Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology

Blue is a sensible colour. I’m yet to meet someone who declares themselves head over heels with blue in the same way you’ll get the passionate enthusiasm for colours such as purple or pink – but perhaps you lovely readers will prove me wrong? And I guess that whilst if I think of blue I conjure up an image of school-uniform royal or navy blue (uninspiring? really?) there are numerous shades of blue – from the deepest, darkest petrol blue to the most delicate duck-egg. In fact I am seriously considering painting my kitchen a couple of different shades of blue so I really shouldn’t be so rude about it.

Blue is an intelligent colour, it’s logical, ordered, calm and efficient. It exudes coolness, serenity even and certainly creates trust. It’s a colour that’s soothing to the mind and can indicate clarity (a strongish blue) or calm and concentration on a lighter blue.

By now you’ll be realising that you can’t have the good without the bad… And blue is no different. Negatively blue can be perceived as aloof, cold, unfriendly, unemotional and conservative. The way to keep it in check is to ensure that you’re consistent in your palette and shapes. Remember, you need to start by defining the season your business falls into first and then selecting tones (not the other way round!).

Credits: Nest of Eggs and Easter Twigs: Martha Stewart (sorry but I love her stuff!); Bathroom: Channel4; Kitchen sink: Fired Earth; Library: Capacious hold all; Bluebird business card: business card gallery

Tagged as in Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology, Branding, Colour Psychology

Black is seen by the vast majority of the British public as safe, slimming, sophisticated and even a security blanket. What I find interesting about black is that unless your business is a Winter colour personality you categorically should not include it in your palette.

Sure, used in the right setting black is glamorous, powerful, uncompromising and serious. It’s the battle-dress of the serious business man or woman and a uniform for the “suits” of Soho ad agencies. And yet whilst black is very capable of exuding substance, efficiency, mystery and control, it’s equally capable of undermining that if your business is Spring, Summer or Autumn.

Black can be physically draining for most of us. It can be menacing, oppressive and heavy. And frankly, as a graphic designer, I see the use of black as often downright lazy. Don’t get me wrong, it has it’s place and it’s uses, but it is overused, in both fashion and graphic design. And not always to the best effect. Come on people, embrace the colour! There are millions out there, and they can do the same job as black if you let them…

Credits: Audrey illustrations: Lolita; Pug: Patchwork Harmony; Trainers: Deviant Art; Black furniture Digs Digs; Black centrepiece You and Your Wedding; Marc Jacobs bag: Selfridges

Tagged as in Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology, Branding, Colour Psychology

Purple is without question one of my favourite colours, and it features heavily in the Flourish brand palette. From the most delicate lilacs through to mauve and purple and the intense violet colour, purple is a spiritual colour.

At Flourish we use it to commuicate quality, vision and purpose. And it also communicates truth, authenticity, luxury and containment. Famously linked to Cleopatra (and less salubriously, Cadbury’s), purple is a relatively easy colour to design with. It has a depth of colour that makes it a great alternative to black for text, and yet can be used in the faintest of tints for a subtle introduction of the colour.

Negatively it’s easy to go wrong with purple. It’s spiritual qualities can be turned on their head and it’s easily perceived as flaky, mystical or aloof. At the other end of the spectrum one might perceive the colour to be downmarket if combined with the wrong tones.

Credits: Lilac centrepiece: Martha Stewart; Eggshell arrangement: Martha Stewart; Vivienne Westwood Purse: Liberty; Ianthe print washbag: Liberty; Watercolour: Lolita; Purple rug: Visualise; Purple Door Knobs: Patchwork Harmony

Tagged as in Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology, Branding, Colour Psychology

Last week my What’s in a season? series looked at how the seasons affect the tone, hue and saturation of a palette of colours. I showed you how Spring colours are light, bright, warm and clear; Summer are light, cool, delicate and muted; Autumn colours are warm, intense and muted and Winter colours are cool, [...]

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You’ve got to be pretty tough to get through Winter in the natural world, and these extremes are reflected in the Winter personality. The temperature drops, colours intensify and the light clears. Winter is all about extremes – ice blues, polar whites, rich blacks, neons and metallics. Winter is all about the drama. The extreme colours, [...]

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Autumn is a time of change. Temperatures drop, leaves turn into the most beautiful, fiery shades and all that work nature put in in Spring and Summer really pays off: it’s harvest time! As you’ll hopefully be expecting by now, the Autumn colour personality reflects what’s going on in the natural world. Passionate, energetic, enthusiastic [...]

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As the temperature hots up in Summer so the colours fade, the afternoons are hazy and the light and natural world becomes altogether more delicate and muted. Forget the neon brights you might associate with beach holidays: the Summer colour personality is romantic, graceful, elegant and aspirational. Summer businesses are efficient, productive and well organised. [...]

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Spring businesses are forward thinking, creative and full of life. Just as the spring bulbs and plants burst through the barren winter soil with their promise of what’s to come, so Spring people light up a room with their expressiveness and inspirational ideas. Infectiously enthusiastic, incredibly bright and very people focused, Spring businesses are great [...]

Tagged as in Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology, Branding, Colour Psychology

As regular readers of this blog will know, at Flourish we’re enormous fans of colour psychology. We employ our learning in every single design project that we work on and it enables us to more effectively understand our customer and their target audience, create something that’s authentic and reflective of the client’s values, and enables [...]

Tagged as in Absolute Essentials of Colour Psychology, Branding, Colour Psychology, Flourish Stuff, Graphic Design