When Colors Speak: What Vibe Do the Colors You Use Give Off?

Part 2. Use color wisely. Or it will use you…

Image courtesy of Pixabay

I have trouble relating to Africans sometimes. I don’t (completely have trouble). I relate to, it seems, almost everyone. But I feel like I’m not accomplished enough a lot of the time around them. Like I am graded on a success scale, and I will meet enough that seem to have had such stability.

And then I look at my growing up years and have some shame and anger that that wasn’t me. I don’t see green. Some red. I also see golden light.

Because I know that I have a story and a path that’s valid too.

So on that note, since I don’t know if my last article will be DOA (it might 😬). But that’s (not) fine. I’ll keep going. It was a Part 1 about some of the vibes familiar colors give off.

The Power of Color: Part 1

Now let’s take a look at the remaining colors and what they show us. Purple. Pink. Black. And White.

Are you ready for this? Great. Now, let’s go.

And she continues.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Purple

VIBES: royalty, spirituality, elite, luxury

Purple is a color that appeals mainly to girls and women. And the late musician/artist Prince. Rest in power. 👊🏿

We associate purple with royalty and luxury. I also associate purple with the great novel turned Academy Award-winning movie “The Color Purple,” which for me, symbolized a rebirth and finding God within one’s self.

Studies show that purple is more marketable to girls and women, but I don’t know. There are businesses that have a varied target audience that use purple. So I’d still use the color if I wanted. Studies don’t own me. Or you.

Logo Examples: Yahoo, Wonka, Hallmark, SyFy

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Pink

At first glance, you’d think that pink is a color for just girls. Socialization is a *itch. However, if you’ve ever seen a boy wear a pink shirt and make it work, you realize that it’s a sad misnomer, the way we associate color and gender sometimes.

T-Mobile, for example, uses pink to exude a fun personality that appeals to everyone. Pink can, however, also show femininity, as well as romance and sentimentality.

Hot pink is bold. Pastel pink can be neutral and exude calm.

Examples: T-Mobile, Lyft, P!nk (the singer)

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Black

VIBES: sophistication, luxury, focus, sorrow

From the little black dress to the black turtleneck, black is also a classic color that has a universal quality. It’s “about business,” and is to be taken seriously. Coco Chanel famously wore black with personalized sophistication.

Logo Examples: HBO, Chanel, BMW

It’s impossible finding a black logo image. This is the best I’ve got. :/ Thanks. But you get, hopefully, the seriousness, that the black adds.

White

VIBES: purity, innocence, minimalism, simplicity

Apple is an example of a business that uses the color white to show a clean simplicity with its computer products. White projects a minimalist aesthetic through a lack of vibrant color. It can also show transparency as well.

Logo Examples: Apple

Image courtesy of Unsplash

In short, color is important. It is something that we rely on to draw quick, subconscious associations about information.

The clothes we wear. The information we read and see. Business pamphlets. A person’s website. A business logo.

Nevertheless, I hope that this information from Canva.com and SEOPresser can help you to understand some of the messages that colors that you use will send out to the world. Signals. A clarion call.

Use color wisely. Or it will use you.

Thanks for reading.

Obinna Morton

Sources:

Article 1: “Color meaning and symbolism: How to use the power of color in your branding” from Canva.com

Article 2: “The Power of Color in Marketing” from SEOPresser