Dear Adamus
Dunn, RaytheonI Make Art
I Make Music
Hope and Happiness: Yellow is sunshine. It is a warm color that, like red, has conflicting symbolism. On the one hand it denotes happiness and joy but on the other hand yellow is the color of cowardice and deceit.
Nature of Yellow: Yellow is one of the warm colors. Because of the high visibility of bright yellow, it is often used for hazard signs and some emergency vehicles. Yellow is cheerful.
Culture of Yellow: For years yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited from their men to come marching home from war. Today, they are still used to welcome home loved ones. Its use for hazard signs creates an association between yellow and danger, although not quite as dangerous as red.
If someone is yellow it means they are a coward so yellow can have a negative meaning in some cultures.
Yellow is for mourning in Egypt and actors of the Middle Ages wore yellow to signify the dead. Yet yellow has also represented courage (Japan), merchants (India), and peace.
Using Yellow: Although it can work as the primary color, yellow often works best as a companion to other colors. Use bright yellow to create excitement when red or orange may be too strong or too dark. Yellow can be perky.
Using Yellow with Other Colors: Use yellow to perk up a more subdued cool palette of blues and grays. Use lemon yellow with orange to carry out a healthy, summery, citrus theme. Very pale yellows can work as neutrals alongside darker or richer colors. Yellow and blue are a high contrast, eye-popping combination. Mix yellow with neutral gray and a dash of black for a high-tech look.
Try a hot, exciting mix of red and yellow.
For an earthy palette, especially for fall, mix yellow, olive green, and brown. While yellows and bright or light greens can be part of a natural, fruity color palette, be careful not to use colors too close in value or they will appear washed out.
Yellow Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of yellow mixing it up with reds, blues, greens, browns, and other neutrals for earthy, sophisticated, and psychedelic looks.
Language of Yellow: The use of yellow in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others, both the positive and negative aspects.
Good yellow
Bad yellow
Yellow Words: These words are synonymous with yellow or represent various shades of the color yellow.
Lemon, yellow ocher, golden, saffron, cream, topaz, mellow yellow.
Flamboyant and Energetic : Orange is vibrant. It’s a combination of red and yellow so it shares some common attributes with those colors. It denotes energy, warmth, and the sun. But orange has a bit less intensity or aggression than red, calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow.
Nature of Orange: As a warm color orange is a stimulant stimulating the emotions and even the appetite. Orange can be found in nature in the changing leaves of fall, the setting sun, and the skin and meat of citrus fruit.
Culture of Orange: Orange brings up images of autumn leaves, pumpkins, and (in combination with Black) Halloween. It represents the changing seasons so in that sense it is a color on the edge, the color of change between the heat of summer and the cool of winter.
Because orange is also a citrus color, it can conjure up thoughts of vitamin C and good health.
Using Orange: If you want to get noticed without screaming, consider the color orange it demands attention. The softer oranges such as peach are even friendlier, more soothing. Peachy oranges are less flamboyant than their redder cousins but still energetic.
In keeping with its transitional appearance in nature, you might use shades of orange to indicate transition or a bridge between two opposing factors.
Orange is often synonymous with autumn yet the brighter oranges are a summer color. Use shades of orange for seasonal-themed fall or summer materials.
Orange is mentally stimulating as well as sociable. Use it to get people thinking or to get them talking.
Using Orange with Other Colors: While orange and black are traditional Halloween colors, orange really pops with a medium blue. Red, yellow, and orange can be a fiery hot combination or, in tamer shades, a fresh, fruity experience. Make it tropical with green.
Use caution mixing orange and pink unless you want to recreate a vibrating, 60s psychedelic look.
Try a dash of orange with deep purple or a dash of purple with a bit of orange, tempered by lots of mellow yellow or white for an eye-catching look that’s not overpowering.
Orange Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of orange going earthy with browns and greens as well as sophisticated with blues, grays, and other neutrals.
Orange Words: These words are synonymous with orange or represent various shades of the color orange.
Pumpkin, gold, flame, copper, brass, apricot, peach, citrus, tangerine.
Refreshing and Sophisticated: A mix of blue and green, turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication.
Nature of Turquoise: A blend of blue and green, shades of turquoise have the same calming effects of those colors.
Culture of Turquoise: This in-between color represents water, thus the names aqua and aquamarine. It’s also a valuable and popular mineral often turned into jewelry. Turquoise is closely associated with the Middle East and the American Southwest.
Using Turquoise: Create feminine appeal with the lighter shades of turquoise. Some shades of turquoise have an old-fashioned 50s and 60s retro feel. Teal has a darker, somewhat more sophisticated look. Like the mineral, turquoise shades range from almost sky blue to deep greenish blues.
Using Turquoise with Other Colors: Keep the soft, feminine qualities going by mixing turquoise with lavender and pale pinks. A bright turquoise and pink create a sparkly clean, retro look. Make it art deco by pairing turquoise with white and black. Turquoise with gray or silver as well as terra cotta and light browns have a Southwestern (U.S.) flavor. Turquoise with orange or yellow creates a fresh, sporty look.
Turquoise Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of green including turquoise and teal.
Turquoise Words: These words are synonymous with turquoise or represent various shades of the color turquoise.
Teal, ultramarine, blue-green, aqua, aquamarine.
Ultimate Dark: Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. The color black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated.
Nature of Black: Black is the absence of color. In clothing, black is visually slimming. Black, like other dark colors, can make a room appear to shrink in size and even a well-lit room looks dark with a lot of black. Black can make other colors appear brighter.
Culture of Black: In most Western countries black is the color of mourning. Among young people, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. Black is both positive and negative. It is the color for little boys in China. Black, especially combined with orange is the color of Halloween. In early Westerns the good guy wore white while the bad guy wore black. But later on good guys wore black to lend an air of mystery to themselves.
Using Black: Use the color black to convey elegance, sophistication, or perhaps a touch of mystery. Dark charcoal gray and very dark brown can sometimes stand in for black.
Using Black with Other Colors: Be careful using black with very dark colors. It can work, but if the colors are too similiar they blend together. Black works well with bright, jewel-toned shades of red, blue, and green. Black is the ultimate dark color and makes lighter colors such as yellow really pop out. Photographs often look brighter against a black background. Black and gray is a conservative combo as is medium or light blue and black.
Black Color Palettes: These color palettes feature black with other colors.
Language of Black: The use of black in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others, both the positive and negative aspects.
Good black
Bad black
Black Words: These words are synonymous with black or represent various shades of the color black.
Ebony, jet, ink, lampblack, coal, soot, charcoal, raven, midnight, obsidian, onyx, sable.
Life and Renewal: Green is life. Abundant in nature, green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment. On the flip side, green is jealousy or envy (green-eyed monster) and inexperience.
Nature of Green: Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Like blue, time moves faster in a green room.
Culture of Green: Green is the national color of Ireland and is strongly associated with that country. Green also has close associations with Islam. Because of all the green in nature the color is reminiscent of Spring. Coupled with red it’s a Christmas color.
Using Green: With both a warming and cooling effect, the color green denotes balance, harmony, and stability. Use several shades of green for a fresh, Springtime feel. Olive green, also called olive drab, is a not so drab summery green that may have military overtones for some people.
Using Green with Other Colors: Green with blue produces echoes of nature - water and forest and can denote new beginnings and growth. Green with brown, tan, or beige says organic or recycled and can be a good color combination for packaging of those type of products. Tri-color combinations of green with yellow and black or white are sporty, outdoorsy colors. Purple with green can be high contrast, lively. Lime green with orange and yellow is a fresh and fruity palette.
Green Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of green combined with gray, yellow, black, purple, lavender, and brown for some earthy, retro, and conservative looks.
Language of Green: The use of green in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others, both the positive and negative aspects.
Good green
Bad green
Green Words: These words are synonymous with green or represent various shades of the color green.
Emerald, sea green, seafoam, olive, olive drab, pea green, grass green, apple, mint, forest, lawn green, lime, spring green, leaf green, aquamarine, beryl, chartreuse, fir, kelly green, pine, moss, jade, sage, sap, viridian.
Calm and Cool : Blue is calming. It can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. Almost everyone likes some shade of the color blue.
Nature of Blue: A natural color, from the blue of the sky, blue is a universal color. The cool, calming effect of blue makes time pass more quickly and it can help you sleep. Blue is a good color for bedrooms. However, too much blue could dampen spirits.
Culture of Blue: In many diverse cultures blue is significant in religious beliefs, brings peace, or is believed to keep the bad spirits away.
Blue conveys importance and confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the blue power suit of the corporate world and the blue uniforms of police officers. Long considered a corporate color, blue, especially darker blue, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism.
Just as seeing red alludes to the strong emotions invoked by the color red, feeling blue or getting the blues represents the extremes of the calm feelings associated with blue, i.e. sadness or depression, lack of strong (violent) emotion. Dark blue is sometimes seen as staid or stodgy old-fashioned.
In Iran, blue is the color of mourning while in the West the something blue bridal tradition represents love.
Using Blue: A deep royal blue or azure conveys richness and perhaps even a touch of superiority. Navy blue is almost black and is a bit warmer than lighter blues. Combine a light and dark blue to convey trust and truthfulness banker’s colors. Although blue is a year-round color, pastel blues, especially along with pinks and pale yellows suggest Springtime while deep blue is a colder weather color. Create a conservative but sophisticated look with subtle contrast by combining light and dark shades of blue.
Using Blue with Other Colors: Mix the color of blue with green for a natural, watery palette. Add gray for understated elegance.
Sky blue and robin’s egg blue, especially when combined with neutral light brown, tans, or beige are environmentally friendly color combinations.
Throw in a dash of blue to cool down a hot red or orange scheme. Grab attention with the contrast of blue and yellow.
Dark blue with white is fresh, crisp, and nautical. Red, white, and blue is a patriotic color trio for many countries, including the United States.
Use dark blue with metallic silver accents for an elegantly rich appearance.
Blue Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of blue combined with gray, orange, peach, purple, and earthy browns as well as palettes with multiple blues.
Language of Blue: The use of blue in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others, both the positive and negative aspects.
Good blue
Bad blue
Blue Words: These words are synonymous with blue or represent various shades of the color blue.
Sapphire, azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, indigo, navy, royal, sky blue, baby blue, robin’s egg blue, cyan, cornflower blue, midnight blue, slate, steel blue, Prussian blue.
Cotton Candy and Little Girls: Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink is the sweet side of red. It’s cotton candy and bubble gum and babies, especially little girls.
Nature of Pink: While red stirs up passion and action, studies have shown that large amounts of pink can create physical weakness in people. Perhaps there is a tie-in between this physical reaction and the color’s association with the so-called weaker sex.
Culture of Pink: In some cultures, such as the US, pink is the color of little girls. It represents sugar and spice and everything nice. Pink for men goes in and out of style. Most people still think of pink as a feminine, delicate color.
Using Pink: Both red and pink denote love but while red is hot passion, pink is romantic and charming. Use pink to convey playfulness (hot pink flamingoes) and tenderness (pastel pinks). Multiple shades of pink and light purple or other pastels used together maintain the soft, delicate, and playful nature of pink. Add strength with darker shades of pinks and purple and burgundy.
Using Pink with Other Colors: All shades of pink get sophisticated when combined with black or gray or medium to darker shades of blue. Medium to dark green with pink is also a sharp-looking combo.
Language of Pink: The use of pink in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others both the positive and negative aspects.
Good pink
Bad or neutral pink
Pink Words: These words are synonymous with pink or represent various shades of the color pink.
Salmon, coral, hot pink, fuschia, blush, flesh, flush, fuchsia, rose.
Love and War: Red is hot. It’s a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.
Nature of Red: A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colors. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.
The expression seeing red indicates anger and may stem not only from the stimulus of the color but from the natural flush (redness) of the cheeks, a physical reaction to anger, increased blood pressure, or physical exertion.
Culture of Red: Red is power, hence the red power tie for business people and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs (very important people).
Flashing red lights denote danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers’ attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection.
In some cultures, red denotes purity, joy, and celebration. Red is the color of happiness and prosperity in China and may be used to attract good luck.
Red is often the color worn by brides in the East while it is the color of mourning in South Africa. In Russia the Bolsheviks used a red flag when they overthrew the Tsar, thus red became associated with communism. Many national flags use red. The red Ruby is the traditional Fortieth Wedding Anniversary gift.
Using Red: Use the color red to grab attention and to get people to take action. Use red when you don’t want to sink into the background. Use red to suggest speed combined with confidence and perhaps even a dash of danger. A little bit of red goes a long way. Small doses can often be more effective than large amounts of this strong color. Multiple shades of red and even pink or orange can combine for a cheerful palette.
Using Red with Other Colors: Although not normally considered an ideal coupling, in combination with green, red is a Christmas color a joyful season.
Cool blues provide contrast and tone down the heat of red. Light pinks and yellows are harmonizing colors that can work well with red if not too close in value such as dark red with a pale or golden yellow. Be careful using purple. It can be an elegant combination but too much could be overpowering.
Add a dash of red to a soft but sophisticated pink and gray combo. For some countries, including the US, red, white, and blue is a very patriotic trio even if the shades of red and blue differ from those used in the flag.
Red Color Palettes: These color palettes feature shades of red used with a variety of yellows, blues, greens, and neutrals.
Language of Red: The use of red in familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others both the positive and negative aspects.
Good red
Bad red
Red Words: These words are synonymous with red or represent various shades of the color red.
Scarlet, crimson, vermillion, carmine, maroon, burgundy, ruby, rose, madder, rouge, brick, blood red, blush, fire engine red, cinnabar, russet, rust, Venetian red, flame, Indian red, tomato.
