On Monday, 3/02, we learned some of the basic principles of color theory. We primarily discussed how colors make the average person feel and how colors are perceived culturally throughout the world.

Arriving late, I walked in just as the class was discussing the color Purple and how it was associated with opulence, royalty, expensive tastes, and high quality. We went on to the color Brown, which also translated into royalty and wealth, as well as flavor (someone said it reminded them of something else but this is a civilized essay, LOL.)

Black was discussed as being a color of mourning, suggestive of darkness, night, and evil, but also elegance. White was associated with hospitality, purity, cleanliness and goodness. Here, we see a profound cultural difference in the way white is perceived. In Western culture, the color white is customarily worn at weddings, while in Asia, white is the color of mourning!

Though I missed the earlier discussions, I assume that Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Orange were also discussed. According to “Color Bytes: Blending The Art of Science and Color” by City Tech Alumni Jean Bourges (deceased), Red is loud, popular, dangerous, and universally means “stop”. Yellow means energy, exciting, inspiring, sour, anxiety, and sharpness and is so bright it is rarely used alone.

Green (also called “Leaf Green”) is associated with nature, dependability, and safety. Blue (also called “Cyan” or “Process Blue”) is said to be synonymous with coldness, analyzing, and intelligence. Last, but not least, Orange is normally perceived as zesty, tempting, tart, and lively.

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