How Color Affects People

You might think that carefully organized branding research and market tests were done to choose the perfect colors to make you spend your money, but a lot of the brands that have grown to be global web powerhouses started as small web startups, with little to no research into the impact their color choice would have. And some large corporate giants with branding departments spend quite a lot on market research, user testing, branding, etc. Lots of sites got started with brands created by the founders themselves.  Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, was asked why he chose blue for his site design. "I'm color blind, it's the only color I can see." ...and now 500 Million people around the world stare at a mostly blue website for hours each week.

Many researchers in the field of psychiatry have pointed out certain interesting and basic facts about human likes and dislikes for color. When you are tired and feel as if your eyes are not going to remain open psychologist suggest that you look at the color green. Green tends to have a calming and relaxing affect on most individuals. Some people think, more precisely, are more creative and perform better in an atmosphere or surrounded by the color blue. Most gyms therefore are painted blue.

Black is a color that commands respect and authority. When individuals wish to gain respect and appear totally in charge they dress in black. Black in the fashion world makes people look thinner. While black is an authoritative color, in the secular world, priest and nuns will wear black to indicate a submission to God's will. When showing respect, individuals wear black. Black is most commonly the color choice when attending a funeral.

Red is a dominant intense color. When ready for a challenge (think Tiger Wood’s shirt) or to gain the attention of others, individuals will wear red. Red also is a color most noticed by law enforcement -the number one color that will attract an officer is red. On the other hand, red is also the most stolen color in vehicles. When polling individuals to see how many times a vehicle was pulled over or stolen, red was the color most often targeted. It, the color red, draws attention.
Remember when the matador is ready for the bull. He always encourages a response by waving a red flag. Red gets the adrenalin flowing, makes the heart beat faster and increases breathing. Red is also the color we choose when we wish to be romantic and gain the attention of a love interest. Red roses, the red box of candy… Red is an attention getter.

White is the color symbolizing purity. A bride comes to the altar in white. White does not absorb, it reflects. That’s why white is the most appealing color of choice during the hot summer months. White is a neutral hue and is light. By the same token, white is the hardest color to take care of. Hospitals basically require all physicians and nursing staff to wear white.

Awe the ever calming color blue. Songs were written about the color blue more than any other color. Elvis Presley and his Blue Suede shoes. Blue Moon sung by some of the most popular crooners but originally written by Lorenz Hart in 1934. Look up at the sky, across the water and you see blue. A blue sky, a blue ocean. Nature’s color of peace, calm and tranquility. Some say blue is a color symbolizing loyalty –perhaps that is the reason why Zuckerberg has 500 million friends.