This entry is part 1 in the series RPGs In Technicolor

Image by jplenio from Pixabay

In Pigment On Canvas – Six GMing Lessons from Oil Painting I drew inspiration from the oil painting techniques of two TV programs, Masterclass In Oils with Ken Harris and The Joy Of Painting with Bob Ross.

In the course of Episode 7 of Season 7 (1985) of the latter, Bob made a very interesting observation while painting “Barn At Sunset”. In fact, he made two linked observations deriving from his experience as a professional artist:

  • Men buy paintings dominated by cool colors, especially blue, and like more dramatic images like mountains and waterfalls.
  • Women buy paintings dominated by warm colors, but are more likely to buy a painting that compliments or matches an existing decor.

These statements touched off a firestorm of questions in my mind.

Are these stereotypes still valid? There have been seismic social shifts since the TV show was first broadcast, what effects have they had?

To what extent are these trends consequent to the early childhood color stereotypes (blue for boys, pink for girls)? Do children whose bedrooms are painted in a more neutral color (yellow, green, or white) have different responses? How about children who have to spend a lot of time surrounded by Hospital Green?

What other manifestations might be observed? Clothing color choices? Cake preferences? Whether you like steak rare or well done?

And, as always, the RPG perspective wasn’t far from my thoughts: How can these facts be used in characterization, and are there any related facts that can be so used?

Color Associations

This isn’t the first time that I’ve talked about color here at Campaign Mastery, but I’m not usually discussing it literally!

Now this is a very big topic (although it might not seem so at first glance), and takes in some controversial territory along the way, so I pondered the best place to start for several hours. (It might be that I’ll have to split the article into two or even three, as there will be a lot of research required – and, even though I’m quick at that (see Lightning Research: Maximum Answers in Minimum Time for my techniques), that was definitely a part of my thinking, too).

To cut to the chase, I decided that discussing the symbolic value of color would be a good place to start, because this would be one of the more variable sections in size required – it might be relatively short, or it might take up the whole of a ‘part 1’. (You’ll be able to tell from the article title what the outcome was!)

The symbolism of color

Color has been used in a symbolic way for at least 90,000 years. The earliest examples are probably red for blood. The meaning attached to a particular color vary from culture to culture and over time within a culture as well, and on top of that, can be context-sensitive to boot. So don’t expect to find hard-and-fast universal rules – even for something as trivial as red being the color of danger!

That said, there are some associations that are more common than others, especially across western culture. If we accept that as a standard, it becomes easier to both note and appreciate exceptions.

For this section and the specific subsections below, I drew heavily on one Wikipedia page in particular, Color Symbolism – credit where it’s due!

    Blue

    Blue symbolizes the sky, and a greenish shade, the ocean. It often symbolizes serenity, stability, sadness, inspiration, wisdom, and reliability. In the Catholic faith, the Virgin Mary is most often depicted wearing blue to symbolize her being “full of grace” (a state that permits her to be serene at all times, to connect the dots between these meanings). Blue is often symbolic of cold, especially in combination with white, but it is also the color of a natural-gas flame – which may be why it represents warmth in the Netherlands, where it is also the color of Femininity – in contrast to the more common symbolic value of masculinity (see also Pink, below).

    Blue symbolizes purity in India, and evil & infidelity in other parts of East Asia. It is the color of mourning in Iran.

    In the US, Japan, and Korea, blue is often symbolic of high quality, trustworthiness, and dependability. Blue and Green are often used to denote improving or upwards trends in financial markets, with Red denoting downward or worsening trends – except in mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, where these color associations are reversed, which sometimes creates confusion when western media outlets report on the finances of those nations.

    Yellow

    Yellow represents sunshine, and the new, and joy in general. It can sometimes be used to represent cowardice or fear. Children tend to like yellow as a color, and it is commonly used to market products to them. Because it is bright and noticeable, it is also used for school buses and taxi-cabs in many western sub-cultures, though this can vary enormously and is one of the easiest points of distinction to use when depicting a foreign culture. Some shades of yellow are unpleasant and unpopular. Yellow and yellow-related tones are often representative of a comfortable warmth (as opposed to a dangerous level of warmth).

    The French sometimes use yellow to symbolize evil, though there has been some cultural contamination from other western cultures. In China, it is symbolic of happiness, and is sometimes used to represent high quality, trustworthiness, and dependability, as is Green.

    Yellow is the color of envy in Germany and Russia.

    Green

    Green is the color of vegetation and symbolizes growth, nature, fertility and healing. The latter symbolism has also been inverted; Green can represent sickness or disease. It’s no accident that the most common depictions of the Coronavirus on TV reports are either Red, for danger, or Green. It can be a relaxing color, but it can also symbolize jealousy. In some contexts, it can represent inexperience or naivety, or a newcomer.

    Green is the color of danger in Malaysia, and of love in Japan.

    In the US, it is the primary color of money and because the US is the most common global currency standard, this meaning has also spread beyond the borders to many nations even if they have more colorful currency. That meaning has naturally extended to incorporate greed.

    See also “Black” below!

    Black

    Bones may be white, but Black is the color that symbolizes death, grief, and evil. A black flag is representative of piracy. In the past, black was worn as the color of mourning. Black can also be the color of formality – black suits, for example, are more formal even than navy blue. I have a vague memory that none of the above is true in many Asian societies, where White or Green has these meanings, so pay careful attention to that when it’s appropriate!

    Black can also symbolize distinctiveness (“black sheep”) or rebellion (“black leather jacket”).

    White

    Throughout western society, white is symbolic of purity, perfection, faith, innocence, softness, and cleanliness. This symbolism is reflected in wedding dresses and wedding cakes, for example. In some societies, White is the color of mourning, however!

    Pink

    Pink is the color of babies and children, and hence is often symbolic of softness, sweetness, love. Wikipedia reports “there is an urban legend that pink was a masculine color before the mid 20th century, based on evidence of conflicting traditions before about 1940. Del Guicide (2012) argues that pink-blue gender coding has been broadly consistent in the UK and the US since it appeared around 1890.”

    Red

    Red is often associated with Love (Roses, Hearts), Passion, Lust, Danger, Warnings, and Importance. A ‘splash’ or streak of red can be symbolic of violence, anger, and blood. In China, it symbolizes good luck, happiness, and is used for many holidays and weddings. Red is symbolic of Masculinity in France, and this association also appears in the UK at times. Red and White are often symbolic of Christmas; green is a secondary symbol in this respect. red and purple are symbolic of love in China, Korea, and Japan. It is considered the color of unluckiness in Chad, Nigeria, and Germany, but is considered a lucky color in China, Denmark, and Argentina. In China, red is the traditional bridal color, while in India, it is symbolic of ambition and desire.

    Purple

    I was hoping to avoid mentioning Purple in this section, but… Traditionally associated with power, wealth, and royalty (who were the people who usually had the first two), luxury, and decadence (which some would argue also derive from royalty). In Japan, it represents evil and infidelity.

    Purple can be symbolic of Reliability in China, South Korea, and Japan. It is the color of envy in Mexico – which makes it interesting that it is often a part of the wardrobe of Mexican officials (especially in the form of a sash)..

That seems to at least partially answer one of my questions – there is such variety in the interpretations and symbolism of color that the “Blue is for boys and pink is for girls” concept is parochial at best. It is still true of the US, however, which was the target market for The Joy Of Painting, so the association can’t be completely dismissed – but it now comes with an enormous caveat attached (in addition to the one about stereotypes).

The Colors of Royalty

Purple is not only the color of Prince, it is the color most frequently associated with Royalty. The reason for this is simple: in ancient times, Phoenician purple dye (also known as Tyrian Purple) was extremely expensive, being made from the secretions of a predatory sea snail originally known as ‘Murex’. Extracting the dye involved tens of thousands of snails and substantial labor – to get enough for a single garment.

As a result, purple was the color worn by Roman magistrates; it became the imperial color worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, and later by Roman Catholic bishops. Similarly in Japan, the color is traditionally associated with the emperor and aristocracy.

Notably, this die improved in color with age instead of fading, making it symbolic of immortality – a quality that rulers and religious leaders alike wished to incorporate into their popular images!

The Phoenicians also produced a deep blue dye from a related family of snails which became known as Royal Blue. These days, it would probably be considered a shade of indigo with a little bright blue mixed in, at least to my eye.

The final color often attached to royalty is Red, usually as a backdrop to white or gold.

The association of these colors with Royalty creates many secondary associations, as described in the section on Purple above (which is why I hope to avoid including it – I wanted to put it here). In particular, the qualities of Royalty came to be represented by the color Purple – both good and sometimes bad. But it’s the rarity that causes that association to exist, combined with individuals of both wealth and the power to restrict access to the limited supply.

If Purple was common, and some other color was rare, that would arguably be “the color of Royalty”. It doesn’t matter if it’s chartreuse or nutmeg or sand.

This in turn becomes more significant when contemplating camouflage benefits – some colors will stand out more than others. It will usually be the case that in environments where people want to stand out – throne rooms and the like – they will choose a complimentary color with a strong tonal contrast for decorations and furnishings.

US Banknotes from Wikimedia Commons. Refer to this page for copyright and usage documentation.

The Colors of Wealth

Some places around the world have very brightly colored money. Some do not.

Money – as in, the symbolic representation of wealth by a paper instrument to facilitate its transfer from one individual to another as part of a transaction – started as a written note on plain paper. These were promissory notes that had been in use in China since the 7th century, which gradually evolved into the modern concept of paper money somewhere during the 10th to 13th century. The concept was carried back to Western Europe by travelers such as Marco Polo in the latter century, and in 1661, Stockholm Banco issued the first European banknote.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, banknotes became attached to the value of a preset fixed quantity of gold, replacing the use of gold coins in Europe. This practice became known as the Gold Standard. The notes were legal tender, and redemption into actual gold was soon discouraged; the abstract entity of the banknote symbolized ownership of that gold, which was held in trust by the bank or the government.

Color was originally introduced to the banknote as a means of thwarting counterfeiters. At first, one color plus black was the limit, then a second color was added in some countries, and then brightly colored banknotes.

US currency actually uses three colors a black, a green, and a third “magnetic” black which can be read by machines. But the currency itself appears relatively plain because the two blacks can’t be distinguished visually (or not easily).

The story of the evolution of color in currency can be clearly seen in the image below, which I assembled from a number of sources for reference in the Adventurer’s Club pulp campaign:


(An edited excerpt from the adventure):

Until the 1950s or 60s, it was routine for Canadian Banks to issue their own currency. The Canadian Government had authorized a common currency back in the 1850s with fixed denominations that made sense at the time but were inadequate to modern needs; when attempts to update the legislation became mired in politics, the Banks took it upon themselves – with government approval – to fill the void by producing their own currency.

Counterfeiters were quick to take advantage of this chaos, ‘inventing’ spurious banks and literally printing money by the bale-full, but these were quickly run down by the Mounties – some of these cases giving rise to the legend of the Mounties always getting their man, no matter where he ran to.

In the 1920s, only a few larger institutions still produced banknotes and everyone knew who they were, so that ploy was no long viable for counterfeiters; the weakest link in the chain was now the design of the currency, which (in the case of the Bank Of Canada) employed only a single ink tone – albeit with some sophisticated engraving. Everyone else had equally sophisticated engraving and at least two colors of ink, making them that much harder to falsify.

(Note that the history of Canadian Currency provided is absolutely accurate, used to enhance the credibility of an improbable situation involving blackmail, the FBI, and some counterfeit Canadian printing plates).

Compare those to the modern Australian Currency:

Aside from the polymer construction and bright colors – and, if anything, these images undersell the brightness of the colors! – modern Australian currency features top to bottom clear strip, Holograms in a clear window, details that are only visible from certain angles, serial numbers, and raised braille dots to denote the denomination – and probably other security features, to boot.
Refer to this page for copyright/usage information (applicable to each banknote image above individually and to the compiled image).

And yet – and this is the interesting point – the color that Australians most commonly associate with currency is either Gold (the color of our 1- and 2-dollar coins) or the green either of American currency (or of the old Australian $2 note).

Before anyone suggests that the polymer notes haven’t been in circulation for long enough – that’s true, however the notes that they replaced were also brightly colored and in use for decades, first issued in 1966, and the pre-decimal currency that preceded it was also brightly colored – and in the same basic colors as many of the modern notes (the ten pound note is blue & green, just like the $10 note – only the shades have changed).

To the best of my awareness, every culture has a color which they associate with wealth – but whether or not that color bears any relation to the colors of their currency is an open question.

It could be argued that the very multicolored nature of Australian Currency acts against any one color coming to represent wealth, leaving us open to a more forthright influence – the USA – but I couldn’t find any research on the subject either way, so this is just speculation. I can state that Australians tend to think of their currency as the prettiest banknotes in the world!

I also find myself contemplating the velvet of casino gaming tables. While can be found in an enormous variety of colors these days, the traditional color is a fairly bright green – not dissimilar to the green of pool and billiards tables, though more fluorescent (a marketing person might describe the latter as “louder”), and whether or not these associations contribute to Green being the color of wealth?

Of course, representations of metallic shiny gold will always symbolize wealth. The same is not true of silver or platinum, perhaps because these are harder to identify – such could be a representation of stainless steel, at least visually.

The Olympic Flag

The five Rings in the Olympic Flag are 5 different colors because one of those colors appears in every national flag.

Which raises the whole question of color, in the flag, as being symbolic of national identity, which is a complicated question in and of itself, simply because there are so many national flags out there, and each one will have a story of its own.

Take, for example, the British Flag (sometimes erroneously called the Union Jack – it only has that designation when it’s flown on a ship, the rest of the time it’s more properly referred to as ‘the Union Flag’ (at least according to some! Others disagree!) – except in Canada where it is the Royal Union Flag). The origins of an earlier form of the flag date back to 1606. James VI of Scotland had inherited the English and Irish thrones in 1603 as James I, thereby uniting the three crowns in a personal union, although the three kingdoms remained separate states.

On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England, a red cross on a white background, known as St George’s Cross, and the flag of Scotland, a white saltire (X-shaped cross, or St Andrew’s Cross) on a blue background, would be joined, forming the flag of England and Scotland for maritime purposes.

In 1801, the present-day design was decreed by Royal proclamation, adding the red saltire of St Patrick to symbolize Ireland.

So it’s Red, White, and Blue – the most common choice of flag colors going. The American Flag, the Australian Flag, New Zealand, France, Russia, and many more, are combinations of these three colors.

We already know that the flag combines three separate flags – and so the symbology of the colors derives from those flags. But those meanings are somewhat muddied by the act of coalescing them three-into-one.

Take the Blue. It hasn’t been the same throughout the history of the flag – at first, it’s only use was at sea on civil and military ships of England and Scotland; in 1634, Charles I further restricted it to royal ships. Only in 1707 was it adopted by the land military – with a slightly different shade of blue, closer to the blue of the Scottish Flag. In 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter “royal” blue instead of the Blue that had now become standard!

Does the blue in the flag of Scotland, and hence the blue of the Union Flag/Jack, mean the same thing as the blue in the US flag, or the blue in the Australian Flag, and so on?

Well, check out the Wikipedia page for “Flag Of Scotland” and you will quickly learn that there has been a historically broad range of colors used – from the blue used in the Union Flag/Jack to a sky blue. So widespread were variations that in 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament met to examine a petition for the standardization of the flag.

Heraldry doesn’t specify what shade of blue is used, instead using the more generic term “azure”.

The fact that the specific shade of blue has become important points to a broader significance through national and cultural identity than mere identification. it’s presence at triumphs and struggles, either military or sporting, makes a national flag an emotional tie between an individual’s sense of national pride and achievements by others.

These experiences accumulate over the years until the flag comes to symbolize the nation in the hearts and minds of the individual, or at least, that’s the theory. How strongly those emotions are invoked by components of the flag is an open, and more difficult, question. I looked for, but couldn’t find, anything official on the subject. Even if I had, it would probably have focused more on shape than on color.

In fact, the closest thing to a definitive statement on the subject comes from the Wikipedia page on “National Flag”, which (in its preamble) states, “A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colors and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation.”

So, in an attempt to put this subject to at least ‘park’ this subject and move on, let me offer the following suggestion:

National identity as associated with the national flag, or other symbols of nationhood, connects through achievement and shared experiences (however vicarious) to a symbolism that is an emergent property of the elements of the flag, including its shapes and colors.

The question this leaves unanswered is whether or not color alone is enough to invoke that sense of national identity. I’m not convinced that there is a simple yes/no answer to this question; a unique or unusual color may be enough, and certainly a color combination may be enough IF the colors aren’t generically used.

For Red, White, and Blue, there are so many flags using these colors that it seems unlikely. For Mexico, or Argentina? It’s quite plausible.

Corporate Colors

Significant content for this section derived from three websites:

These are all worth visiting for additional information. I also drew on memories of a graphic design course that I took many years ago.

Colors in a corporate logo are not chosen at random (usually). They are the results of deliberate and careful thought, and often, intense debate.

“Picking the right palette helps establish your identity better and adds versatility to your designs.

“Color choices also give your logo depth by forging a visual connection to your company’s values and personality. The right combination can visually communicate the feeling your company is projecting to consumers.

“More than just aesthetic appeal, colors help your brand connect with consumers on a deeper psychological level. When you choose your logo and brand’s color palette, you’re also selecting the emotions and associations you’re seeking to evoke.

“Science has shown repeatedly that our brains react in diverse ways to specific colors. By understanding how each color affects the mind and the emotions it stirs up, you can create a more effective brand. It’s important to remember that this is a nuanced and complex field that requires careful thought.” – Tailorbrands

Now, we’ve already talked about the general symbology of color, so let’s move on to some specifics:

    Red

    Bright, hot colors are often used to suggest a bright, playful, energetic organization. This is especially true of Red, which can be labeled “Brash”. Red is also the most blatantly sexual and passionate color. Brands which use Red include Pinterest, Lego, Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola.

    White

    White is used as a surround to convey a sense of exclusivity and luxury. It is also used to create an impression of Hygiene, Purity, and Cleanliness – usually in cleaning products or brands who manufacture such products. Used in different ways, it can suggest clarity or focus, stripping away irrelevancies and excessive complexity. Finally, it can be used with other colors to suggest youth and innocence.

    Yellow

    Yellow is the color of sunshine and honey, and that bleeds through into its use in corporate logos, where it is used to suggest friendliness and cheer along with youthful energy. Brands whose logos are predominantly yellow include Cat, Hertz, Nikon, and Post-it.

    Orange

    Orange attempts to fuse and conflate the values of red with those of yellow. What emerges is not truly either, but is symbolic of energy, dynamism and aggressiveness. Brands which use orange in their logos include Fanta, Amazon, Firefox, and Harley-Davidson.

    Purple

    Purple, as established earlier, has a strong connection with Royalty and thus it’s use in a logo exudes luxury and sophistication. That makes it a favorite amongst brands of cosmetics and high-end retailers – but at least one chocolate company has been using purple this way for as long as I can remember. However, it can be seen as pretentious if the symbol doesn’t match other aspects of the business, and in particular is (or should be) avoided by businesses looking for a more down-to-earth relationship with the consumer.

    Brands that leverage purple include Cadbury, Hallmark, and FedEx.

    Green

    Green is generally considered a restful color, and is often thought to suggest balance and calm. In some contexts, it can suggest a connection to nature, but this will often need to be reinforced in some other way. It lacks the energy of Red, Orange, and Yellow, and is thus more suited to conservative organizations. Brands who use green for their logos include John Deere, Android, Starbucks, and Spotify.

    Blue

    The sky may be blue, but most tones of blue are more strongly suggestive of terrestrial phenomena. “Sky blue and white” doesn’t make people think of the sky – it makes them think of cold and ice, and that impression (in turn) leads to an imputed suggestion of clinical dispassion. For that reason (amongst others), blue is often associated with medical organizations of various types.

    Darker shades of blue are more reminiscent of the oceans, and this association connects the color with many qualities associated with a calm ocean – permanence, comfort, confidence, and calmness – all qualities that most medical organizations also like to exude, along with many investment firms, banks, and legal firms. This usage, in a dog-chasing-its-own-tail way, has imputed some additional characteristics to blue in a logo – wisdom, loyalty, sophistication, experience, and respectability.

    The darker the shade of blue (while still being distinct from black), the stronger that last association becomes. But there is a downside – businesses using a dark blue can also be seen as having excessive formality and conservatism, of being out-of-date and out-of-touch.

    Brands which use Blue as their foundation include American Express, Dell, Ford, GE, and Twitter.

    Brown

    Brown is an especially difficult color to work with. The right tone can be suggestive of the permanence of earth, and the practicality and lack of pretension of being down-to-earth. But some shades are generally unpleasant and are rarely used except as a detail color. You won’t see much Yellow-Brown, or Blue-Brown, for example, and greenish shades of brown just look confused. The darker the brown, the more distance is placed between the color and these disruptive shades.

    Brown is often more significant in relation to other colors in the logo, used to “ground” energetic colors like yellow and orange in “reality”. Brown can be symbolic of nature, respectability, confidence, security, and seriousness.

    Red-browns are the one tone that has no negative associations AND is visually appealing. It serves the same function as a brown-red pairing would do, but in a single color.

    Pink

    Pink is regarded as essentially feminine by most marketers, but they can also be interpreted as a “light red” (depending on usage) – suggestive of the values of red, but in a more controlled and harnessed way. Pink is also strongly associated with babies, and therefore with motherhood, and therefore with all the virtues of the idealized mother – caring, nurturing, and protective. Romance and Love are natural associations that derive from the same source but viewed in a different direction, while Tranquility is associated with all pale colors but especially strongly with pink.

    Brands who employ Pink include Barbie, Dunkin’ Donuts, LG, and Taco Bell.

    Gray

    Gray is one of the most neutral shades available. Brands often choose it for its timeless, practical, and unbiased feeling. It’s ideally used as a secondary color to provide a calmer and more neutral background to bold colors. Because we’re used to the gray of metal, it has also come to be symbolic of machine values – practicality and efficiency.

    Black

    Black is the absence of colors, which is to say that all colors are equally absent from it. It is representative, when used correctly, of professionalism, seriousness, authority, and respectability. But it can also symbolize elegance, sophistication, and class – and through association, can imply luxury and glamour.

    Lastly, because black never goes out of style, it is always perceived as representing modernity.

    Black Logos are used by ABC, the BBC, the New York Times, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co.

    In combination

    I’ve talked a lot here and there in the above about color combinations. No corporate logo is ever just one color – at the very least, it’s one color set against a background of another. Other elements of design – font, illustration, framing, contrast – also convey messages. Ultimately, the goal of a logo is to exemplify one particular organization’s ethos and philosophy as they want to be perceived. A brand logo is all about appearances, and the impression that the brand wants to convey – it’s about the marketing of a company or organization.

“Research has shown that people make subconscious judgments about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing. Between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. As a consumer, your decisions about where to shop and what brands to trust are heavily influenced by logos, whether you realize it or not. We associate certain fonts, colors, and designs with qualities that are entirely unrelated, like product quality and reliability.” – webfx.com

Color is recognized by the human brain right after shape and before typography and text. That means that the symbolism of color (and of shape) is already unwinding in our brains when we see the logo before we actually perceive who this reaction is about.

Our biological heritage makes the utility of this approach clear.

Shape first: some shapes are inherently threatening, even when only seen in silhouette. A bear, for example. A snake. The survival benefits of extra-fast processing of shape far outweigh any negatives from ‘false positives’.

Color second: Some shapes are indeterminate, or not an immediate threat. That means that we can afford to take the mental time to think about whether a berry is edible, and whether or not that fruit is ripe (or over-ripe), or if the meat is cooked. Color can second-guess and backstop shape – some animals might threaten but it’s (usually) just for show – leave them alone and they will usually leave you alone. Color can distinguish between general principles and specific exceptions.

An illustration of tonal illusion

There are some who suggest that dark/light tonal recognition precedes full color analysis by the brain, but this is not established, and is complicated by the fact that the brain interprets such values relative to the tones in contact with the tone being analyzed – an effect that artists have been making use of (or attempting to counter) for centuries.

Which gray rectangle is darker? Take your time – I’ll wait.
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All done? You sure? Take another quick look:
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You probably said the one on the left. Our brains are hardwired to see it that way.

In fact, they are both the exact same shade of gray. I’ve used three tricks to fool you. First, the rectangle on the left has a light yellow dot enclosed within, a very light color, while the rectangle on the right has a dark blue one. The gray contrasts more strongly with the yellow, so we perceive the gray as darker – it’s an attempt by the brain to highlight significance by exaggerating contrast.

Second, the shapes are suggestive of a 3D representation – and there’s a clear suggestion that the light source is behind and to the left of the first panel. That means that it’s in deeper shadow than the one on the right – which reinforces the false impression from the first deception.

And, third, I’ve put a lot of what is technically called “negative space” on the right-hand side. This contrasts strongly with the right-hand rectangle but also with the blue dot, and means that the image can be divided roughly into thirds – the left-hand rectangle, the middle rectangle, and the right hand empty space. And our brains associate like values between the empty space and the yellow dot – and that makes the gray surrounding the yellow dot seem to be more like the darker tone (overall) of the right-hand rectangle-and-blue-dot.

It all adds up, without contradiction, to the left-hand rectangle being darker than the right in our minds – and so that’s the way our brains interpret what they are seeing. (Man, I love stuff on optical illusions, they are just so fascinating!)

Me? For the purposes of this article, I’m going to designate tone as a quality of color, rather neatly sidestepping the whole argument.

The third thing that we process, after shape and color, is anything that requires cognition. That includes typography and activity (in the case of a moving image). This takes so long that sound has already been processed and recognized by the time we get there.

You can test that assertion for yourself – if I say the word “Elephant”, most people (having been cued) will remember an elephant trumpeting. But if you hear an elephant trumpet even in your head you will think the word ‘elephant’ – and more quickly and certainly than you remembered the sound of the trumpeting. Evolution favors reaction over analysis because if you don’t react, you might not have time to analyze

Clever logo design takes advantage of this hierarchy. But even if your designer isn’t clever enough to do this, you still process the emotional resonance of the colors of the logo before the meaning and identification of the entity to which the logo pertains. You could say that the broad associations with color undercut cognition, and brands like to use that to their advantage, deciding what ‘message’ they want the logo to convey to the prospective customer.

Quite obviously, there will be some cultural differentiation, here. Colors to a Mexican, or an Eskimo, will mean different things and have a different association, than they will to an American.

Color impacts on Mood

A lot of people don’t realize that the color of their walls impacts on their moods and emotional state. It doesn’t especially matter if those colors are paint, or a poster, or a potted plant.

It’s been a truism that color impacts on mental state and mood for as long as there have been interior decorators (never mind interior designers), if not longer.

Predominant sources for this section include:

The last page also offers as free downloads some Color Meaning and Symbolism Charts.

Before getting into specifics, one important caveat: color-related emotion is highly dependent on your personal preference and past experiences with that particular color – which includes sociological and cultural associations. In other words, everyone agrees that color has an effect – but there can be legitimate disagreement over what those effects are.

Yellow rooms make some people anxious. Blue rooms are generally calming. Some colors have been associated with increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and even eyestrain!

“Given the prevalence of color, one would expect color psychology to be a well-developed area,” researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier have noted. “Surprisingly, little theoretical or empirical work has been conducted to date on color’s influence on psychological functioning, and the work that has been done has been driven mostly by practical concerns, not scientific rigor.” – quoted by verywellmind.com

Some colors are prone to making people more aggressive and argumentative. Some make people feel like the ambient temperature is cooler than others – even in temperature-controlled conditions.

VeryWellMind have links on the page referenced above to a number of pages dedicated to specific colors. Rather than being exhaustive, I’ll just hit the highlights and leave readers to research further if they are interested.

  • Black – tends to isolate the resident. This can be a negative – fueling emotional states of isolation and loneliness – or a positive, freeing the resident from external distractions and enabling them to be more creative.
  • White – also has two sides to it, making some inspired and refreshed while others find it austere, cold, and lonely. Peacefulness, Emptiness, Cleanliness, and Innocence are all emphasized for some people by white rooms. White, like all light colors, can make a space feel larger and less confined – whether that makes you feel more alone is a matter of personal psychology.
  • Red – red walls (and clothing) has been found to have genuine physiological effects, including elevated blood pressure, elevated metabolism, increased heart rate, and increased respiration rate. These cause energy levels to spike, just as they would if you got a burst of Adrenalin. Unsurprisingly, then, the list of emotional responses to red mirror those of a person who is emotionally worked up – passion, rage, aggression, anger, power, and expressions of dominance. People seeing others in front of red backgrounds generally find those other individuals are more attractive than when they see them silhouetted against other colors.
  • Blue – is a third color with at least two sides to it. Blue can convey serenity, calmness, or sadness and coldness. Pale blue can be technically white in terms of its effects. Research has shown that (regardless of gender), people are more productive in Blue rooms – making this a popular choice for office spaces. Blue has also been shown to reduce appetite, and some diet plans recommend eating off blue plates (which brings a whole different meaning to the phrase “blue-plate special”!) Blue has also been shown to lower the pulse rate and body temperature. I know one family who painted their walls a very neutral light gray and add color through blinds and other decorations – blue in summer and yellow in winter – but I don’t how much they save in electric bills, if anything. YMMV.
  • Green – is considered to invoke tranquility, peace, and to be ‘refreshing’. Researchers have found that green can improve reading ability – some students find that laying a transparent sheet of green paper or plastic over reading material increases reading speed and comprehension. It has also been found that a green work environment produces a reduction in minor illnesses like stomach aches. Darker greens are especially calming and soothing to some, while brighter greens invoke greater vibrancy, energy, and motivation. Green is also believed by some to evoke compassion – one reason why it is a common color for doctors and nurses in hospital situations (along with blue and white).
  • Yellow – while it can be bright and bubbly, it can also create visual fatigue. Yellow can increase metabolism but is also known to create feelings of frustration and even anger. It tires people out, and tired people can sometimes be snappish. The impact of yellow is known to be highly dependent on color saturation and slight tints. Yellow is also known to stimulate the appetite – so a yellow kitchen is not a good idea if you’re overweight.
  • Purple – I don’t know of many walls painted in any shade of purple other than a fairly light violet. It is often a tranquil color and there have been suggestions that the association with mystery makes people more imaginative. Some people have reported dreaming more vividly in purple rooms. A grayish violet is linked with an impression of sophistication for some.
  • Brown – can be drab and boring, especially in pale tones like beige. It can create feelings of loneliness, sadness, and isolation. In large quantities of similar tone, it can seem vast, stark, and empty, like an enormous desert devoid of life. More women than men choose brown as a preferred color, but it’s still one of the three least favorite colors for both genders – except in clothing, but that’s a separate issue that I’ll deal with a little later. It is also worth noting that under-stimulation can also be stressful! Use beige as an accent, not a theme!
  • Pink – paler shades have been known to increase more feminine emotional traits like kindness and empathy, but it’s very easy to use too dark a shade that can be aggravating. One particular shade is known as “drunk tank pink” because it is often used in prisons to calm inmates. However, it has also been shown that this effect is transitory; once accustomed to the color, inmates became even more agitated than they had been.

That last point – about the reactions being transitory – also applies to many of the other impacts of color on mood, for example the calmness induced by blue.

There is also some intriguing anecdotal evidence that’s worth being aware of:

  • Warm-colored placebo pills were reported as more effective than cool-colored placebo pills in one study.
  • Blue-colored streetlights can lead to reduced crime according to anecdotal evidence.
  • Red causes people to react with greater speed and force, something that many sports teams attempt to take advantage of.
  • Black uniforms are more likely to attract penalties on a sporting field. Additionally, students were more likely to associate negative qualities with a player wearing a black uniform according to a study that looked at historical data of sports teams and how they were dressed.

Finally, it can’t be under-emphasized how important the cultural context can be. The colors of a favorite sports team can be inspirational and promote a sense of security and confidence. That’s not due to the colors; that’s due to the association the individual has with those colors.

And, with that, I’m plumb out of time (and then some). I’ve gotten about half-way through – which is better than I expected at some points in the process! So, next week, look for RPGs in Technicolor, part 2!

To whet your appetite, here’s what’s planned:

The effects of color on cognition, the use of color in identity, Non-human terrestrial color interpretations of color, non-human alien interpretations of color, contrasts, color theory, and applying color theory to characterization – in other words, most of the application of the information presented to RPGs!



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