9 replies to this topic

[Laurie]

In the Special Edition of Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 there is a section on color. It states that color has an impact on your emotions.

Quote

All people, regardless of culture, share a universal range of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, excitement, anxiety, desire, passion and so forth. The ability to tap into these emotions using correct color choices can increase the effectiveness of a presentation.

They list several colors and give the suggested colors to use for different effects.

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Grey

• Neutrality
  
• Border between directions
  
• Uncommitted and uninvolved
  
• Concealment from other emotions
  
• Escape from anxiety and discontent

Blue

• Complete calm
  
• Increased sensitivity
  
• Loyalty, security, contentment
  
• Tied to tradition and lasting values
  
• Reduces blood pressure and pulse-rate

Green

• Operation of the will
  
• Resistance to change
  
• Analytical, precise, accurate
  
• Opinionated and self-assertive
  
• Need to impress and exercise control

Red

• Impact of the will
  
• Impulse, desire, passion
  
• Vitality and intensity of experience
  
• Urge to achieve results and succeed
  
• Increases blood pressure and pulse-rate

Black

• Negation of emotions
  
• Extinction and nothingness
  
• Surrender and relinquishment
  
• Powerful, strong, uncontrollable
  
• Stubborn protest against current state

Violet

• Mystical union
  
• Magical and enchanting
  
• Unimportant and unrealistic
  
• Irresponsible and immature
  
• Attempts to charm or delight others

Brown

• Reduced sense of vitality
  
• Passive, receptive, sensory
  
• Establishment of a foundation
  
• Increased need for physical ease
  
• Desire for family, a home, solid roots

Their suggestion for the combination that is the easiest to read from any distance is dark blue backgrounds with yellow and white shadowed text. A consistent background color and template will add to your presentation. And be careful with colors, too many will make your presentation look like a circus.
What do colors represent to you? How do they make you feel/act? What combinations do you like the best? And, the standard line, "What is your favorite color?"

[Mermaid711]

Laurie, on Apr 29 2007, 07:19 AM, said:

In the Special Edition of Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 there is a section on color. It states that color has an impact on your emotions.

They list several colors and give the suggested colors to use for different effects.

Their suggestion for the combination that is the easiest to read from any distance is dark blue backgrounds with yellow and white shadowed text. A consistent background color and template will add to your presentation. And be careful with colors, too many will make your presentation look like a circus.
What do colors represent to you? How do they make you feel/act? What combinations do you like the best? And, the standard line, "What is your favorite color?"

You forgot pink. It actually trigers love and sensitivity in humans.

[zachwyler]

Actually, colors by themselves, don't represent anything whatsoever. Its the meaning we attached to it over the years that makes us interpret them differently. We associate Pink with feminity, and white with purity and Black with ate, anger, evil, etc. because thats how people have done it over the past years. Indeed a lot of colors have two or more meanings attached to it, red could mean love, or it could mean danger. Similarly green could mean Safety, or it could mean envy.

[Color Lover]

I have thought about colors and what they make you feel and this is the best I've gotten so far:

Red - feel threatened (threatens you)
Yellow - feel pleased (pleases you)
Gray - feel calmed (calms you)

Edited by Color Lover, 13 June 2011 - 08:49 PM.

[Rigaudon]

How I respond to color depends on my mood, not the other way around.

If I'm feeling angry, red would make me feel hateful or even angrier, but if I'm mellow, red will be relaxing. I don't know if this is how other people respond, so meh.

Well, in any case, there's certainly no debate on whether colors affect emotions, though I find it odd that a wave of a certain wavelength/frequency can affect chemical reactions to produce emotion inside the human body. Well, then again, I guess it's not that odd because it's not the wavelength that creates the reactions, it's our interpretation of it.

[sheepdog]

Years ago when I was working at a restuarant, my boss wanted to add a salad bar. He went to a seminar to learn about properly running one, and one of the subjects he learned was that there was scientific evidence that the color chartruse was proven to decrease the appetite, so it was a recomened color to have around buffets and salad bars to help prevent people from over eating.

So yes, colors do impact our emotions.

[web_designer]

i think colors not only impact our emotions but also they reflect our current condition or feelings. at least that depend on me, when i feel relaxed i wear something blue or green. when i feel depressed i wear something brown or beige. when i feel peaceful i wear white and of course when i feel happy i wear pink.

i remember i read somewhere, that most of the bridges painted in green, because green is the color of peace and make people feel more relaxed, and that will reduce the cases of suicide. for the same reason surgeons in hospitals wear green cloths to convince the patients that everything is alright.

[anwiii]

oh. colors impacts EVERYONE. that is just a fact. i believe in it 100% anyone who says colors don't affect them are lying to themselves. usually the same colors will have the same affect on everyone. there are exceptions to everything though just like different drugs sometimes affect people differently.

when i was learning web design, it wasn't something i studied. colors and how they affect people so depending on what your site is about, a good web designer will always know which colors would be appropriate. some colors bring people down. some colors bring people up. believe it or not, in web designing, some colors will get people to buy your product at a higher percentage than if you used a different color. speaking of web design, there is also a psychology on ad placement as well. there is a psychology to EVERYTHING. to me, it's almost a science and very interesting.

i remember when i went to jail because some cop was using excessive force on someone and got charged with a felony for pushing this cop away from someone he was injuring with ecessive force. a really sad situation to witness where a small town cop can get away with literally anything, but anyway, i went to jail. what color was the jail cells? PINK! everything was pink because pink is a calming color and believe it or not, the study for that one jailhouse proved that there was less violence when using that color.

anyway, i find the psychology of colors to be VERY interesting and even the combination of colors and what they actually represent. the average person has no clue that colors can be very controlling when used properly.

[TracieSylvie]

Interesting topic.
I can relate to this via clothing & everything in general!

Currently doing: comparing the colors of my clothes to the color choices I have made recently.

DONE:
VIOLET NAILS. GREEN BUDDY LIST. BLUE SWEATER. GREY HOODIE. WHITE "BRACELET". BROWN BAG....

(thinks)
What could that be saying about me........

The grey color section seems to have hit me hard.
"Concealment of emotions"??
That seems like the mood I have been in lately.... hmmmm

[Illustrious]

anwiii, on 20 April 2010 - 09:12 AM, said:

i remember when i went to jail because some cop was using excessive force on someone and got charged with a felony for pushing this cop away from someone he was injuring with ecessive force. a really sad situation to witness where a small town cop can get away with literally anything, but anyway, i went to jail. what color was the jail cells? PINK! everything was pink because pink is a calming color and believe it or not, the study for that one jailhouse proved that there was less violence when using that color.

That is super neat. I didn't think that colors had an effect on people. I guess it's a subconscious reaction that every has. I always feel uncomfortable when in a room with a red/yellow/orange color scheme. I don't know if the colors affect me or if it is just a personal preference. I wonder if you could learn more about someone's personality just by asking someone what their favorite color is.