Fast, fast food.

Notice any similarities??? Why all the red, yellow and blue! I believe there are a few explanations.

One- primary colours are bold and grab our attention easily. They are also relevant and recognisable to pretty much anyone. Can you imagine Maccas rebranding to a specific shade of muted lime green? No one would really relate!

Two- These colours actually make us hungry! Red in particular is supposed to... I suppose it sort of makes sense. Red to me promotes urgency, so if I'm really hungry then I supposed red would reinforce that feeling and make me want to get food from there.

Junk food companies are tricking us via carefully planned colour psychology!!!

Orange

I really like this use of colour. I think orange should just be by itself, not even with black, just white. It's bold but at the same time not in your face,. It's also a very appropriate colour to use for a product that is designed to give a boost of energy etc.

Again computer wise, I feel like orange can be pretty in your face and uninviting. These icons don't do anything for me. I'd prefer a more calming colour.

This is a use of orange I have looked at so many times but have never consciously thought about. i love the presence of pale orange in a sky scape. It is complimented perfectly by the light blues. Pale orange I find calming...

No a big fan of orange used in strange computer generated drawings. Especially not with muddy colours all around it.

Orange in nature I'm ok with... the flowers somehow seem to be warning me about something! They look like flowering beacons.

Interior/architecture wise I'm getting a bit over the stark modern use of orange as a highlight colour. I prefer more rustic approaches like the one above. It looks vivid but not overbearing.


I'm having mixed feelings about the colour orange at the moment... see above comments on various ways the colour is used... Personally I think it looks best used in its most natural state... in an orange! The coloured fruit reminds me of summer and freshness.

Colour Therapy

Here's a bit of a boring, text only post. This whole colour therapy thing really interests me... I'd like to know what colour my 'aura' is and what colours I need to balance myself. I'm thinking right now that I probably need a big healthy dose of calming blue... as I can't stop stressing about finishing my folio!

Color therapy, also known as chromotherapy, is often facilitated in the healing rooms of alternative health practitioners. Color therapy is classified as a vibrational healing modality. Vibrational medicine incorporates the use of chi energies within living organisms such as plants, gemstones and crystals, water, sunlight, and sound.

Color is simply a form of visible light, of electromagnetic energy. All the primary colors reflected in the rainbow carry their own unique healing properties. The sun alone is a wonderful healer! Just imagine what life would be like without sunshine. It has been proven that lack of sunlight contributes to depression for some people.

A therapist trained in color therapy applies light and color in the form of tools, visualization, or verbal suggestion to balance energy in the areas of our bodies that are lacking vibrance, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental.

From: http://healing.about.com/cs/colortherapy/a/aa_colortherapy.htm

Back in Black

Why is it that an all black outfit always looks so stylish? Black has been the colour du jour of fashion for a long long time and this might be for a number of reasons- it's simple, slimming, goes with everything and is readily available. A particular trend in fashion now sees people wearing all black outfits with different textured pieces. This turns the colour into the secondary focus and the texture and composition into the main focus.

For the Kids

What makes these colour schemes 'kiddy'? I think it could be to do with the fact that they are used in very physically large proportions, and also because the colours are incredibly light and bright. These are probably a more sophisticated collection of colour schemes than perhaps the standard kiddy primary combination of red blue and yellow. They use secondary and tertiary colours like green and magenta. And interestingly enough the pink for girls and light blue for boys is also quite prevalent here... a long intertwined gender colour association!

Colour Names

This is another screen capture from the Designer's Guild website. I found it interesting reading the colour names and thinking of what I would call a colour. I think these colour names are pretty straightforward, but some colour names (especially house paint colour ranges in Bunnings etc) are ridiculous! They try to invoke moods etc but jst end up sounding a bit wanky in my humble opinion.

Colour of the Year, 2009!

Pantone Selects Color of the Year for 2009: PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa

Mimosa Embodies Hopefulness and Reassurance in a Climate of Change

CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 3, 2008 - Pantone, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 14-0848 Mimosa, a warm, engaging yellow, as the color of the year for 2009. In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow.

"The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."

Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, the 2009 color of the year represents the hopeful and radiant characteristics associated with the color yellow. Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any other color, has appeal for men and women, and translates to both fashion and interiors. Look for women's accessories, home furnishings, active sportswear and men's ties and shirts in this vibrant hue.

Mimosa is also one of the 3,000 colors available in Pantone’s line of superior-quality, eco-friendly paint. PANTONE Paints combine the accuracy of PANTONE Colors with the beauty of high-performance Dutch paints. Perfect for the kitchen or family room, painting a wall in Mimosa will add warmth and cheerfulness to any room, especially during the winter months. Mimosa also creates the illusion of being connected to the outside, making small rooms feel open and inviting.

Taken directly from Pantone Press Release on Pantone Website

White... Summer or Winter?

Summer?



or Winter?

Personally, I will always prefer summer! My conclusion is (very mathematical...)

white + grey/steel blue = winter
white + light blue/green = summer

Just another example of how a colour only takes on meaning when it is used IN CONTEXT!

Mmmm Laduree!

I have been lusting over a sweet snack all afternoon. What better to stumble upon while surfing the net than these amazing Laduree macaroons! Laduree is a famous French patisserie/cafe whose specialty is these fantastically coloured macaroons. The combination of colours is so eye catching. You would expect them to stick with neutral, pastel, soft 'baked goods' colours, but instead they have thrown in some intensely coloured ones! Though lime green and aqua blue are colours that are usually avoided when colouring food, somehow here they look deliciously edible and inviting.