I have long been fascinated with the science, history and psychology of colour. It's something that plays a huge part in all our lives. So I thought it would be nice to share my fascination with you! 

I hope you enjoy reading, and if you like what you see, please give it a share. :-)

grey:  "they are not grey hairs, they are my wisdom highlights.

I just happen to be very wise!”

- unknown

grey: wavelength: N/A - it has no wavelength

Grey is a colour that's not a colour. It's neutral which causes other colours to be muted, to be toned down. It has the complex nature of being both calming but also depressing. It not only has a dampening effect on other colours but also on us as humans too, by altering our moods.

A brief history of grey

Grey is a colour that isn't a colour. It sits between light and dark in all aspects. Both energy-wise, spiritually and in a very physical sense. In days gone by, grey was the colour of the peasantry. It was a colour and symbol of the poor, forgotten and down-trodden members of society. Wearing grey meant your life chances were limited and so, as was often the case, was your life expectancy!

But grey is not all doom and gloom. One aspect of grey has changed the very nature of creativity, art, science,

it's helped the war effort in the second world war and even crossed the final frontier of space!

In the 1960s, during the scrum to get to the moon between the United States and Russia, there was a race to develop a whole host of new technologies which could be used in the zero-gravity vacuum of space. NASA spent millions on developing writing implements that would work in this extreme environment when they proudly showed off their developments to the Russians and asked "what have you come up with?" the comical and 'to the point answer Russia responded with was "we have the common pencil!"

But this somewhat humble and implement is anything but common.
This "common" tool we are all familiar with was groundbreaking when it was created. The very first pencils, at least that which resembled what we now know as a pencil, wasn't invented until the 16th Century, before this point artists and architects used something known as a silverpoint, which was essentially a pen made with a piece of silver wire for the nib, which was then used to make marks on surfaces which had chalk or bone ash coating. In 14th Century Italy, artists would use a mixture of lead and tin to create marks, and it could be rubbed out with breadcrumbs! When Cortes arrived in Mexico in 1519, he wrote that the Aztecs used "crayons made of a grey mineral". But even long before this, Pliny the Elder recorded that lead had been used to create marks on papyrus.

We've all heard teachers and parents tell us not to chew our pencils as we would get lead poisoning, but this is somewhat of a fable and has not been the case, at least in modern times. pencil "lead" has long been made from graphite, and whilst it's not the lethal substance we've been warned about, it's probably not that great an idea to chew a pencil anyway! But graphite is fascinating in itself; It's a substance that has revolutionised the world since it was first mined in the fells of Seathwaite and Seatoller in England's Lake District, in the mid 16th Century.

This "common" mineral was, back then and for centuries since, considered to be a hugely valued substance. Graphite is, in fact, a close carbon cousin of a diamond! But its main value back then wasn't as a drawing material, but as a substance needed within the manufacturing of ammunition. Graphite, or as it was known then, Plumbago or Blacklead, was mined and used as a lubrication substance, powdered and rubbed onto cannonballs, this enabled the finished ball to easily be released from the mould.

When it was first mined, the value of graphite was worth more than gold, so much so that graphite miners working in the mines, were subjected to daily strip searches by armed security, to make sure they weren't smuggling any of the precious minerals. Even the sheep around the mines in the area are a graphite grey colour, these are known as Herdwick sheep, and have been a part of the Lake district landscape since the time of the Vikings.

During the second world war, Every British made pencil produced was uncoloured, except those which were used by the British Airmen flying into enemy territory. These were painted green and had hidden inside them silk maps and even a tiny compass hidden under the eraser! These ingenious pencils were invented by Charles Fraser-Smith, who was the original inspiration for Q in the James Bond films! The world-renowned crayon company, Crayola, introduced their first grey crayon in 1934 just titled "Gray", but since they've introduced other greys such as Dolphin gray, Bluegray and Timberwolf, many of which have since been retired in the 1990s.

As you can see, far from being just "boring old grey", it's got a varied and colourful history to rival even the brightest of hues!

As they say, there's wisdom in the grey!

The psychology of grey, and using it in business

Grey is a colour of wisdom, intellect, authoritative, conservative, dignified, elegant and understated. It's a hugely versatile colour in terms of being able to work with a wide range of other hues, as well as black and white. Grey is a great colour to use to help moderate other colours and can pull a colour scheme together. While it does have some negative undertones, think of phrases such as "grey day", "grey mood", "grey area" etc... It also has a huge amount of positive uses in terms of its use. Grey is a great balancer. It provides a level of sophistication and professionalism.

Grey suits are a favourite among business people, as they can be paired with a wide range of accessories in a variety of colours. We associate grey with the wisdom of the ages and with experience. In some studies, it's even been shown that a smartly dressed person in a grey suit, will be considered more trustworthy and more authoritative than someone dressed in a different colour, and people are more likely to follow and trust those dressed in grey, than almost any other colour.

The use of grey should be chosen wisely though, as used without that balance of another colour, and it can be seen as boring, emotionally distant and depressing. Use grey in a balanced way, and it will seldom steer you wrong.

Colour can be used to achieve some amazing results for your business. If you would like us to look at your brand, or see how we can use colour to create powerful branding for you, get in touch.

I hope you enjoyed reading. Please look out for our next post in the "Magic Of Colour" series. If you like what you've read here, please feel free to share on social media.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog. :-)


Shaun Pritchard - Owntwo Creative