Color Theory and Color Meaning

 Psychology of Color

    In terms of magazines, color is usually what draws in the attention of an audience. However, have you ever thought about why those colors were chosen? How they blend so well? Maybe they even make you feel a certain way? This blog will be talking about the psychology of color (theory and meaning); more specifically, general color combinations (such as complementary, analogous, and monochromatic), color design tools that can be utilized (Canva and Adobe color wheel), the feelings/emotions caused by different color combinations, and how this can all be tied into food magazines!

Color Theory: What Is It and How Can It Be Utilized?

    Color theory is the set of rules or guidelines in which designers use to communicate with users through appealing color schemes in visual interfaces. In order to pick the best colors consistently, designers use a color wheel and refer to extensive collected knowledge about human optical ability, psychology, culture, and more. 

The History of Color Theory

   

    Color theory was established in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton's invention of the color wheel. Rather than absolute qualities, Newton understood colors to be human perceptions of wavelength of light. Through the categorization of colors, Newton was able to create these three groups:

        1. Primary (red, blue, yellow)

        2. Secondary (mixes of primary colors)

        3. Tertiary (or Intermediate- mixes of primary and secondary colors)

     Because of Newton's findings, the study of color advanced from just three groups into properties of color in its two forms (paint/print, screen/light) and in a variety of fields, such as astronomy and art. The properties of color theory are: 

• Hue - how something appears (ex:".... is orange").
• Chroma- how pure something is (ex: if it has shades, tints, or tones).
• Lighting- how pale or saturated something appears.

    In order to create a meaningful design for readers, a firm understanding of color theory is needed.

Newton's "first" color wheel: 

Color Schemes

    Designers often use the additive color model; this is when red, blue, and green are the primary colors. In visual design, you need to strategically place images and other elements; well your color choices could most likely optimize your users’ experience as well! When starting your design process, you should consider using any of these main color schemes:

• Complementary
  
• Analogous
• Monochromatic

     Complementary color schemes are composed by using two colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel. This is the contrasting of all color schemes- attracting the most attention- and one of the primary challenges when working with this scheme is to be able to maintain a harmonious balance. For example, red/green or yellow/purple would be complementary color schemes because they are on opposite ends of the color wheel. Because they tend to be bold, sports teams often use complementary color schemes for their mascot/logo colors. 

 

  Analogous color schemes are a group of three colors next to each other on a color wheel. When these colors are grouped, they tend to create a visually pleasing and calming display. An example of analogous color schemes are red, red-orange, and orange. Analogous color schemes are often used in movie franchise covers, or different marketing commercials/ads.

    Monochromatic color schemes consist of brighter and darker shades of the same base color or hue. Therefore, monochromatic color schemes can be extended through shades, tones, and tints. Tints are achieved by adding white, and shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker color, such as grey or black. Monochromatic color schemes are often used in interior design, because they have a very modern and professional tone/look. 

Color Wheels

    Color wheels, such as Newton's,  have the purpose of showing you how colors relate to each other and to visually demonstrate the relationship between primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Color wheels are what is used to develop color schemes! Here are a few tips to remember when using a color wheel or in color design:

• Keep undertones the same. Varying undertones can sometimes be more visible in certain environments, so don't use too many undertones if you're not confident with the color you chose.
• In order to have the correct emotion or tone to your design, choose colors that match with the demographic of the design you are creating.

    While there are many color wheels out there, Canva Color Wheel and Adobe Color Wheel are the most well-known and recommended color wheels to use. They are easy to use and are also very educational by having explanations of many different color schemes/combinations chosen! To use these, visit:

• https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/
• https://color.adobe.com/create

Color Psychology

    Color has many different meanings, feelings, emotions, and even memories that can be connected to it! Color psychology is the study of how different colors affect emotions. The emotions associated with these colors are:

• Blue- peace and calm, trust, confidence, loyalty.
• Green- health, tranquility, growth, generosity.
• Purple- luxury, power, ambition, creativity.
• Red- passion, excitement, energy, confidence.
• Pink- love, kindness, innocence, femininity.
• Orange- success, enthusiasm, warmth, determination.
• Yellow- hope, optimism, positivity, joy.
• Grey- elegance, authority, knowledge, dignity.
• Brown- nature, security, strength, dependability.
• Black- power, formality, rebellion, mystery.
• White- purity, safety, knowledge, goodness.

Color Psychology: How Does this Tie into Food Magazines?

    In order to get the desired emotion, food magazines tend to use a range of neutral to bright colors. The main colors seen used in food magazines include blue, green, yellow, grey, and white. This is because food magazines are supposed to make the readers feel as if they can trust the source of their recipes, or a sense of happiness from looking at the magazine. For example, these photos (as seen in my Conventions of Food Magazines blog) show the feelings associated with the magazines Bon Appétit, Gather Journal, and Cook's Illustrated.

    Bon Appétit magazine uses a lot of pink and white. Through using pink, Bon Appétit creates a feeling of love or kindness; through using white, they create a feeling safety, goodness, or purity. These help the reader to feel comfortable and trust the magazine.

    Gather Journal magazine uses a lot of green, white, orange, yellow, and red. Through using green, Gather Journal creates a feeling of health, growth, or generosity; through using white, they create a feeling of safety, goodness, or purity; through using orange, they create a feeling of warmth or determination; through using yellow they create a feeling of positivity or joy; through using red they create a feeling of confidence or excitement. These help the reader to feel more confident and safe through using the magazine and its recipes.

    Cook's Illustrated magazine uses a lot of blue, white, brown, green, orange, and red. Through using blue, Cook's Illustrated creates a feeling of calm or peace; through using white, they create a feeling of safety or goodness; through using brown, they create a feeling of security or dependability; through using green, they create a feeling of health or growth; through using orange, they create a feeling of warmth or determination; through using red, they create a feeling of confidence. These help the reader feel more trusting and loyal towards this magazine.

Therefore, as can be seen through the many examples, the same colors can be used in multiple magazines and still mean something different in each one!

Cited Work:

• ("Color Theory,"Interaction Design Foundation) https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory
• ("How to use Analogous Color Scheme in Design?,"Vikalp Kaushik) https://uxplanet.org/how-to-use-analogous-color-scheme-in-design-bf32d18ab05c
• ("How to use a Colour Wheel,"Dulux) https://www.dulux.com.au/how-to/how-to-use-colour/how-to-use-a-colour-wheel
• ("How to use a Complementary Color Scheme in Design?,"Vikalp Kaushik) https://uxplanet.org/how-to-use-a-complementary-color-scheme-in-design-b50d06df24ef#:~:text=A%20complementary%20color%20scheme%20is,to%20fulfil%20a%20harmonious%20balance.