Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

029 Color Effects

The cognitive and behavioral effects triggered by exposure to colors.

The development of words for colors evolved in the same basic sequence across all languages: first black and white, then red, yellow, green, and blue. These six colors can trigger instinctive associations and responses. In some cases, these instinctive associations and responses can be overridden by learned associations and responses, which explains why color meanings often vary across cultures.¹

If a language does not have words for any other color, it always has words for black and white. The darker or lighter a color becomes, the stronger these black and white associations.²

1. Black—As colors get darker, approaching black, they are increasingly associated ...