Color in Graphic Design: An Analysis of Meanings and Trends
Barbara Martinson and Carol Waldron, University of Minnesota
This study analyzes the use of color communication on a symbolic level in graphic
design. Business communications from 1985 to 2000 will be examined to determine if
certain colors are used consistently for certain types of companies. The primary research
questions are: Are certain colors associated with particular types of business? Do the
colors used in business communications relate to color symbolism as described in color
and design literature? Are there color trends in relation to time? Ethnographic content
analysis will be used on fifteen years of Communication Arts graphic design annuals.
Variables to be examined are dominant color, type of business, date of publication, and
geographic source of client. These variables will be used to examine color frequencies
within certain types of businesses, relationships to color meaning, and trends over time.