Colour of Emotions

Utilizing The Psychology of Color

GRA 3508 - Desktop Publishing II

 Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................ 2

Psychology of Logos................................................................ 3

Reds........................................................................................ 4
Overview of Red,Mauve, Magenta................................................ 4
Crimson, Scarlet, Poster Red....................................................... 5

Yellows................................................................................... 6
Overview of Yellow, Coral, Orange................................................ 6
Amber, Gold, Yellow .................................................................. 7

Greens .................................................................................... 8
Overview of Green, Lime, Leaf Green........................................... 8
Sea Green, Emerald, Teal........................................................... 9

Blues ...................................................................................... 10
Overview of Blue, Cyan, Sky Blue................................................ 10
Ultramarine, Violet, Purple.......................................................... 11

Credits.................................................................................... 12

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 Introduction Psychology of Logos
Color is a magical element that gives feeling and emotion to art and design. It is an exclusive subject, When designing a logo for your business, it’s important to take into account the way people interpret
and yet one that has been here since the world begin. This book is designed to grab hold of color in color. It’s the right time to ask, what kind of emotion do I want my brand to convey?
all it’s glory, revel its secrets, and provide an understanding of how and why it work.
This infographic from The Logo Company, a logo design firm, helps clearly illustrate what emotions
There are two basic ways that colors work in balanced are invoked by certain colors using the logos from top brands as an example.
harmony: related hues such as warm and cool,
described here, and complements. Some people use
the terms warm and cool to compare one color with
another or to talk about color positions in the artist’s
spectrum, using such terms as warmer reds and cooler
blues. In the Bourges System each color is clearly
defined as warm or cool.
Respecting the divergent messages sent by the opposite
sides of the color spectrum, will help you set an active
or passive mood in your work. Reds and yellows are
symbolic of blood, battle, and bravery. They push,
shout, warn, and command attention. Warm colors
work in unison to bring us energy, passion, power,
light, and joy. On the other hand, cool colors like
green and blue persuade viewers with reasoning,
restraint, and wisdom. Greens and blues are fine when
you already have your audience’s attention and simply
want to make a pleasant factual presentation.

Psychologists have studied how people are affected by colors for years and found a strong correlation
between colors and emotional responses, further driving home the point that choosing the right
color is crucial in determining how your brand is viewed.
For example, restaurants like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Wendy’s and Popeyes use red in their
logos to stimulate hunger. Black, white, silver and gold are often used in the logos of luxury brands
like Chanel, Prada, Michael Kors and others to enhance the feeling of sophistication.
When it comes to designing a logo for your business, let this be a guide for the direction of your
color palette. What four emotions do you wish to convey when someone thinks of your brand or sees
your logo? Write these down and see where they fall in this color wheel of emotions. Remember, this
is only one of many aspects of the logo design process to take into account.

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 Reds
Overview of the Reds 3) Crimson
Red is blood. It is symbolic of highly charged personal feelings and acts such as aggression, danger, Psychology - Powerful Aggressive Dynamic Dramatic
battle, bravery and love. Packed with so much emotion, reds are the most frequently used colors in
creative arts. Red alerts us to pay attention, and says, “You’re seeing something special.” Reds convey Crimson red contains a strong, personal message. That’s why a
emotion and are the first colors to catch the eye. single crimson rose represents passionate love, not friendship.
Not a gentle color, like magenta’ s “heart,” crimson demands
All of the reds attract attention, charge the emotions, and urge action. The life force of blood that attention, sometimes in a more threatening than friendly
flows through our bodies comes in a variety of reds, making these the most personal of colors and the manner. It is the color of war, battles, bravery, action, valor,
most important to artists. and bloodshed. It shouts, “Don’t argue! Do what I want. . .
now!”
1) Mauve
Using Crimson - Lush, plush, grand, and opulent, crimson
Psychology - Bold Stylish Worldly Impressive is more fitting in luxurious commercial settings than in the
Somber traditional home.This color has a take-charge attitude that
directs the viewer to the message. A little crimson goes a long
Sophisticated, mauve is not an everyday red. It is a city way, so use it wisely. In the lighter tints, crimson loses its power
color, not provincial. Suave, cultured, and classic are qualities and conveys a softer, gentler mood.
that make this a favorite among both fashion and interior
designers. This color is similar to the fashion colors of plum 4) Scarlet
and fuchsia.
Psychology - Bright Believable Vivid Positive Effective
Using Mauve - Broaden your palette by adding mauve as a
basic color. Try using it in place of one of the more popular Scarlet is desirable. It grabs your attention with its intensity and its penchant
reds. for drama. At the same time, it has a warm, festive side, reflecting the joy of
the holiday season. It is friendly and dependable but more plain than elegant.
2) Magenta
Using Scarlet - Scarlet like any red it can become pushy or irritating if used
Psychology - Romantic Enchanting Sensitive too much. Overuse reduces its impact. It’s best to save bright reds for special
Optimistic occasions, when you need to make a powerful statement. You can get more
mileage from scarlet by also varying its density and texture on the computer
A lovely, sentimental color, and /or using it in other ways. Because scarlet is so popular, manufacturers of
magenta offers us pure emotion art materials, printing inks, and other colorants offer many excellent matches.
that abandons all logic and
practical thinking. Magenta is not 5) Poster Red
an intellectual color and would
be considered a poor choice in Psychology - Popular Dangerous Exciting Loud
conveying technical information. At full strength, poster red shouts. Like all the other reds, it has
Slightly shocking, and sexy rather a disturbing underlying element. Though the red flares from the
than practical, it’s great for costumes, theatrical decor, and avant-garde battle are exciting, one knows that when the dust settles, there will
fashions. be casualties. Red warns of impending danger. Red ink can trigger a
Using Magenta - This prime hue of the process colors is worth careful negative response, like the debt you want to avoid.
study. Learn to use magenta well and you will be rewarded. Because Using Poster Red - This is the graphic red and most popular hue for
this is one of the more expensive pigments, some people save money by printed matter. Get to know this color well, the 100% and all its
using cheaper pigments. The result is a weaker hue that detracts from the tints. Also be sure to check for permanence.
overall quality, Keep magenta clean, pure, and strong for good It is the
red with a heart.

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 Yellows
Overview of the Yellows 8) Amber
Yellow is energy. Thus, we associate yellows with uncertainty and restlessness. And like the flames of Psychology - Mellow Abundant Fertile Prosperous Contented
the fire that warms us, it also warns us to be cautious. Never peaceful, yellow is the colr of ideas and
dreams. It stimulates those with creativity and confidence. Richer than rich, warmer than gold, amber is a soothing color to
the psyche. Like the middle traffic light, this hue remains neutral,
Fire, excitement, warmth, energy, and imagination are the essence of these hues, making them simply warning of an impending change. More commonly, it evokes
essential in any artist’s palette. The yellows are also associated with the intangible concepts of the comfortable imagery: appetizing foods, flowing tankards of beer, cozy
realm of “chi,” the spirit that harmonizes one’s energy and balance with the world. fireplaces, an excess of money and gemütlichkeit among friends. Amber
is distinctive. The color of expensive perfumes and cognac, amber
6) Coral appeals to the senses of smell, sight, and taste.
Psychology - Wild Fiery Passionate Glorious Using Amber - Even when it’s used over large areas, amber remains
Explosive pleasant, never dangerous.That’s one of the reasons why it is used in
both home furnishungs and commercial projects. For warm, cozy effect,
Because coral looks like a red but acts like a yellow, it seems try using amber in combination with crimson or one of the other reds.
to have an identity crisis. This color is actually stronger,
more intense, and more energetic than the reds. Coral is 9) Gold
spirited, provocative, untamed, and dangerous. Its out-of-
control nature makes it very noticeable. Psychology - Joyful Sunny Rich Lavish Uncertain
Using Coral - It is an excellent color for youth and sports, Gold is always a warm, lush color. It is buttercups and happy
being bold, vibrant, and powerful. In graphic arts, its children’s faces. Almost in contradiction, it is also a color
brightness contrasts well with black; thus, coral works well associated with aging, as in “yellowed” paper. Gold is also
in two-color printing. Using red-orange pigments, instead associated uncertainty. This comes from an instinctive fear,
of blending process colors, makes it even brighter. borne by our ancient forefathers, that the sun might drop over
the horizon and never return. Like other sun colors, gold can
7) Orange make us anxious. However, its inherent richness makes it an
acceptable risk.
Psychology - Tangy Tempting Lively Zesty Tart
Using Gold - Though red attracts attention, humans, like plants
Orange’s temperament can be likened to the juice, more tart than sweet. Also like the breakfast search for sunlight colors, even on a printed page or on a vehicle. A few years ago, this trait gave
drink, this color has evolved into a symbol of nutrition, fitness, and strength. It’s a warm, cheerful, fire officials an idea. Realizing that red was diffucult to see at dusk, they decided to paint all their
vibrant, and optimistic color. But for all of its pleasantness, this color warns us also to be cautious. fire engines yellow. Distinguishable? Easily seen? Not in New York City, where the engines were
Orange is the color of the crossing guards’ vests, and it is the color set by international safety swallowed up in a sea of yellow cabs.
standards for hazardous machinery.
Using Orange - A highly visible color that shows up well on either a light or dark background. 10) Yellow
Orange has both visibility and impact, not a comfortable color for fashion or furnishings, but a great Psychology - Exciting Inspiring Sour Anxious Sharp
choice for fast food signs.
Like biting into a lemon, this yellow is startling, more so than any other color. Children like it
because it means excitement and adventure. Yet, because it’s the first
color to disappear at twilight, we are always reminded of its exclusive
nature.
Using Yellow - While yellow is difficult to see alone, other colors are
significantly altered when even a pale tint of yellow is added. Today in
process printing, yellow is often printed last, making transparency of the
pigment as important as permanence, and this does increase its cost.

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 Greens
Oveview of the Greens 13) Sea Green
Green is life. Foliage, trees, and blue-green waters cover our planet, giving it a verdant look. Green Psychology - Mature Strong Urbane Moving Restless
is sensuous and alive. It is the grass under our feet and the salad greens and vegetables that keep us
healthy. So when ecologists talk about the “greening of the world,” we envision a healthier, happier Sea green is neither a fresh, young sprout, nor a bright,bold
planet. Greens are friendly, dependable, and steady, like Mother Nature. leaf. It’s bluer, the color of leaves from the evergreens. Sharp
and more sophisticated than common, this color is as wise as
Consider green as a primary color of the palette. Use more greens to put life in your color schemes, Neptune who rules the deep.
not just the popular leaf green but all five dilferent hues. Each has a different flavor, by itself or when
used in combination with other colors. Using Sea Green - Containing a base of blue, the tints of this
color are clean and distinct. sea green works well on charts and
11) Lime on fine detailed images. It is effective when used over large
areas and is easy to match with process colors or individual
Psychology - Young Fresh Naive Sharp Lively printing inks, artists’ paints, or markers. With red being absent, this color lacks heart. Nevertheless
Clean romance and the sea are as closely entwined as any sailor’s knot.
Tender, sprouting plants, undeveloped shoots, and new buds 14) Emerald
are often the fresh yellow green of lime. Youthful, fresh, and
fun of vigor, this is often considered to be a children’s color. Psychology - Brilliant Beautiful Expensive Wise Eternal
It is dominated by yellow energy, but cyan gives it some
control, thinking, and direction. The emerald, acclaimed for its splendor and value, is also thought
to be wise, the most treasured of any attribute. Still, this rare stone
Using Lime - The brightest of the greens, lime is not as sour has its dark side. Not only is it linked to the green-eyed monster
as a lemon, but it’s not sweet either. It’s vital to your palette of jealousy, but it is the color of several types of poisons. A most
and should be included more often. Try using it instead of unfortunate example is Paris green, a bright colorant that Parisian
leaf green to give a more youthful zest to your work. decorators painted on palace walls in the late eighteenth century.
Fumes from its arsenic content caused many deaths.
12) Leaf Green
Using Emerald - Process yellow and blue were used to create
Psychology - Natural Dependable Safe Secure Healthy emerald. However, the phthalocyanine (thalo) pigment in this
green shade is an excellent printing match for this color and offers
Green is life, the steady breathing rhythm of nature. Nonthreatening and comfortable, this green permanence and even greater brightness.
doesn’t pounce on you like the reds nor recede like the blues. It connotes vitality in plants. Yet in
humans, looking green indicates illness. Worn by those with self-confidence, this hue is sometimes 15) Teal
called “I” or “ego” green.
Psychology - Primitive Intuitive Ancient Aesthetic Sharl
Using Leaf Green - A bowl of fruit is
always a favored choice in decorating, Teal brings the outdoors inside. While not as rich as
but adding a few green leaves brings emerald, this color is vigorous. It is strong, spiritual,
this colorful accent life. Keeping our and free like the eagle. Not only is teal likeabIe, but
planet green and keeping nature alive are many find it more stimulating than the other greens
among our foremost concerns these days. and more distinctive because it is less widely used.
Though we may not have time to actually
plant a tree, we can become involved by Using Teal - Almost a blue but not quite, teal has just
remembering to add a touch green to enough yellow to keep it a green. It seems to me that
our work. In apparel, this green is not there was a time when process blue was close to this
as flattering as some the bluer hues. As a peacock hue but no longer. Cyan is that color now and
result, fashions are often made from bluer the yellow is gone. Teal is greener and has more life.
greens a tint or shade of this color.

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 Blues
Overview of the Blues 18) Ultra Marine
Blue is peace. Blue is not a color we can easily embrace, It’s in the distance, remote. We respect it as Psychology - Fabulous Compassionate Stately Moving Soulful
a sign of law, order, and logic. Instead of ending with ultraviolet and blackness, this spectrum ends
with purple, the reddest of the blues, which connects back to mauve at the beginning of this system. Rather than depressed and down-and-out, this blue is striving, embracing,
soulful, and lively, containing so much heart its emotions really show. As
The most common-sense, practical hues of the spectrum begin with cyan, the color of science and a frequently used fashion color, ultramarine conveys luxury and opulence.
high technology, and go through purple, the grand sovereign. You just can’t argue with these colors. Yet it is versatille, working just as well on a magnificent silken wrap as on
They are too logical, too reasonable, and too fair. They seldom evoke negative responses. a simple scarf.
16) Cyan Using Ultramarine - It is a difficult color to use. It has to be compromised
and there were two sets of red, yellow and blue colors, process and a
Psychology - Sharp Clean Cold Hard Analytical Intelligent warmer set of artists’ poster colors that included this ultramarine.
Lacking warmth from magenta or yellow, cyan is downright cold.
Straight to the point, it presents sharp, clear facts without any
distractions. Because this hue is so articulate, many informational 19) Violet
signs, such as handicapped parking are in cyan. Artists, who are Psychology - Moody Serious Thoughtful Quiet Reflective
guided more by their creative spirit, tend to favor the redder, warmer
blues. Here control and heart are equally balanced, in complete check.
With yellow absent, energy and excitement are missing too. Thus,
Using Cyan - Artists call it cerulean. Printers call it peacock. Though violet appears lonely. This hue is indicative of meditative, soul-
some call it green, cyan is a true blue - neither yellow nor magenta searching thought. Though low key, power and emotions are at
is added. Essential to any modem palette, this hue is sometimes hand. People who like violet and its lavender tints tend to be
considered harsh when used alone. Thus, it is often blended with mature, even a bit shy, with deep soulful intellects that are strong
other colors or used in one of its tints or shades. Paired with coral, and insightful.
these two color make the perfect complements, fire and ice. Each fills in what is missing from the
other. Coral is full of emotion and energy, while cyan is logical and intelletual. Using Violet - This color is neutral, almost a noncolor, similar to
black. It’s real color becomes more apparent in its lighter shades.
17) Sky Blue Violet is great for lettering and line detail because it is sharp, legible,
and sophisticated. It works like a black, but is really a color.
Psychology - True Honest Good Calm Clean Peaceful
Just as cyan represents fact and detail-oriented sciences, sky blue is identified with philosophy and 20) Purple
open-ended ideologies. Never threatening nor Psychology - Grand Regal Leader Superior Majestic
aggressive, this blue is symbolic of good will,
peace, and tranquility. That’s why most people Purple does everything violet does but more graciously,
like it. Occasionally, it’s thought to be “too good” with majesty. With the heart in charge, control has relaxed.
and a bit dull. Ironically, blue is used to describe This hue doesn’t have the unfettered passion of the bolder
risqué jokes and laws governing public morality. reds that start this palette. It simply provides the suggestion
of excitement.
Using Sky Blue - Nearly always a good choice,
unless another hue is more suitable, this blue Using Purple - This is a staple of the artist’s palette, even
is easy to wear and is as comfortable and though it is not very popul.ar Manufacturers traditionally
unpretentious as a faded-denim work shirt. produce at least one purple towel each year. While this
Sky blue is the United Nations color. This towel may not be the retailers’ best seller, they find a steady
organization’s pale blue helmets are readily demand for this royal indulgence.
welcomed as a protective force, never an
aggressor.

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 Credits

Production Director & Document Creator:

Bianca Silva

Photographer & Art Director:

Rena Mortel

Researcher/Writer & Illustrator:

Johnathan Rivers

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