Color in Communication By: Charlotte Nelson Introduction • Why color? • What associations can people have with color? • Is there a difference between cultural color associations? • What to be aware of in layering background and text? • What are the various color combinations that can be used? • Are there potential issues in color projection? Why Color? Why color? • Color captures attention • Creates contrast • Evokes emotional associations Captures attention Image 1 Image 2 Creates contrast • Which is easiest to read? • Which is easiest to read? • Which is easiest to read? • Which is easiest to read? Color Associations Color associations • Color makes people feel different things. • What is your happy color? • What is your sad color? • What is your love color? • All of us could have different answers to those questions because of how we associate with color. Red • • • • • Power Energy Warmth Love Lust • • • • • Danger Opinionated Dynamic Confident Aggression • China: Good luck, Celebration, Summoning • Cherokees: Success, Triumph • India: Purity • Excitement • Stop • Christmas (with green) • South Africa: Mourning • Russia: Bolsheviks and Communism • Eastern: Worn by brides Orange • Energy • Balance • Warmth • Caution • Ireland: Religious (Protestants) • Halloween (with black) • Creativity • Autumn Yellow • • • • • Optimism Hope Philosophy Dishonesty Betrayal • • • • China: Nourishing Egypt: Color of Mourning Japan: Courage India: Merchants • • • • Intellectual Enlightenment Attention Hazards Coward Green • • • • • Natural Healthy Lucky Renewal Growth • • • • • Fertility Optimism Freedom Balance Spring • • • • New Birth Go Saint Patrick’s Day Christmas (with red) • China: Green hats indicate a mans wife cheating on him, exorcism • India: Islam • Ireland: Symbol of the entire country Blue • Beliefs • Conservative • Security • Technology • Cleanliness • Order • Peace • Soothing • Spirituality • Contemplation • Cherokees: Defeat, Trouble • Iran: Islam • Ireland: Symbol of the entire country • Mystery • Patience • Depression/Saddness Purple • Spiritual • Mystery • Nobility • Transformation • Rudeness • Arrogance • Friendly • Romantic • Self • Thailand: Color of Mourning (widows) Brown • Land/earth • Reliability • Comfort • Durability • Stability • Weight • Elegance Black • Fear • Power • Sophistication • Death/grief • Mystery • Sexuality • Elegance • Exclusive • Independent • Charismatic • Solitude • Discipline • Strong-willed • Halloween (with orange) • Rebellion White • • • • • • • Pure Clean Natural Empty Colorless Neutral New Beginnings • • • • • • • Japan: White carnation symbolizes Death • Eastern: Funerals Sanctity Brides Angels Hospitals Doctors Peace (white dove) Grey • Intellectual • Future • Simplicity • Sorrow Layering Background and Text Dark vs. Light Backgrounds Dark • Formal • Doesn’t influence ambient lighting • Doesn’t work as handouts • For large venues • Objects can glow Light • Informal • Has a bright feeling • Illuminates the room • Works well as handouts • For smaller venues • No dramatic lighting Colors Affect Others Differently White White White White Blue Blue Blue Blue Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Dk. Red Dk. Red Dk. Red Dk. Red Dk. Green Dk. Green Dk. Green Dk. Green Layering on Black • Yellow • Lt. Yellow • Lt. Blue • Violet • Orange • White • White • Yellow • Lt. Yellow • Lt. Blue • Lt. Green • Orange • Black Layering on Yellow • Black • Brown • Dk. Blue • Blue • Dk. Green • Green • Red • Violet • Black • Brown • Dk. Blue • Blue • Blue Violet • Dk. Green • Red • Violet Layering on Red • Black • Dk. Blue • White • Lt. Yellow • White • Lt. Yellow Layering on Blue • Black • Brown • Dk. Blue • Blue • Blue Violet • Red • Violet • White • Yellow • Lt. Yellow • Green • Lt. Green • Lt. Blue • Red • Lt. Red • Black • Dk. Blue • Lt. Blue • Yellow Layering on Green • Black • Dk. Green • Dk. Blue • Yellow • Lt. Yellow • White • White • Yellow • Lt. Green • Lt. Blue Layering on Orange and Violet • Black • Dk. Blue • Blue • Dk. Green • Black • Dk. Blue • Lt. Yellow Best Use of Background Color • Keep it in stark contrast with the color of the text • Shouldn’t distract from the message • Keep it simple • If it is too crowded or too bright or dark • Color makes things interesting Color Combinations Monochromatic • Variations of the same color • Varying between the hue, tints, and shades Analogous • Colors touching each other on the color wheel Complementary • Colors opposite each other on the color wheel • These tend to be starkly contrasting and used wisely Split Complementary • Two colors on opposite sides of the complementary color • Not quite as stark as complementary colors Triadic • Three equally spaced colors in the color wheel • Three equally spaced colors in the color wheel Tetradic or Double Complementary • Two pairs of complementary colors in the color wheel Hue, Tint, Shade • Color isn’t only red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. • There are variations of each color. • Hue: True color • Tint: Addition of white • Shade: Addition of black Issues in Projection Computer vs. Projector • Although you may love the colors on the computer screen it might be wise to make sure the colors work projected. • Projected color is different than computer color What Now? What Now? • After all this, what does it mean for you? • In use of color • Pay attention to how you use colors together • Understand that some people might not have the same associations with color as you do • What message does your background send? • Stick to a color scheme Citations • Duarte, Nancy. Slide:ology the art and science of creating great presentations. 1st ed. Sebastpol, California: O’Reily, 2008. 126-139. Print. • Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Today. 3rd ed. New York, New York: Longman, 2008. 257-261. Print. • Russell, Wendy. “About.com” PowerPoint—the Ugly. N.p., Web. 26 Nov, 2013. http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpoint101/a/good_ba d_ugly_3.htm