Colours and their meanings
Humans being a primate animal have tri color vision. Meaning we have Red-Green-Blue (RGB) cone cells in our eyes that allow us to see the world in a rich variety of colours. These colours are not simply just aesthetic and they have great meanings behind them. They can influence how we feel and even how we behave. Because of this human cultures have given colours special meanings. Understanding what colours represent can help us make better choices in how you choose to communicate your art. There are many different shades and hues out there, but I’ll be focusing on the main hues that people refer to.
White
We start off with the most basic yet one of the most significant colours, white. White’s meaning is very easy. Simplistic, cleanliness, peace, purity, innocence, and spirituality. In modern Western culture, white is often used for weddings, symbolizing a new beginnings for a newly wed couples. Ironically enough, in Chinese culture white is actually a colour of mourning and is typically worn after a loved one has died. But overall the idea is still the same. White being a colour of spirituality, purity, and peace.
Red
Coming in next is one of the most widely used colours, yet a colour with a variety of different meanings. Red is a colour that has a wide range of messages. From love to lust to power to excitement to danger to blood, this colour can mean anything. People usually think of red in more negative terms. We often see Red danger signs, red stop signs, and so on. However on a more positive side, red can be seen as the colour of love in Western cultures, usually romantic love. Flowers and hearts are often depicted as red to represent romance. Furthermore in Chinese culture, red is one of the most important colours. It is seen as a colour of wealth and prosperity in China. Chinese festivals and weddings often feature the colour red and hongbao (red envelops) are given out as gifts. Overall unlike the other colours on here, red can be used in many different situations.
Blue
On the opposite of red, we have blue. It is a colour often associated with calmness, beauty, and divinity. Though its meanings are few, they carry a strong depth of emotion. We encounter blue in many aspects of life. The blue sky, the blue water, the blue birds, the blue in a person’s eye. It is so present, but everytime it appears it is associated with the more serene and charming aspects of life. Indeed I myself choose blue for this site to instill that same notion into the reader. Blue as a colour is most connected with Europe. The Indo-European Sky Father was associated with the colour blue. The Ancient Celts often used blue body paint as a way of divine protection. The Ancient Greeks saw blue as a connection to higher forms of consciousness. Countless European monarchs across the millennia used blue for their religion and beauty. Even today blue is the colour for the European Union. Ultimately, blue is a colour that reminds us of the beauty and tranquility of our wonderful world.
Green
The last of the primary colours, green is seen as mostly as the colour of fertility. Nature, health, abundance, things that are associated with fertility are usually depicted as green. Indeed we see green as a new beginning in for the world, representing the time in which plants, animals, and life start to flourish once more after the harsh season of winter. The colour green is typically associated with cultures within more tropical regions. The Mesoamerican Indians for instance, loved the colour green and depicted it with healing, vitality, and power. Altogether green as a colour represents fruitfulness and life.
Yellow
Radiating with a warm hue we have the colour yellow. This is a more joyful colour, associated with happiness, warmth, and good vibes. Yellow is quite present in nature, from the countless vegetation, to animals like bees, and of course our bright star in the sky that gives us life, the sun. Yellow as a colour is most associated with China and the Chinese have historically been called the yellow people. Many think this is due to skin tone, but it is actually due to the great importance of yellow in Chinese culture. Yellow is China’s most prestigious colour, representing power, stability, earth, luck, and prosperity. Yellow’s significance is further reflected in the legendary Yellow Emperor, the mythical Yellow Dragon, even the Yellow River the cradle of Chinese civilization, symbolizing the strong importance of this colour within Chinese culture. Indeed yellow is a great colour to choose if you intend to showcase harmony or authority.
Orange
Coming in next is a more ambiguous colour, orange. It’s typically a colour associated with more warmer and relaxing settings, think for instance of the sunrise or sunset. However due to it’s ambiguity status orange doesn’t carry any specific meanings like other colours here. In fact you may be surprised to know that most cultures didn’t have a word to describe orange for much of history. European cultures typically viewed it as a hue of red, while Chinese cultures typically viewed it as a hue of yellow. But don’t let this discourage you, because of its hybrid nature orange can invoke the harmony and joyfulness of yellow with the intensity and excitement of red.
Purple
We now go to a colour that once only kings were allowed to wear, purple. For a lot of history, purple was a rare colour and thus is typically seen as the colour of luxury, power, magic, and mysticism. Such was the rarity and exquisite nature of purple that in Ancient Times the phrase “born in the purple” meant that you were born to the ruling monarchs. Despite being more accessible in modern times purple still carries an sense of distinction and dignity due to its relative rarity in nature. Amethyst quartz, purple sapphire gemstones, purple birds like the violet backed starling, even the more common lavendar flower evokes a feeling of aura and opulence within us. Purple is the ideal colour for giving someone that notion of rich enchanting mysticism.
Pink
Going to a more light-hearted tone we have the colour of pink. This colour is associated with the more cheerful aspects of life. Love, playfulness, innocence, affection, and overall more supportive and optimistic vibes. Pink is a somewhat more rare colour in nature, but when seen it’s is usually within the more graceful and gentle aspects of it. Many flowers are typically pink such as cherry blossoms, roses, lotuses, and azaleas. In modern culture pink is typically associated as the colour of femininity and women due to it’s soothing nature and indeed, pink does make a good choice if you aim for that sort of soothing and nurturing atmosphere.
Brown
Going down to a more grounded colour we have brown. While this isn’t as flashy or extravagant as the other colours here, this works in favour of the hue as it displays a more modest and down to earth sensation. Brown as a colour was universally seen as the tone of nature and humility across different cultures, probably because it is seen everywhere in nature. From the soil to grows the vegetation, to the many species of trees that grow in the forest, to the countless animals that have a brown coat of fur. Though it may seem more ordinary, brown is a colour that quietly surrounds us, threading the world we live in that allows life to grow and flourish.
Grey
We finally move to more serious and mature tones. All of the other colours here tend to be more rich, optimistic, and pure. Grey goes against that. It is a colour symbolizing neutrality, conformity, and minimalism. It is a colour that doesn’t ask for attention and instead being the colour of compromise and silence. In modern culture, we see the colour grey a lot. From the buildings to our vehicles, to our devices, to our clothes, reflecting the minimalistic nature of grey. While this tone isn’t the best for a more creative nature, grey is still a great tone if you want to show raw practicality.
Black
Finishing off our list with the most mysterious tone, black. A colour so simple, yet like red a colour with so many meanings. From danger to the unknown, to evil, to authority, to power, to rebellion, to strength. It is such a basic colour, but one drenched with so many messages. The duality of black is what makes it so powerful, it can both shield and expose, be a tool of power or bringer of destruction. It’s a color that invites introspection and yet, often, makes us wary. Think for instance of the darkness of night. When night falls you can’t see anything and there is great danger, yet at the same time you can’t help but wonder what is world is like at night. The star filled sky, the bright white moon, or even what creatures roam the now blackend Earth. It’s why our ancestors had such a fascination with the night, despite its potential hazards. I end off this list, not with a tone invoking a specific niche, but a tone with infinite possibilities, its dual nature both a warning and an invitation to explore the unknown.
Did you know?
Mammals actually had bad colour vision. The common ancestor for mammals once had great colour vision, but they lost it as they became nocturnal in order to adopt to mass extinction. Therefore when mammals evolved they only have dichromatic vision, meaning they only have blue and green colour receptors in their eyes. Primates have somewhat better vision as they evolved to have trichromatic vision, having an additional red colour receptor in their eye. Meanwhile other groups of animals like birds, fishes, and insects can see much more of the light spectrum. These include tetrachromatic vision, pentachromatic vision, polarized light, even UV light. Imagine just how these other animals process their world compared to us humans.