Psychological Effects Of Color

Various colors have a strong emotional effect on people. It reflects the spirit of the people

who create it Color is definitely related to the lives of the individuals and the material things

with which they are associated.

RED - tends to produce rage or passion; it is exciting and stimulates the brain.

It has an aggressive quality and is frequently associated with violence

and excitement.

(medium red) suggests health and vitality

(bright red) often has amorous connotations.

YELLOW - 

It is the most luminous color. Yellow also demands attention, and so, it is used in dangerous locations, such as the edge of a subway platform to mark the hazard, while red used to be the color for firetrucks, yellow is now preferred.

ORANGE - has a stimulating effect and should usually be used in relatively small

amounts. The occupant of an orange office, for instance, will become ill

at ease after a short time and will leave it at every opportunity.

BROWN - is restful and warming but should be combined with orange, yellow or

gold because it could be depressing if used alone.

 
GRAY - suggests cold and is also depressing unless combined with at least one livelier color.

WHITE - is cheerful, particularly when used with warm colors like red, yellow and orange.

PURPLE - Promotes calmness and induces sleep. It suggests a stately or melancholy atmosphere. 

BLUE - is peaceful and tranquil. It reduces excitability and therefore helps one

to concentrate.
GREEN - has a cooling quality and it acts as a sedative.

This psychological use of color has been related to architecture for centuries. Bright colors

stimulate the imagination and excite the senses to produce a feeling of joy and pleasure. The color scheme of a restaurant for dining and dancing should be quite different from that of a library for reading and meditation.

Color can be used functionally. We can make it maximize or minimize the size of objects.

Color can be used to help express architectural forms - and -if carelessly used, it can

destroy the architectural form. Color on walls, floor, and ceiling is modified by other colors present in the same area. For instance, if three walls of a room are a warm gray and the fourth wall is a shade of yellow, the yellow will be reflected in the gray walls and will modify their appearance. Again, the pate green may look good in a room until a bright shade of green is used next to it. Suddenly the gray-green look gray and quite inadequate.

An enclosed room which is painted with warm colors makes those who work in it feel warm.

Similarly, if a large, open, windowed space with a great deal of glass painted with cool colors, people who work in it, sometimes feel chilly.

         One is 'prepared' "for a room's color if the entrance is painted a complementary color. Deep colors always seem to make the walls of a room seem heavy, while pale pastel colors seem to make the walls light. If a room is long and narrow, its appearance can be modified by painting the end walls with warm colors-red, yellow, orange. Similarly, in a small room, the walls can be made to recede by painting them with cool colors such as green and blue.