Blend a Med” brand (Procter and Gamble) campaign in Asia. Everything was great except one thing, the guys from Procter and Gamble didn’t take it into consideration that in Asia teeth of pearl color are much more attractive than shining white teeth. It almost cost them the whole campaign.)

Although some symbols are universal. What do you think the color red symbolizes in the cave paintings? Life, blood, or death?

Color psychology refers to investigating the effect of color on human behavior and feeling.

White

White is the color that represents purity, neutrality, sterility and youth. White is often associated with cleanliness or sterility. White is also associated with neutrality and peace — hence a white flag for surrender or parley. For the same reason it is a neutral color that will continue to be the preferred backdrop on websites and the "color" behind the color. In Western tradition the bride wears white, a custom dating back to Ancient Greece. There, the temple that was dedicated to the goddess Athene was made of white marble. It led to the linking of the color to virginity.

White is known for symbolizing light, reverence, purity, truth, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, sterility, winter, coldness, surrender, fearfulness, unimaginative, air, death (in Eastern cultures), life, marriage (in Western cultures), hope, bland, empty (interior) and January (winter).

Black

Main article: Black

Black is a multi-dimensional color that can mean classic or new. It has an ominous characteristic symbolizing death. Therefore it is used in Western cultures for funerals. It has an air of intelligence (graduation robes), marked with rebellion (the bad guy), shrouded in mystery (space). It typically symbolized absence, modernity, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, style, evil,(such as in films) death (in Western cultures), fear, emptiness, darkness, seriousness, conventionality, rebellion, anarchism, unity, sorrow, professionalism, and slimming quality (fashion)

Gray

Main article: Gray

Gray, somewhere between white (good) and black (evil), is a blasé color. It can symbolize elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, wisdom, old age, pessimism, boredom, decay, decrepitude, dullness, pollution, urban sprawl, strong emotions, balance, neutrality, mourning, or formality.

For my opinion grey is a perfect color for background because all other colors are really vivid and qualitatively expressed on it.

Red

When used with a wide brush, red typically makes whatever it’s painted on look larger, whether it’s a torso or wingback chair. The color is bold and audacious, so it usually dilutes the colors around it. For this reason it’s used to accent and highlight objects of importance such as the stop light on a traffic signal.

Red is also said to make people hungry (McDonald's, Burgerville, corner cafés).

Red typically symbolizes passion, strength, bravery, danger, energy, fire, sex, love, romance, excitement, speed, heat, arrogance, ambition, leadership, courage, masculinity, power, danger, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, Communism, aggression, respect, martyrs, the Holy Spirit, conservatism (US politics), Liberalism (Canadian politics), wealth (China) and marriage (India).

Orange

Orange is energy, enthusiasm and balance. It typically symbolizes happiness, energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, gaudiness, autumn, desire, Sagittarius (star sign), and September. Orange has less intensity or aggression than red and is calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow. Orange is symbolic of the Royal family of the Netherlands. As such, in the Netherlands, Orange symbolizes royalty, and as William of Orange was the Calvinist color, orange symbolizes protestantism, particularly in Ireland (Orange Order).

Yellow

Yellow evokes feelings of happiness, when we are confronted with too much yellow we become annoyed or angered. Yellow typically symbolizes sunlight, joy, happiness, earth, optimism, intelligence, idealism, wealth (gold), summer, hope, air, liberalism, cowardice, illness (quarantine), fear, hazards, dishonesty, avarice, weakness, greed, decay or aging, femininity, gladness, sociability, friendship, Gemini, Taurus, Leo (golden yellow, star signs), April, September, deceit, hazard signs, death (Middle Ages), courage (Japan), royalty (China) and God (gold).

Green

Green is a color that soothes the eyes and produces a calming effect when seen. This is likely due to the association with the greenery of nature. It’s also the color of spring, a time of rebirth and renewal.

Green symbolizes intelligence, nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money (US), good luck, vigor, generosity, go, grass, coldness, cunning, jealousy, pervertedness (Spain), deceit, disgrace (China), illness, greed, ,corruption (North Africa), life eternal, air, earth (classical element), sincerity, Cancer (bright green, star sign), renewal, natural abundance, growth, health, August, balance, harmony, stability, calming, creative intelligence, Islam, and the ordinary.

Blue

Blue can symbolize seas, men, clouds (New Zealand), productive, interior, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, trust, coolness, confidence, conservatism, water, ice, loyalty, dependability, technology, winter, depression, coldness, idealism, air, wisdom, royalty, nobility, Earth (planet), Virgo (light blue), Pisces (pale blue) and Aquarius (dark blue, star sign), strength, steadfastness, light, friendliness, peace, mourning (Iran), truthfulness, love, liberalism (US politics), and conservatism (UK, Canadian & European politics). In many diverse cultures, blue is significant in religious beliefs. It is held to keep the bad spirits, stupidity and misfortune away.

Indigo

Indigo symbolizes spirituality and intuition. In the Seven rays belief system, indigo is believed to represent both love and wisdom.

Violet

Violet symbolizes magic. In Chinese painting, the color violet represents the harmony of the universe because it is a combination of red (yang) and blue (yin). In the United Kingdom it is traditional to package chocolate in violet colored packaging because of the association of the color royal purple with luxury.

Purple

The culture of thailand considers purple to be the color of mourning. This is different from western cultures, where purple is the color of royalty and wisdom. The Purple Heart, a military honor given to those wounded or killed in the United States military, embodies both purple attributes. Purple can symbolize nobility, envy, sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, nostalgia, ceremony, mystery, wisdom, enlightenment, arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, mourning, exaggeration, profanity, bisexuality, pride, May, November, riches, romanticism (light purple), delicacy (light purple), and penance. Purple is the color of mourning for widows in Thailand. Purple was also the color of dye that corkers used to make the king and queen's clothing^.

Magenta

Magenta symbolized artistic creativity or anti-racism.

Rose

Rose symbolizes optimism (as opposed to the gray which is used to represent pessimism) or romantic love (since it is the color of roses, which it is the custom to give to ones beloved in many cultures). It also represents innocence, romance, love, and simplicity.

Pink

Pink is a sister color of red, but they are very different in terms of symbolism. It is a tranquilizing color. For this reason in many prisons the cells of the most dangerous residents have been painted pink. It symbolizes spring, gratitude, appreciation, admiration, sympathy, socialism, femininity , health, love, romance, June, marriage, joy, flirtatiousness, innocence and child-like features.

Brown

Brown is the color of soil, giving it an earthy, environmental quality which is popularly coupled with green. Shades of brown represent skin tones and produce a comforting feeling. Brown symbolizes calm, boldness, depth, natural organisms, nature, richness, rusticity, stability, tradition, anachronism, fascism, boorishness, dullness, filth, heaviness, poverty, roughness, earth (classical element), October, and the quality of being down-to-earth. Brown can stimulate the appetite, wholesomeness, steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, and dependability. Ironically, brown is also associated with disgust^.