To help get your message across you must consider many things. Who are you talking to? What do you want them to do? There are many other questions to consider, but basically, you want to convey your message, service, or product in the most effective way. Graphic design has many rules and guidelines to go by. A graphic designer will help you to effectively do just that. One of the most important aspects of a design is color.
Color has more of an influence on our everyday lives than you would ever think. Restaurants paint their walls a certain hue to evoke their customer’s appetites. Hospitals and prisons even use color to influence the actions of their residents. Subconsciously, our brains tell us to feel and react to certain colors. There have been many studies about the psychology of color and its effect on the inner workings of our brains. Here are some facts from those studies about colors and how they affect us:
Black: The color of authority and power. Black is very popular in fashion because it gives a slimming effect. Black clothing can also be overpowering or make the wearer seem evil or unfriendly.
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White: The color of innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.
Red: The most emotionally intense color. Red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. Restaurants will paint the interior of their dining room red, because it makes the viewer hungry. Red is the first color your eye sees.
Pink: The most romantic color, pink, is tranquilizing. Prisons, sometimes, will paint the inside of their cell walls pink because it drains energy.
Blue: One of the most popular colors, blue, causes the opposite reaction of red. Blue is a peaceful color and causes the human body to produce calming chemicals. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show that weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. A fun fact about blue: The least appetizing color. Blue food is very rarely found in nature, and when humans searched for food they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple.
Green: The easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on a TV show sit in “green rooms” to relax. Hospitals paint the inside of their rooms green to relax patients. Brides in the middle ages wore green because it symbolized fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth.
Yellow: While it is considered an optimistic color, people often lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms and it makes babies cry. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow also implies caution, which is why most road work signs are bright yellow or orange.
Purple: The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. However, since purple is rare in nature, it can appear artificial.
Here at Connecting Signs we are more than able to help you make the best decisions regarding colors and design. Our graphic designers have years of experience and take their job very seriously. If you want us to work with you on your sign or design or both, email us at [email protected] or call us at 970 493 0133.
