Design Elements, Color Fundamentals

X82 // Design Elements // Color Fundamentals

Mood and Symbolism

Color affects mood and behavior. It can change how we perceive a product

or company and it can evoke atmosphere and convey symbolism. As much

as 80 percent of our sensatory perception is determined by sight, so what

we see is paramount to our understanding of the world around us. Given

the importance of sight and the prevalence of color in the natural world, it is

not surprising that humans have come to ascribe meaning to particular hues

and color relationships.

SBright red and army green are combined with texture and

visual content to convey a slightly sinister mood.

Design: Ames Bros, Seattle

Chapter 3 // Meaning and Emotion //83

If color can alter our ability to do

simple tasks, it’s not surprising that

it can be used both to affect and

to imply mood. In many cases, the

mood or atmosphere suggested

by color feeds into preexisting as-

sociations. The symbolism that is

ascribed to colors may be more a

product of continual reinforcement

than it is an intrinsic attribute of a

particular hue. Designers looking to

successfully use color in projects

should use pairings that convey

the tone and feeling of the content

before a viewer is able to compre-

hend the message. In this way, a

color or combination of hues can

foreshadow the theme or nature of

the message.

Researchers have found that the

presence of color can positively

affect our behavior. Dr. Carlo

Raimudo, codirector of the School

of Color and Design in Sydney,

Australia, found that subjects in a

colored room who were asked to

perform basic tasks had lower levels

of anxiety and lower heart rate and

blood pressure than those who

did the same tasks in a gray room.

Dr. Raimudo suggests that add-

ing color to our environment can

enhance our ability to engage in

problem-solving activities. Color’s

ability to improve productivity and

mood may account for why a large

number of design offices use color

prominently in their décor.

SThe combination of an illustration dominated

by the color pink and the pink used for the text

immediately conveys that the content on this

page is fresh and young.

Design: Seitaro Yamazaki (Macla, Inc.), Tokyo

SCreating colored backgrounds is an excellent way to make a product seem

special and unique. In these advertisements, alternating warm and cool color

palettes are combined with imagery to convey mood and reference sophistication

and quality. Design: The O Group, New York City