Colour Symbolism and Sustainability

Colour Symbolism and its Connection with Sustainability

Colour theory
The basic premise of colour theory is the study of colour, the impact and function it has when used. The origins of colour theory originated from the three primary colours, red, yellow and blue (RYB), as these colours could be mixed to create different colours. RYB became the foundations of the first colour theories set.  Colour theory is an important aspect to be covered in this post, as it helps define the colours relating to sustainability. We will look at  colour principles and demonstrate that there are different meanings to colour other than aesthetics and personal choice.

Colour harmony

Harmony is defined as two or more objects working together in a pleasant and peaceful way. Where colour is concerned, colour harmony is where two or more colours work well together and are aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. There are a few formulas within colour harmony and each formula can work within any brand.

Analogous colours: These are three colours based on a 12-section colour wheel, and are ones which sit next to each other. An example of this, for the sake of sustainability, can be green, green-yellow and yellow. This is used a lot through brands, especially when choosing the correct order to represent sustainability within the company. A good example of this would be the global oil giant, BP. The uses of analogous colours represent who they are; “both what we do and what we aspire to do as an organisation”

Complimentary colours: These colours are ones which sit directly opposite one another, for example, red and green. An example of this would be the Flower Label Program (FLP), an organisation set up to provide better working conditions on flower plantations in countries around the equator, mainly Ecuador and Kenya. Their red rose sits well with the green background, representing a worker on the plantations.

So how do we feel when good and bad choices are made when using colour to define brand beliefs? When using colour in design there is much to consider - hue, saturation, tone and warm vs. cool.
Colour has four main principle functions within graphic design:

“it attracts attention, it holds attention, it conveys information and it makes information memorable.”
(Designing with Colour – S. Berry and J. Martin) 

For any brand these four principles are essential as it can help to distinguish a poor brand from a successful brand. If the colour is not suitable for that specific product or service it will send mixed messages/emotions to the consumer.

Every brand must first attract the attention of the consumer in order to start selling its product or service, but what colours are best to grab attention? Warm, cool, or does a brand not need colour to establish a connection with the consumer at all?

Every colour causes us to have an emotional response, for example, warm colours tend to stimulate us where as cool colours calm us and make us feel at peace. This is one reason why cool colours, primarily green, are associated with sustainability. It is the colour of nature; it makes us subconsciously think about the Earth and the environment. But what about the other colours we tend to disregard as nature’s colours to signify sustainability? There are colours that represent trust, (blue as an example) but can the principles of ‘green’ design be manipulated into their meanings. Below are explanations of popular colours from the colour wheel and what they represent.

Colour symbolism
“… Colour sensation affects people who are completely unaware of the presence of colour. Often the visual sensation produces a physical reaction. People will feel cold in a blue room and hot in a red room, yet not realise that the colour produces sensation.”
(Colours and What They Can Do – L. Cheskin)

Blue
Blue, a cold colour, reminds us of water and the sky.
When thinking of blue, memories could arise from childhood, about the first freshly painted bedroom, all walls baby blue. It may remind you of the blue crayon used in primary school to colour in the sky and sea. Blue has a different meaning for different people, cultures and societies. To some blue may be a description of how they feel, for example, “today she felt blue”. To others it may represent optimism, relating to the open sky on a sunny day, anyone can feel joyful during this time. Feelings of restfulness, calm, serenity and security also arise when thinking of the colour blue.

The colour blue is one of the most favourite of all, and enjoyed mainly by men. In a study by John Hollock, ‘True Colours – Breakdown of Colour Preferences by Gender’, comparing male and female colour preferences, blue came up most popular between the two genders.

Red
Red is the colour of attention and energy, wherever the colour red is, the eye will follow.
Red is defined as a hot colour, at full saturation it is one of the strongest colours. The power of it is so immense, the use of it in advertising, graphic design and signage is second to none, where used appropriately. When using reds, usually the first thing that will come to your mind is blood, pain, love or danger. The relation between red and love is highly probable because of roses and love hearts. Studies have shown that men are more attracted to women dressed in red (source Fox News).

Andrew Elliot, a member of the study team goes on to explain “It's fascinating to find that something as ubiquitous as colour can be having an effect on our behaviour without our awareness."
Choosing the colour red can be a smart move depending on the shade. Full saturated red screams attention whereas subtle hues are welcoming, therefore finding the right balance to convey the correct message is very important.

Red is bold. It is a special colour and there should only be a limited amount used in design, to make the piece of design effective. The full saturated reds should be used as focus points, ones that demand attention. However, they should not be overused in the sense that it makes the viewer think the opposite of the intentions of the designer, to look away or switch between items, products etc. After all red is one of the most evoking colours available.

Yellow
Yellow is an energetic colour, symbolised from the great warmth and colour of the sun, it is also considered by some to be a holy colour. It is perceived as a warm, comfortable and cheerful colour. When placed on a dull background, yellow instantly illuminates. It is happy. Yellow is the only colour that does not react well with black, as all of its illumination and cheerfulness is brought back down to a less aesthetically pleasing variation.

Green
 “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”; a popular saying throughout the world, it generally means that we take what we have for granted, we think what other people have (the other side of the fence) is superior to what we own, use, have or even love. The soft greys, blues, greens and yellows all evoke images of hills and valleys. The colours help induce the emotion of cleanliness and the allure of nature. These colours remind us of the days when everything was less industrialised and more of a natural age.

White
White represents simplicity, purity and cleanliness. The vision of snow, a fabulous wedding dress on that special day and a horrible trip to the dentist come to mind. All of these items can portray cleanliness.  White can also be related to peace, where a group claims a ceasefire in order to gain peace.

Leonardo Da Vinci once said “The first of all single colours is white …we shall set down white for the representative of light, without which no colour can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire and black for total darkness.”

But how could white possibly connect with sustainability? Considering the sustainable connection with nature (animals, flowers, clouds, snow, white beaches etc.) we can assume that white is a suitable choice to portray the message of sustainability.

Black
Black is a colour associated with sophistication, a black car, a black suit or a judge’s robe. It evokes the feeling of emptiness, being soulless, possibly due to the fact it can be related to the vast openness of space. It is the colour of mourning in western cultures, as a symbol of respect. Bad luck brought to you by a black cat walking your path is popular a superstitious tale. Black is the absence of light, the colour of oil, coal and blindness.

A brief summary of the colours

Two of the primary colours listed above can be associated with sustainability: yellow and blue. Red could be classed as too evocative and resembles nothing to Earth or principles of being eco friendly.
As yellow is the colour of spring, it can be rightly associated with nature as can blue being associated with the sky and water. Green, of course being a generic natural colour, needs no explanation as to why it should be used for the identification of sustainability, but, because of this, should it stop being used in that way? Is green so overused it’s starting to destroy design?

‘Sustainability – all matronly browns and little green arrows – has drained the sexiness from design. If designers want to do some genuine good, it's time to re-engineer their thinking’.
(The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/feb/03/justin-mcguirk-sustainable-design)

Perhaps new approaches should be developed and rethought to keep the understanding of sustainable design fresh.

Colour is just the beginning in a journey of raising sustainability awareness, but it seems green has become a brand in itself for representing the subject.  The tough part of the journey is figuring to what extent the green image needs to change.

Next week…
In the next section: The use of Eco Labelling – What does it mean? We will explain how colour comes in to play with branding and the use of the logo. We will also discuss Eco Labelling and the meaning behind it.