Color is vital to the human experience. Through color, we feel; we communicate; and we heal. Those in advertising use it to sell products; those in schools and offices use it to increase productivity.
When it comes to communication, color is unbeatable. Unconscious or otherwise, color can evoke emotions, encourage reactions, and transform ways of thinking. It can excite or calm your mood, raise or lower your blood pressure, and even whet your appetite! Whether it is innate or learned, it is indisputable that color has a vital influence on how we go about our lives (Colorpsychology.org).
While it is true that certain colors can influence people’s choices, color affects the brain’s emotion sensors in multiple ways. Whether it be to call attention to something, inspire emotions about something, give assurance, or tap into one’s memories; color is powerful. The psychology of color however is not that simple.
Color psychology is more than just one-sentence explanations of what each color represents.
The statement, “yellow represents creativity and happiness” is not exactly color psychology—it’s a generalized association. In all actuality, “yellow” can have diverse meanings depending on how it’s used, what color it is used with, and what tone of yellow is used. Yellow is not always happy and creative—sometimes it’s sickly and pale it all depends on the shade.
The yellow in the example above is bold—it catches your attention and makes you feel empowered. Combining this yellow with an image of a roaring lion makes an even stronger impression (Verlande).
To better understand why using the right colors is so important in design, it’s best to first learn the basics. On this page, you will find an explanation of what color psychology is, how it can affect moods, behaviors, and reactions and the psychology of individual colors.
Colorpsychology, 2025, www.colorpsychology.org/.
Velarde, Orana. "Color Psychology in Marketing: The Ultimate Guide." Visme, 02 Feb. 2024, https://visme.co/blog/.
Color psychology in marketing and design is primarily based on how people feel about color, and that comes from how they experienced color as a child and during the transition into adulthood. Overall it explains how colors can impact human emotions, behaviors and perceptions and how different shades and tones can affect moods and reactions.
When born humans can only see black, white, and grey. At around five weeks, the first color a baby will see is red. They develop color vision slowly until about the age of 5 months when they can finally perceive all the colors. It is then that color starts to have meaning at this young age.
Just as the color red becomes associated with firetrucks, the same is true for how the color yellow becomes associated with the sun and green with the trees. These initial color associations form the foundation for everything color psychology is about.
These first perceptions of color are inherent in every culture. In the US, pink is associated with princesses and ballet dancers, while in Japan pink is the color of the cherry blossom and is seen a bit differently. Being aware of these slight differences can help you better adapt your design endeavors.
Some color perceptions are universal, for example, the “white lab coat effect.” This color effect describes how most people feel secure and better cared for when a doctor is wearing a white lab coat.
Velarde, Orana. "Color Psychology in Marketing: The Ultimate Guide." Visme, 02 Feb. 2024, https://visme.co/blog/.
Color theory is the technical language for explaining how color works. Essentially it is the art and science of how different colors blend and fit together to look visually pleasing and convey messages.
The color wheel is the fundamental visual tool for grasping color theory. It has been a hands-on tool for learning and discovering colors for ages. Because of this, it existed long before modern technology which when trying to comprehend the differences between colors on screens and the ink in printers can make it confusing (Velarde). The main reason black and white are not on the color wheel is that black is considered the absence of color, while white is the combination of all colors (Chibana).
The standard color wheel created with paints, inks, pigments, or natural dyes, starts with the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow. Elementary school students still to this day learn their colors this way. Illustrators and artists also learn color theory this way in their early studies.
If you are going to work digitally, artists and designers study two more color models. These two models, CMYK (for printed materials) and RGB (for digital materials) allow them to work on screens and send content to print.
CMYK Model
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black). The CMYK color model envisions how colors are blended with pigments. These include the inks used for printing any type of marketing material, like flyers, brochures, T-shirts, magazines, etc. The method of color created with the CMYK model is called subtractive because the light wavelengths are subtracted as the colors blend. When Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are combined, they create a dark color, also known as an imperfect black. That is why the color model is called CMYK—K stands for “key”, or black.
RGB Model
RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue. The RGB color wheel envisions how colors overlap on screens. The primary colors in RGB are not pigments, but colored light. When the colored lights overlap in different intensities, they blend to create all the other colors. This is what designers use for all digital design, including websites, social media visuals, and more. The way color is made in the RGB model is called additive. This means that color is not overlaid over another to produce a new color. The RGB model begins with black and the colors appear as light shines on it. When all three of the color lights overlap, we see the “additive” white. The RGB color model is sometimes confusing because the main colors are red, green, and blue, instead of the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. This is because the RGB model is made of colored light. When red and green lights shine together, they create yellow light, so that is why yellow cannot be one of the primary colors in the RGB model.
When a designer creates content for print, they will use CMYK, and when working on digital content, they use RGB. When the designers start a project digitally, they will start with RGB and then switch to CMYK before sending the files to the printers. Sometimes, adjustments need to be made to the colors to guarantee consistency across all mediums.
Velarde, Orana. "Color Psychology in Marketing: The Ultimate Guide." Visme, 02 Feb. 2024, https://visme.co/blog/.
Chibana, Nayomi. "Color Theory for Presentations: How to Choose the Perfect Colors for Your Designs." Visme, 28 Dec. 2015, https://visme.co/blog/.
Yellow is yellow is yellow, correct? Essentially no, there are a variety of colors that could be referred to as yellow. Different shades or tints, saturations and hues are all conceivable while still falling within the yellow section of the color wheel. Because of this, there are three primary elements that help us define a color: hue, saturation and brightness.
Hue
This is the location on the color wheel, and represents the base color itself. This is usually referred to in degrees (around the color wheel), so a yellow color will appear between 50 and 60 degrees, with the perfect yellow appearing at 56 degrees. Green, on the other hand, appears at 120 degrees and so on as you continue around the wheel.
Saturation
This is a representation of how saturated (or rich) a color is. Low saturation means less overall color, which will eventually become a shade of grey when fully desaturated. Saturation is typically referred to as a percentage between 0 and 100%.
Brightness
This is how bright a color is, normally stated as a percentage between 0 and 100%. A yellow at 0% brightness will be black, while the same yellow hue and saturation at 100% brightness will be the full yellow color.
Hampton-Smith, Sam. “Colour theory: a complete jargon-free designer’s guide.” Creativebloq, 13 Aug. 2024, https://www.creativebloq.com.
With the basics of the color theory under your belt, you can approach the psychology of individual colors with a bit more distinction. Color is more than just a visual experience; it can affect your mood, wants, reactions, and more. However, such a powerful tool is wasted if you do not use it effectively.
As such, knowing the personality and psychological effects of different colors – including various shades and tints is vital.
Image adapted from Visme
Colorpsychology, 2025, www.colorpsychology.org/.
