The power of colour

[00:00.39] Take five colours: red, black, blue, green and purple. How do they make you feel?

[00:08.36] It’s a question of supreme significance to designers and marketers. British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway explored this topic in a BBC radio programme about the psychology of colour.

[00:20.05] You can read a summary of his ideas below.

[00:22.70] Do you agree with him? Or do you think the meaning of colour depends on the culture you live in?

[00:28.55] Red is, of course, considered auspicious in China.

[00:32.00] But he points out that it’s a powerful colour wherever you go, with some serious scientific credentials.

[00:38.91] Studies have indicated that red “raises blood pressure”, and claim that it stands out from other colours thanks to its long wavelength.

[00:47.67] Hemingway says it appears to be “coming towards you”, and so is useful for emergency and alarm signs, and also to for conveying “urgency” in general.

[00:56.70] That’s why he thinks red sale posters seem to yell at us: “Quick, buy it now!”

[01:01.48] Black has a different sense. In the West it’s associated with death, but that hasn’t stopped it becoming a prestigious and mysterious colour.

[01:11.58] Hemingway says it’s the colour of luxury brands: things like “glossy black limousines” and “designer watches” are often black.

[01:19.02] He says it’s “very powerful and sophisticated when used as a primary colour in branding.”

[01:23.80] Blue, by contrast, is cool and tranquil. The colour is a constant presence in our lives, says Hemingway, being the colour of the sky and the sea.

[01:33.09] That gives it an air of reliability, which makes it a firm choice with “banks and corporations”.

[01:38.67] Hemingway says this is also why emergency services often choose the colour.

[01:43.45] A blue uniform can, for example, indicate “the cool competence of a nurse”.

[01:48.23] Green is, unsurprisingly, the colour of nature and the environment.

[01:52.22] Marketers understand that giving a product green packaging creates the impression it is enviromentally friendly.

[01:58.59] But savvy customers are also aware of this – and now think twice before blindly swallowing environmental claims.

[02:06.03] Hemingway also says that green is the colour of growth and movement: it’s used to indicate ‘go’ on traffic lights.

[02:13.47] Finally, we have purple, which is associated with valuable things.

[02:17.45] In the past, purple dye was expensive because it was very difficult to produce, and it became the colour worn by royalty in many Western countries.

[02:26.75] These days, companies still use purple to make their product seem more exclusive, whether they’re selling chocolate or cigarettes.