The Psychology of Color in Design

One of the most common questions I ask is why I have used a certain colour for a certain logo of certain part of a design. The answer can be as simple as ” its what your style guide says i MUST do” but thankfully it’s more often the start of a communication that can take a good cup of coffee!

Colour’s evoke emotions, most of them you will know consciously, some not so. The graphic below shows some of these ideas but lets start with a few simple ideas about colour. Blue for example says cool, calm and fresh. Green for example evokes freshness, floral and get going. Red on the other hand can mean stop, emergency or danger.

Once you have finished looking at this wonderful infographic there is a little task for you to do with your new found knowledge.

Task: With you new found brilliance in design using colours, revisit this infographic and analyse the colours which they have used for text, backgrounds etc … think about whether the colour entices you to believe the message or feel something in particular. Once you’ve done this exercise you are ready to move on to the next step, look at your own design and use of colour, from your twitter background to images around your home or office. Let colour take over your life, Love colour, Love Design.