The meaning of colours
Colours are very magical, some make us feel relaxed and at ease other make us feel energized and ready for action! To really cement in the minds of others who we are and what we stand for, using the right colours is crucial.
Before we get started, there are some questions to ask yourself:
- What are your favourite colours?
- Do you have any feelings associated with this colour?
- Are the feelings those colours give, the same as how you want others to feel about you?
Below are the associations of the base colours, at least in the western world. In different places colours can mean different things. Red is the colour of purity in some cultures and white the colour of mourning. So, if you do live somewhere else than Europe or Noth America, these associations could be a little different
Colours and their asociations
Black is a very clean colour. It’s seen as a luxurious and expensive colour but also as a more distant and cool colour, modern and fashionable. It also has some associations with death as it’s the colour that is worn at funerals.
White is a very pure and bright colour, it’s seen as angelic and heavenly.
Red is a very a romantic and passionate colour. It’s a colour that’s associated with love and lust, but it’s also associated with blood and war. A colour with duality in it’s symbolism.
Pink is the softer version of red. It’s associated with girls and everything cute. Very feminine and youthful.
Orange and yellow are bright and fun colours. They are associated with sunshine, happiness and health.
Green is the colour that is most close to nature, it’s a colour we associate with health but also money.
Blue is the calmest colour on the colour wheel. It’s a soothing and also a professional colour. Great for wearing to work.
Purple is a magical and regal colour it has associations with dreams, inspiration and royalty.
Knowing what people associate with certain colours. This could give you some trouble with creating a colour palette.
Maybe you love the colour yellow, but the happy and fun associations that come with yellow don’t really match the image you want to portray. In that case, going for a creamy and light yellow does allow you to have this colour in your wardrobe in a more mature and balanced way.
It could also work the other way around, you love the symbolism of red. Passionate, loving and romantic is really how you want to come across, but bright reds just don’t really look great on you. In this case, going for a maroon or burgundy would give you the desired effect without having to go to the bright, fire engine red.
For me personally, I love the modern sharpness of black, but black itself feels a little ‘flat’ on me, I need more depth in my colours. So I use dark navies instead. It gives a similar feel, but it looks better on me
Now that we have a little more insight into what colours mean to others, you can take this knowledge into the next part of our journey; creating a personal colour palette!