Why is Color Important?

Over the next few posts I will be discussing color, how it works and why it is important. We are engulfed in color daily; but have you ever really thought about it what it does and how it works?

It assaults your senses, envelopes your every waking moment. It pulls pokes and prods you, and has a profound effect on your emotions. It stops you in your tracks, can make you hungry and makes you want to buy. It moves at the speed of light and helps program the brain to accept or reject the spoken or written word. Color is an incredibly powerful business tool.

How does color work? We are assaulted on a daily basis of over 16.3 million colors. This assault is actually due to the science of color…the chemical make-up of the object being viewed along with the light under which it is viewed. You make constant choices based on this science. There is a chemical and light reaction in the eye and this process creates a physical reaction that is unique to color or color combinations. (Such as my reaction to certain colors of blue used on certain objects.)

Two important psychological things take place when you view color.

1. You will feel more comfortable with and desire that colors that are in your spectrum. (The spectrums will be explained in the next posting.) To your eyes, the colors in your spectrum are more desired to you and obviously better taste. Each color of the spectrum that is opposite to your eyes might appear dull, or not as sharp, harsh, garish or even a little cheap. While the colors that are in your spectrum have a more pleasing look.
2. There is also a reaction in your mind. You are automatically drawn to certain colors because of past associations and experiences with them. That has nothing to do with your “color within your DNA”, but rather the psychological associations you have had with those colors in the past. For example many little girls love pink and many times mature women revert back to that same color to bring back youth that is past.

Color is one of the first things other people notice about you when you meet for the first time. It does not have to be their spectrum for an appealing reaction. It must be in your spectrum to make you look good. It might even be part of that memorable combination necessary for you to stand out.

Imagine what the world would be like without color. Think about the movie Pleasantville. It all started as a black and white with shades of gray existence…then color was added. Things were never the same. Become amazing learn about color. More later...

Amazingly Yours
Dr. Marlene