The Impact of Color

by

Joy Nord

 

       Color, one of the most powerful tools a writer has, can capture a mood, express an emotion, and specify description. Whether used in a paragraph or a one-liner, color brings vibrancy into writing. Everything colors touch displays a unique characteristic. Through the language of color you can use it to draw out specific emotions, and/or change a mood of those who see it. Color can shout or whisper, irritate or soothe.

       Color is all around us. Since birth, we have been reacting to, and stimulated by the different colors. Nature is an excellent example. Everyday color combines the yellow sun, an array of greens in grasses, trees, and plants, and the sky which can change from black to dove gray and then into a pale blue within minutes.

       Throughout time, often dating back thousands of years, colors have adopted symbolic meanings. Which helps us to understand the power behind our color choices.

       For more than two years, I have been making a list of names associated with ten different colors. I want to share my list, along with a brief symbolic description. 

 

RED expresses passion, aggressiveness, and strength. Long associated with fire and the sun. Red represents the blood of life. Pink is feminine, innocent, soft, and healthy.

Red/ Pink: ruby, scarlet, garnet, red amber, rose, dusty rose, rust, crimson, cinnabar, wine, claret, cerise, shrimp, russet, ox-blood, carmine, apple, cherry, tomato, brick, terra cotta, brass, currant, cardinal, burgundy, ashes of roses, rubicund, vermilion, cochineal, maroon, auburn, strawberry, raspberry, blood, candy apple, beet, vermeil, titanium, Tyrian, Titian lobster, coral, salmon, fire-engine, pigeon-blood, blood-shot, port, lipstick, sanguine, rose-madder, hibiscus, flaming, Chinese, chafed

 

GREEN symbolizes life. It is tranquil, healthy, and fresh. Youth and inexperience relate to green. Vibrant "spring" greenery transfers the earth from dormant into a season of renewal. Jealousy and envy are two of green's negatives.

Green: jade, sea, aquamarine, emerald, hunter, grass, pea, lime, malachite, kelly, forest, mist, chartreuse, verdant, aqua, bluish-green, olive, leaf, moss, celadon, fern, pine, lily pad, turf, golf-green, peridot, chrome dioxide, Imperial, chalcedony, chartreuse, lemon, celery dill, sage, sea foam, pond-scum

 

BROWN is earthy, practical, and subtly rich. It can be sensuous like dark chocolate or strong like chicory coffee. Brown's negatives are crude, decaying, and dirty.

Brown/Beige: earth, nutmeg, cinnamon, rust, chocolate, cocoa, dun, chestnut, bay, tawny, roam, mahogany, pecan, mocha, rosewood, maple, taupe, coffee, toffee, café au lait, tortoise shell, brick, ginger, hazel, walnut, henna, brunette, foxy, tan, copper, bronze, drab, khaki, raisin, saddle, umber, nut, buckskin, fawn, mushroom, ecru, sable, mud, ochre, sienna, mink, sandy, dung, puce, burnt pine, ash, bourbon, whiskey, beer-bottle, sherry, bark, tiger's eye, tobacco-stained, sepia, golden

 

BLUE is authoritative, dignified, and secure. It is always passive, both spatially and spiritually. Clear blue skies, and a panoramic ocean view of rippling blue water delivers calmness and coolness. The constancy associated with blue suggests truth, wisdom, order, and fidelity (which befit the uniforms worn by police and the military). On blue's negative side, it implies sadness and depression.

Blue: sky, marine, aquamarine, ultramarine, azure, lapis lazuli, sapphire, turquoise, London-blue, topaz, cornflower, bluebonnet, morning glory, hydrangea, skim milk, china-blue, cobalt, flame-blue, ink, indigo, navy, royal, dusky, baby powder, jay, periwinkle, wedgewood, steel, delft, teal, neon, electric, robin's egg, baby, federal, cyan

 

BLACK corresponds with darkness and evil. Much is hidden within its remnants, perhaps feared. Black suggests demons, death, defilement, horror, mourning, and despair. Traditional attire for funerals, black is also elegantly fashionable.

Black: onyx, blue-black, raven, ink, coal, jet, ebony, obsidian, anthracite, black pearl, midnight, shadow, pitch, sable, moonless, soot, lamp-black, tar, pit, cast-iron, flint, hematite, opal, granite, graphite, crow, sole, newsprint, burnt oil

 

PURPLE is royalty, sophisticated, and expensive. In the Bible, kings and the wealthy dressed in purple garments.

Purple: amethyst, magenta, wood violet, indigo, heliotrope, lilac, orchid, plum, mauve, violet, tanzanite, aborigine, royal, eggplant, grape, bruised, lavender

 

YELLOW creates energy. High visibility makes yellow a logical color to signal caution. Yellow accompanies the brightest glow of the world's primary power source, the sun. On yellow's negative side, it is a jaundice color, one of sickness, and disease. It can symbolize cowardliness, deceitfulness, and meanness.

Yellow/Gold: citrine, topaz, cadmium, lemon, citron, banana, mustard, saffron, butter, honey, quince, canary, gold, golden, daffodil, jonquil, tawny, straw, hay, ecru, blond, flaxen, sandy, palomino, fallow, neon, highlighter, post-it-note, fool's gold, buff, silver-blonde, primrose, jonquil, taxi, ash blonde, white-gold, burnished, brass

 

WHITE represents purity, truthfulness, refinement, innocence, and goodness. It is the height of light and brightness. Worn by Christ, angels, and brides, white is the traditional symbol of holiness.

White/off white: milk, alabaster, oatmeal, eggshell, ecru, parchment, snow, lily, milky-quartz, opal, magnolia, vanilla, chalk, oyster, ivory, cream, moonstone, white jade, marble, diamond, silver, platinum, snow, snowy, moon, moonlight, star, ghost, mist, fog, foam, froth, whey, down, meringue, bridal, candle-light, zinc white, cadmium white, paper, ash, candent, swan, goose, dove

 

GRAY lacks color identification or value significance. The neutral effects of gray are noncommittal, stable, practical, and somber.

Gray: smoke, pearl, silvery, sooty, tattletale, hoary, dove, gunmetal, charcoal

 

ORANGE radiates warmth through fire. It is untamed and explosive. Orange has a wildness that signals strong spirits and perhaps danger. Also, orange expresses a playful side with fun and cheerfulness.

Orange: summer lily, marmalade, aurora orange, burnt orange, goldfish, peach butter, yam, desert glow, sun ray, spice, Hawaiian passion, pumpkin, harvest moon, jack-o-lantern, tang