For most of us, a rainbow of colours envelopes our lives. Over 80% of visual information is related to colour.¹ What colours and combinations of colours stimulate people to be interested in different things? What colours make us feel pleasure or disapproval, hot or cold, to be attracted or repelled, our appetite stimulated or suppressed?

Many reactions to colour are instinctual, universal and cross cultural boundaries. “Colours also convey messages that go beyond ethnic, racial, or gender boundaries. According to a 1997 survey by Cooper Marketing Group, Oak Park, IL, power is represented by the colour scarlet red for 25% of respondents, black for 17% and bright violet blue for 13%. More than 55% of those surveyed chose one of these three colours out of 100 colours. Fragility was most represented by pale pink (27%), white (9%), and pale lavender (9%).”

Other associations with colours are specific to a culture or regions. Mixing appropriate amounts of different colours however can neutralise inherent negative cultural connotations.

Web design which achieves successful marketing results is sensitive to the cultural, instinctual and iconic meanings of colour in relation to the product being promoted and considers the cultural backgrounds and gender of the targeted clientele. Avoiding the extremes of sheer garishness and boredom, effective design displays symphonic colour arrangements of shades, tints, tones and complementarities to tantalise and maintain interest. Adding textures too can alter colours – a roughly textured surface makes a colour seem darker, while a smooth surface lightens the same colour.

Colour trends may defy instinctual, cultural and iconic constraints – for example, the recent craze for vivid lime green. As Jill Morton says: “Psychologically, the ‘anti-aesthetic’ colours may well capture more attention than those on the aesthetically-correct list. History clearly demonstrates that this has been a prevalent trend in art since the turn of the 20th century, when Dada’s urinals and snow shovels put an end to the era of Matisse and French Impressionism.”

Colour Symbolism: Red

Red stimulates metabolism, increases respiration rate, perspiration, appetite and raises blood pressure. Red is a strong masculine colour.

Red tends to promote images and text, making objects appear larger and closer, though less than yellow coloured objects. Bright red can be annoying if used over large areas and is useful as a iconic colour to encourage people to act quickly e.g. on buy or click here buttons. An appetite stimulant, red is useful for promoting products associated with energy … drinks, cars, sports and games.

Care is need using red in proximity with green … as the old adage goes: ‘Red and green should not be seen without something in between’.

Mixing bright blue and bright red is also not recommended … the combination is very tiring on the eye.

• Red: Energy, strength, passion, eroticism, cheerfulness, courage, element of fire, career goals, fast action, lust, desire, blood, vibrancy, driving forces, risk, fame, love, survival, war, revolution, danger, aggression, strength, power, determination, emotional intensity, sex, provoking, dynamic, stimulating, courage, bravery, good-tasting, force, leadership, drama, excitement, speed, heat, warmth, violence, attention, generosity, romance
• Light red: joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, love, indecision
• Dark red: willpower, rage, wrath, tenseness, vigour, anger, leadership, courage, yearning, malice, wrath
• Maroon: Yang, indecisiveness

Cultural Symbolism: Red

• European: Danger (stop signs), love (hearts), excitement (for sale signs)
• China: Traditional bridal colour, good luck, celebration, happiness, joy, vitality, long life, summoning, the direction South. Chinese saying goes “when something is so red, it is purple” – red purple brings luck and fame.
• Japan: life
• India: Purity
• Eastern: Joy (with white)
• Hebrew: sacrifice, sin
• Christian: sacrifice, passion, love
• USA: Christmas (with green), Valentine’s day (with white)
• South Africa: Mourning
• Australian aboriginals: the land, earth, ceremonial ochre
• Cherokees: success
• Hopi: the direction South
• Romans: Red flag signified the onset of battle
• Celtic: Death, afterlife
• Feng Shui: Yang, Fire, good luck, money, respect, recognition, protection, vitality

Colour Symbolism: Pink

• Pink: Romance, love, friendship, femininity, truth, passivity, good will, emotional healing, peace, calming, affection, emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, sweet tasting, sweet smelling, ethereal, delicacy.
• Pale pink: sweetness of youth, fragility
• Vibrant pinks: high spirits, energy, youth

Cultural Symbolism: Pink

• European: Feminine colour, baby girls
• East India: Feminine colour
• Japan: Popular with both sexes
• Korea: trust
• Feng Shui: Yin, love

Colour Symbolism: Orange

In restaurants, as orange is an appetite stimulant, orange decor encourages sales. Less passionate than red, orange still increases oxygen supply to the brain, stimulating mental activity. Popular amongst youth.

Orange backgrounds help images seem closer and larger, but avoid over-use. Useful for highlighting important elements, promoting food products and toys.

• Orange: warmth, energy, balance, enthusiasm, vibrancy, vitality, expansiveness, flamboyance, excitement, business goals, property deals, ambition, career, goals, general success, justice, legal matters, selling, action, attention-grabbing, the sun, friendly, inviting, intense, joy, strength, endurance, steadfastness, tropics, quick movement, wealth of the mind and knowledge, charity, growing things, fascination, friendliness, happiness, beginnings, heat, creativity, autumn, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, courage, earth, mental and appetite stimulating, emotional lift, assurance, social force, health, warmth, attractiveness, cheerfulness, mood-lightening, uninhibited, independence, amiability, constructiveness, self-assuredness, cheap, low-budget, fun kids colour, youth
• Dark orange: autumn, deceit, distrust
• Red orange: desire, sexuality, pleasure, domination, aggression, thirst for action
• Bright orange: tangy citrus, health
• Pale orange: apricot, coral, peach and melon are sophisticated

Cultural Symbolism: Orange

• European: Autumn, creativity, harvest
• Netherlands: Favourite colour (House of Orange)
• Ireland: Protestants
• USA: Halloween, cheap goods
• Hinduism: Saffron (peachy orange) is a sacred color
• Feng Shui: Yang, Earth, strengthens concentration, purpose, organization

Colour Symbolism: Brown

Brown is too low key if used broadly without texture or another colour to enhance it. Useful for promoting food and outdoor products for work and play.

• Brown: friendships, special events, earth, materialistic thoughts, hearth, home, outdoors, inexpensive, reliability, credibility, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity, comfort, longevity, intimacy, tranquillity, masculine, nurturing, contentment, strength, sensuality, productivity, passivity, fertility, generosity, dirt, substance, practicality, hard work
• Reddish-brown: harvest, autumn
• Beiges and tans: Yang, sophistication, neatness, conceals emotion
• Copper: passion, money goals, professional growth, business productivity, career moves
• Coffee browns: sophistication, richness, robustness, panache

Cultural Symbolism: Brown

• Colombia: discourages sales
• Australian Aboriginals: colour of the land, ceremonial ochre
• Feng Shui: Yang, Earth, industry, grounded

Colour Symbolism: Gold

• Gold: Wealth, god, winning, safety, masculine power, happiness, playful humour, prestige, wisdom, love of spirit, meaning, purpose, awe, spiritual love, quests of the heart, desire for power, mystic powers, higher mathematics, sciences, attainment, concentration.

Cultural Symbolism: Gold

• World-wide: Success, high quality, money
• Feng Shui: Yang, Metal, God consciousness

Colour Symbolism: Yellow

Yellow stimulates mental activity, generates muscle energy and attracts attention – it is the colour most visible to the human eye. Thus yellow objects move to the forefront. Students who study in yellow rooms do better in exams. Cheerful yellow can be used to promote food especially in combination with other fruit and vegetable tones, children’s and leisure products and is best used as a highlight. With overuse, yellow can be disturbing and promote anxiety. Babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow against black denotes a warning … the sting of the bee.

Yellow is not a practical colour to use when selling expensive items to men … they perceive it as an untrustworthy and childish … and avoid yellow if you wish to evoke safety and stability. Care is needed with shades of yellow as they can lose their warmth and appear dirty.

• Yellow: Sun, intelligence, light, accelerated learning, memory, logical imagination, social energy, cooperation, organisation, breaking mental blocks, sunshine, joy, happiness, intellect, energy, cheerfulness, optimism, purity, enthusiasm, warmth, honour, loyalty, mental force, clarity, perception, understanding, wisdom, dishonesty, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, disease, weakness, caution, cowardice, follower, curiosity, mellowness, confidence, humour, dreams, creativity, desire to improve, action, idealism, optimism, imagination, hope, summer, philosophy, uncertainty, restlessness, glory, enlightenment
• Dull yellow: caution, decay, sickness, jealousym aging
• Light yellow: intellect, freshness, and joy
• Ivory/cream: quiet, pleasantness, calm, understated elegance, purity, softness, more rich and warm than white

Cultural Symbolism: Yellow

• European: Hope, joy, happiness, hazards, cowardice, weakness, taxis
• Asia: sacred, imperial
• China: Nourishing, royalty
• Egypt: Mourning
• Japan: Courage
• India: Merchants
• Buddhism: wisdom
• Feng Shui: Yang, Earth, auspicious, sunbeams, warmth, motion

Colour Symbolism: Green

Green lowers blood pressure, relaxes the nervous system, calms and soothes the mind, stimulates creativity, and is an appetite suppressant. Green is easy on the eye and can improve vision. Images set in green backgrounds seem farther away. Green is popular in most cultures.

Useful as a marketing colour for organic, healthy and natural ‘green’ products.

• Green: Earth mother, physical healing, monetary success, abundance, fertility, tree & plant magic, growth, food, hope, personal goals, resurrection, renewal, youth, stability, endurance, freshness, nature, environment, tranquil, refreshing, quiet, hope, immortality, health, healing, good luck, renewal, youth, jealousy, inexperience, trees, grass, vigour, growth, harmony, responsiveness, generosity, safety, envy, misfortune, quietude, compassion, renewal, moderation, nurturing, diplomacy, calm, contemplation, joy, love, abundance, balance, self-control, inexperience, hope, good omens, soothing, sharing, dependability, friendliness
• Dark green: money, ambition, greed, jealousy, heaviness, prestige, promotes concentration
• Yellow-green/lime green: sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy, nausea – don’t use this colour for promoting food products as it’s an appetite depressant.
• Olive green: peace
• Avocado: 60s and 70s refrigerators
• Blue greens: most accepted colour group across gender lines

Cultural Symbolism: Green

• China: Exorcism, green hats indicate a man’s wife is cheating on him.
• Japan: Life.
• Islam: Hope – the cloak of the prophet was thought to be green, virtue – only those of perfect faith can wear green.
• Ireland: Symbol of the entire country, Catholics
• European/USA: Spring, new birth, go, safe, environmental awareness, Saint Patrick’s Day, Christmas (with red)
• USA: Money
• Feng Shui: Yin, Wood, growing energy, refreshing, nurturing, balancing, harmony normalising, healing, health, peaceful, calming

Colour Symbolism: Turquoise

Turquoise is equally popular with men and women. Mixes well with pale pinks and lavenders for a feminine look. Create a retro scenario with turquoise and pink or art deco by combining it with white and black. Combined with grey, silver, terra cotta and tans, it produces a south-western USA look. With orange or yellow, it creates an innovative, fresh image suitable for sports-oriented sites.

• Turquoise: calming, emotional healing, protection, refreshing, sophisticated
• Light Turquoise: feminine
• Teal: sophisticated

Cultural Symbolism: Turquoise

• Ancient Persians: warding off evil eye

Colour Symbolism: Blue

Some believe blue slows the metabolism and suppresses the appetite. As it does not require the eye to focus, images and objects recede in blue backgrounds. With overuse, can create feelings of cold. Although also popular with women, blue is the predominant favourite colour of males and is suited to web sites involving and promoting technology, medical products, cleanliness, air, sky, water, sea and automotives. Blue is the favourite colour of more than half of the world’s people – it is the colour least disliked by most cultures.

High impact designs can be created with combinations of blue, red and yellow. Combinations of light and dark blues can create feelings of trust.

• Blue: good fortune, communication, wisdom, protection, spiritual inspiration, calmness, reassurance, gentleness, fluidity, water, sea, creativity, peace, calming, higher thoughts, mystery, sky, formality, travel, devotion, progress, quiet wisdom, freedom, betterment of humanity, love, trust, loyalty, intelligence, reassurance, artistry, compassion, inner strength, devotion, depression, sadness, tranquillity, stability, unity, truth, understanding, confidence, acceptance, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, comfort, cold, technology, devotion, harmony, depth, faith, heaven, piety, sincerity, precision, intellect, sadness, consciousness, speech, messages, ideas, sharing, cooperation, idealism, sincerity, empathy, relaxation, affection, inspiration, friendship, patience, contemplation, infinity, harmony, non-threatening, dependability
• Pale Blue : ethereal, delicate, calming, health, healing, tranquility, understanding, softness. In combination with pinks and pale yellows, creates the image of spring.
• Aqua : freshness, pristine, vigour, movement, dramatic, confidence, strength, individualism, eccentricity, humour, fearlessness, festivity
• Royal Blue : richness, superiority, cold
• Dark blue : depth, expertise, stability, credibility (especially with gold), intellect, wisdom, corporate colour, warmth, knowledge, power, integrity, seriousness, knowledge, health, decisiveness, law, order, logic, dependability, serenity. Combining dark and lighter shades of blue creates a conservative and sophisticated look.

Cultural Symbolism: Blue

• European: soothing, “something blue” bridal tradition
• Cherokees: defeat, trouble
• Iran: mourning
• China: immortality
• Colombia: soap
• Hinduism: the colour of Krishna
• Judaism: holiness
• Christianity: Christ’s colour
• Catholicism: colour of Mary’s robe
• Middle East: protection
• Worldwide: ‘safe’ colour
• Feng Shui: Yin, Water, calm, love, healing, relaxation, peace, trust, adventure, exploration

Colour Symbolism: Purple

Almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colours, making bright purple effective for promotion of children’s products. Light purple is useful for feminine designs. Excessive exposure to purple may cause people to become sullen, withdrawn and ill at ease with their surroundings. Purple is a polarising colour – people either love it or hate it.

• Purple: Influence, third eye, psychic ability, spiritual power, self assurance, hidden knowledge, dignity, high aspirations, royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, sophistication, cruelty, arrogance, intuition, dreams, unconscious, invisible, telepathy, empathy, imagination, deja vu, universal spirit, spiritual connection, deeper truth, nobility, wealth, extravagance, dignity, independence, magic, creativity, energy, self-confidence, ego, ambition, fame, luxury, big profits, richness, sensuality, elegance, contemplation, meditation, majesty, lesbianism, Wicca, New Age spirituality, paganism, conceit, arrogance, nausea
• Lavender: Yang, sexual indecision, malleability, romance, nostalgia, femininity
• Dark purple: gloom, sadness, frustration, royalty, richness
• Mauve: Yang, world consciousness
• Violet: Meditation, creativity, concentration, quietness, creative force, beauty, inspiration, artistry, music, chivalrous love, excellence, ethereal, sensuality, responsibility, sacrifice
• Blue purple: mystical
• Red purple: sensual, quirky

Cultural Symbolism: Purple

• Thailand: Mourning
• European: Royalty
• Catholicism: Mourning, death, crucifixion
• Feng Shui: Yin, spiritual awareness, physical and mental healing

Colour Symbolism: White

All white rooms can be uncomfortable with a stark atmosphere. White is useful for a background or accent colour as it highlights other colours. White is perceived by the eye as a brilliant colour.

White can indicate simplicity with high-tech products and safety and cleanliness with medical products.

• White: spirituality, goddess, peace, higher self, purity, virginity, reverence, simplicity, cleanliness, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, cold, clinical, sterility, clarity, perfection, innocence, virginity, goodness, light, fairness, safety, positivity, faith, coolness, charity, successful innovations, union, self-sacrifice, holiness, feminine divinity, pristine, chastity, positivity

Cultural Symbolism: White

• European: Marriage, angels, hospitals, doctors, peace, milk
• Japan: Mourning, white carnation means death
• China: Death, mourning
• India: Unhappiness
• Eastern: Funerals
• Feng Shui: Yang, Metal, death, mourning, ancestral spirits, ghosts, poise, confidence

Colour Symbolism: Silver

To create a high-tech look, use silver with other colours. Silver works well combined with gold and white to promote a feeling of control and power.

Silver and other reflectors are strong eye attractors and are associated with life-giving water.

• Silver: Glamour, distinguished, high tech, industrial, graceful aging, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometric, intuition, dreams, astral energies, female power, communication, goddess, ornate riches, sleekness, modernity

Cultural Symbolism: Silver

• Feng Shui: Yin, Metal, trustworthiness, romance .

Colour Symbolism: Grey

• Grey: Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring, practicality, professional, sophisticated, durability, quality, quiet, conservativeness, gloominess, sadness

Cultural Symbolism: Grey

• Feng Shui: Yin, Metal, dead, dull, indefinite

Colour Symbolism: Black

Black is an excellent technical colour and it assists targeting a sophisticated high-end market or a youth market to add mystery. Over a large area, black can be depressing. Though black backgrounds can enhance perspective and depth, they diminish readability of text. Useful for web sites for art and photography to help other colours to vibrate.

• Black : protection, repelling negativity, binding, power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, classy, wealth, power, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, underground, modern music, space, high quality, bad luck, formality, dignity, elegance, secretiveness, fear of the unknown, night, emptiness, dirtiness, sophistication, strength of character, dramatic, authority, prestige, grief, anger, reliability, strong, classic, strength, anti-establishment, modernism, serious

Cultural Symbolism: Black

• European: Funerals, death, mourning, rebellion, cool, restfulness
• China: Colour for young boys
• Thailand: Bad luck, unhappiness, evil
• Judaism: Unhappiness, bad luck, evil
• Australian Aboriginals: colour of the people, ceremonial ochre
• Feng Shui : Yin, Water, money, income, career success, emotional protection, power, stability, bruises, evil