COLOUR - yellow
the magic of colour: yellow
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. :-)
yellow: "How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun."
-Vincent Van Gogh
yellow: wavelength: 560–590 (nanometres)
Apart from being one of the key colours in our branding, yellow holds a lot of fascination for me. It's the most intense of all of the visible colours, and although it sits in the middle of the visible light spectrum, it's also the first colour we see. Yellow triggers some intense emotional responses; from happy and warm, to being perceived as abrasive and frustrating. Unlike any other colour, there are no "dark" yellows, only less luminous!
Yellow is a high energy colour. It has been found in many studies to increase mental activity and even to energise our muscles. Exams taken in rooms painted yellow have been shown to yield very positive results, guests eating in dining rooms painted yellow, have been observed to eat quicker. This may be because not only does yellow act as an energiser, it also is a hunger stimulant.
A brief history of yellow
The word yellow comes from the Old English geolu, geolwe, meaning "yellow, and yellowish", derived from the Proto-Germanic word gelwaz "yellow". It has the same Indo-European base, gel-, as the words gold and yell; ghel- means bright and gleaming, and, to cry out.
The colour yellow has been given many different associations over the years. Ever since the 8th Century, it was seen as the colour of anti-Semitism. The Caliph in Medina ordered Jews and Christians to wear yellow badges because it was the colour of non-believers, and it spread, via Edward I (yellow patches for Jews) all to Nazi Germany’s yellow stars. But on the flip-side of that, it's also considered to be the colour of defiance in the form of the yellow ribbon, which started with the women’s suffrage movement in Kansas in 1867. It's also since been used as a symbol of defiance in protests in the Philippines, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Despite its overall happy outlook, Yellow has been described as "The Colour of the Devil" due to the mixed messaging given by this powerful colour. It is the colour of power and life itself, from the sun, fresh corn, radiant sunflowers and summer fields full of vibrant rapeseed flowers, but it is also the colour of sickness and piss, the colour of bile, and sulphur, the dying of leaves in autumn, and the yellow colour of sickness. In the animal, kingdom yellow tends to be a warning colour, especially when juxtaposed with black.
The pigment is known as 'Indian Yellow' is prized as a vivid, beautiful, bright yellow colour. It has been highly popular with artists throughout the centuries and is created by drying the urine of cows fed solely on mango leaves.
Orpiment, meaning "Gold LIke PIgment" another pigment used by artists throughout history, is a clay-like substance that has a glimmering sheen that resembles a yellow gold. Alchemists would believe that this shimmering colour was in fact, made from gold itself, however little did they realise that they were playing with chemistry that was far more sinister than gold. If they had asked any artists at the time, they would've told them to stay clear of it, as not only does it turn a dirty black colour when other pigments are laid on top of it, it also contains arsenic, and is highly toxic to the touch, licking your brush is NOT advised! In fact, in the 16 & 1700s, it was even seen as medicine. In 1660, in what is now Jakarta, a woman was seen to have gone mad from medicating with Orpiment to the point where she was seen "climbing up the walls like a cat".
Yellow is the "light within nature" It's the intense glow of warmth and comfort, but it's also the fatigue-inducing glare from the sun, causing us to squint and shield our eyes. As such, it's almost like a Marmite colour - you either love it or hate it.
The psychology of yellow, and using it in business
As mentioned above, yellow is hugely powerful. It's bursting with energy and forces us to pay attention to it. Yellow competes with all other colours for attention like a petulant child. In society, it's often used to grab attention as a warning or to make us take notice of important information. But being a hunger stimulant, it also can be used effectively in food company branding and is used often in fast food branding. It can induce feelings of being Friendly, happy, healthy, cheerful, enthusiastic, creative, confident and optimistic. But equally if overused, can cause feelings of irritation, visual fatigue, nausea, anxiety and aggression.
As a colour of action and power, it can be used to great effect to lift the mood, excite the senses and stimulate the mind and our energy levels. But its use should be carefully balanced, as too much can cause anxiety, fatigue and irritation, therefore it's best used as an accent colour rather than the main brand colour. In our own branding, we use yellow to compliment and accent the grey main colour.
To use yellow in your branding can be very beneficial and give a sense of uplifting happy vibes to your customers, just be mindful of its use.
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
.
