Design Corner: The Psychology of Color part 3

My other installments can be found at part 1 and part 2.

There is no rhyme or reason to what colors I cover first or last. I just think ‘hmmm I’ll talk about this color today.’

So this morning I decided that today’s color would be yellow. Why yellow? Perhaps I’m longing to see the sun. I do think that subconsciously my brain naturally wanted to work through all three of the primary colors before moving on to the secondary and tertiary colors. :D

Yellow is the last of the primary colors. All remaining colors are made from combining red, blue and yellow in some way and as I stated before adding white or black changes the value of the mixed color. It can also be used with the primary colors to change it’s value.

In nature yellow is not an overly abundant color. Yellow can be seen in nature with the sun, the center of daisies or the petals of a sunflower. But in nature you don’t always see an over abundant amount of yellow. When yellow is used it’s eye catching. Road warning signs are in yellow because of that fact. I want either a red or yellow beetle convertible partially because it’s eye catching. I mean highlighters are yellow for a reason, right? Yellow is also associated with being a cheerful color, again probably being associated with the sun. A sunny day equals cheerfulness.

In marketing yellow is not only eye catching but also denotes affordability. I remember a generic brand that used to be for sale here that it’s packaging was always yellow with black block labeling. Yellow is also a color used on cleaning products because it is believed that yellow symbolizes a good, effective cleaner. I know while at the store I notice it on an ammonia bottle and tons of laundry detergent. Perhaps they want us to equate their product with the refreshing sunny day with birds signing and fresh air wafting around us? The packaging works and you buy it probably never realizing that it was thought of that intently. (Or maybe you did? Lol)

In design yellow needs to be used carefully and with the right people. Yellow in bedrooms can be cheerful. I know I used it in my bedroom for many reasons. I wanted my room to be like a bit of sunshine in the morning but not shockingly so. Given our climate and this current time of year I always feel like my room is a bit sunny when I enter it. But bold yellows are usually avoided but for a few select brave souls who love the color. Bright yellow can be a bit disturbing to many people. Remember, in nature yellow isn’t used in abundance. I don’t know if that’s why we can’t use it in abundance in our homes with most people but more often than not it isn’t done.

There have been studies that show that bright yellow can cause anxiety in infants snd young children. That is why I chastised my mom for making my baby room yellow. I said, ‘what were you thinking? No wonder I cried.’ LOL. It makes sense when you remember that babies are born only seeing black and white and slowly can see color as they grow. Bright yellow could be a bit of a shock. Other studies have shown that using yellow in areas that house inmates or recovering drug addicts can increase their anxiety and violent behavior. So, needless to say, you will not find that bright color used a lot in those areas.

That covers yellow and this installment of Design corner.

Here are pictures of the yellow in my bedroom.





The treadmill is now in the basement so these pictures are a tad old. lol