Color Psychology: A Guide to the Meaning of Colors

The golden glow of a sunset, the pale blue of a wildflower and the red skin of a ripe apple all prove that color is not merely a visual experience. Rather, color is rich with psychological significance that can influence our emotions, behaviors and perceptions. And if you understand the principles of color psychology, you can use that knowledge to create more impactful art, improve your interior design skills, upgrade your wardrobe and more.

To gain such an understanding, take a few minutes to explore the definition and origins of color psychology, learn about its practical applications across various industries and delve into the profound effect it has on our daily lives.

What Does Color Psychology Mean?

A round color chart and several sheets of white paper covered with multicolored watercolor swatches, all strewn on a gray tabletop. — In the Skillshare class “Quiet or Riot: Colour Communication in Your Art,” teacher Jen Dixon shows students how she uses color wheels and swatches to find the perfect color palette for her artworks.

Color psychology (sometimes called color theory) is the study of how colors affect human behavior and emotions, and explores the psychological and emotional responses that different colors evoke in individuals. So instead of studying how yellow and green make chartreuse, for instance, someone interested in color psychology would study the emotions that chartreuse can elicit in people.

Understanding color psychology isn’t just valuable for psychologists and artists, though. It’s also beneficial to companies because it enables businesses to strategically implement colors to evoke specific emotions and influence consumer behavior. That’s why industries such as advertising, food and beverage, fashion, graphic design, interior design and even healthcare rely on color psychology to create compelling visuals and environments that resonate with their target audience.

The Origins of Color Psychology

A group of colorful multi-story houses built on a hillside dotted with green shrubbery. The houses are painted various shades of orange, yellow, red, pink and green. — In the Skillshare class “Color Psychology: The Influence of Color on Emotions & Behavior in Architectural & Interior Design,” teacher Ana Marcu showcases some of the vibrant homes that can be found in the European countryside.

The origins of color psychology can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece and China, where colors possessed symbolic meanings and—thanks to the rarity of the dyes used to create them—often signified social status as well. That’s why the color purple is still associated with royalty to this day.

The modern study of color psychology, however, didn’t emerge until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. That’s when psychologists and artists such as Carl Jung and Wassily Kandinsky began to explore the connection between colors and the human psyche in-depth. And in the mid and late-20th century, the association of certain colors with chakras (energy points used in Hinduism) gave another layer of meaning to the shades of the spectrum.

Exploring the Psychological Influence of Color

In the Skillshare class “Color Theory: Get Inspired by Color!,” teacher Sarah Parkinson-Howe explains how companies can use color psychology to change how consumers view their brand.

Colors can have a marked influence on our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. For example, warm colors like red and orange are often associated with energy, passion, and excitement, while cool colors like blue and green evoke feelings of calmness and tranquility.

That may explain why fast food companies typically use shades of red and yellow in their logos and marketing materials—these colors are known to be more stimulating and hunger-inducing than their cool-toned counterparts.

Pro tip: Colors that are situated next to each other on the color wheel—think red, orange and yellow—are known as analogous colors.

It’s important to remember that cultural and personal experiences can influence how individuals perceive and respond to different colors too. In China, for instance, the color red has long been associated with luck, joy and prosperity. But in Europe and North America, red is more often associated with aggression, war, love and danger.

So when considering the psychological meaning of colors, remember to take cultural and individual context into account too.

Color Psychology: What Do Colors Mean?

A graphic divided into two halves. The left half shows an elegantly decorated room with royal blue walls and doors. The right half is titled ‘blue’ and lists characteristics such as calmness, inspiration, security, coldness, fear and envy. — In the Skillshare class “How to use Color in Interior Design - Color Psychology & Theory - Interior Design Essentials,” teachers Auke and Jildou explore some of the positive and negative qualities associated with the color blue.

Depending on who’s viewing them and where they come from, colors can have wildly different symbolic and psychological meanings. As such, no single color psychology chart can encapsulate all the colors and their countless meanings around the world.

But in the Western world, colors typically have the following associations:

Red: passion, energy, danger and urgency.
Blue: calmness, trust and tranquility.
Green: growth, harmony and nature, as well as money and prosperity.
White: purity, cleanliness and simplicity.
Black: power, sophistication and mystery.
Orange: enthusiasm, warmth and creativity.
Yellow: happiness, energy, optimism and positivity.
Brown: stability, reliability and earthiness.
Purple: luxury, spirituality and creativity.
Pink: romance, nurturing and femininity.
Taupe: sophistication, timelessness and neutrality.

How Does Color Affect Our Lives?

A screenshot of the website Pinterest. The term ‘1970s wallpaper’ has been entered in the search bar, and the results page shows several images of retro 70s-style walls, mostly in shades of orange, green, brown and blue. — In the Skillshare class “The Art of Color: Using Color in Your Design Work,” teacher Faye Brown shows students how certain color trends (in this case, the orange and green hues popular in the 1970s) can influence interior design choices.

Color has the potential to influence various aspects of our lives, from the choices we make to our emotional well-being.

For instance, studies have shown that the color of a room can affect our productivity and concentration levels, with one finding that people with fast-paced and demanding jobs are less stressed and more focused when they work in a room with blue walls.

Moreover, color can have an impact on our moods, with warm colors typically inducing excitement and cool colors often inducing calm.

Things get even more complex when you introduce complementary colors into the mix (i.e., colors on the opposite side of the color wheel). Such colors can create a great deal of visual interest, but can also induce discomfort or visual fatigue if used in excess.

Master Color Psychology With Skillshare

The field of color psychology offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between color and human behavior. By understanding the many meanings and psychological effects of different colors, both individuals and businesses can harness the power of color to create impactful experiences and foster positive emotions. Whether it's selecting the perfect paint color for a room or designing a compelling brand identity, familiarizing yourself with color psychology is the key to using colors more effectively.

Looking for more color knowledge to take your design, decorating, branding or paint mixing skills up a notch? Skillshare has the best selection of online color psychology classes for beginners and professionals alike.

Written By

Carrie Buchholz

Carrie Buchholz is a freelance writer who lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and dog.