in Design, Connotations and Marketing

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COLOR

• in Design, Connotations and Marketing

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Analogous Colors

• Appear next to each other
• Usually work well together UNLESS they are too
  close in value then will appear washed out

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Complimentary Colors

• Separated by another color
• Printed side by side can cause vibration
• Separated on page work well

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Clashing or Contrasting Colors

• Appear opposite each other
• May have great contrast and visibility

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Color Meanings
Neutrals
Click on a color to find out more
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Red

• Love WarCupid the Devil
• Fire, blood, courage, determination
• Power, happiness, passion, anger
• Use Red tograb attention
• get people to take action
• to suggest speed and confidence
• Small doses go a long way
• scarlet, crimson, ruby, rust, maroon, flame,
  rouge

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Marketing Red

• Evoke erotic feelingsred lips, nails, etc.
• Energyenergy drinks, games, cars, items related
  to sports and high physical activity
• Perfect color for Click Here or Buy Now
  buttons

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• Good Red
• Red Carpet treatment
• Red Letter Day
• Red Eye (overnight flight)
• Paint the Town Red (celebrate)

• Bad Red
• Seeing Red (angry)
• In the Red (overdrawn, money loss)
• Red Flag (danger, warning)

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Orange

• Energy, warmth, sun, playful
• Often associated with autumn
• Stimulatingemotions and appetite
• Vitamin C and good health
• Orange pops with blue
• Pumpkin, copper, brass, peach, tangerine, citrus

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Marketing Orange

• Used to promote food items or toys
• Used in promotion of citrus products or fall
  products
• Liked by youth, disliked as adults get older

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Yellow

• Hope, happiness, sunshine, cheerful
• Cowardice and deceit
• Used to for hazards signs, emergency vehicles
• Works best a companion color
• lemon, golden, saffron, cream, topaz,

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Marketing Yellow

• Used to promote products and items related to
  leisure
• Gets attention on printed page
• Men view it as a childish coloravoid using
  yellow in promoting expensive products to men

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• Good Yellow
• Yellow Ribbon (hope, support, remembrance)
• Mellow Yellow (laid back, relaxation)

• Bad Yellow
• Yellow Streak or Yellow-bellied (cowardice,
  coward)
• Yellow journalism (irresponsible reporting)

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Green

• Life, renewal, nature, calming, fertility,
  harmony, money
• Jealousy, envy, inexperience
• Ireland, Spring, military
• emerald, olive, grass, forest, lime, kelly, pine,
  jade, sage, chartreuse, seafoam, apple

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Marketing Green

• Used to market safety in drugs and medical
  products
• Green environmental products
• Money, finance, banking, Wall Street

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• Good Green
• Green Light-go, proceed
• Green thumb-good with plants
• GreenbackUS dollar, money
• Green roomwhere performers go to relax
• Green pasturessomething newer, better

• Bad Green
• Green eyed monster-jealousy
• Greenhornnovice, trainee, beginner
• Green with envyjealous
• Green around the gillspale, sickly

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Blue

• Calm, universal color, natural, peace, faith,
  confidence, unity, conservative, intelligence
• Sky, ocean, water,
• Sadness, depression, dk blue is often stodgy, old
  fashioned or nautical
• sapphire, cobalt, navy, royal, cyan, slate,
  azure, indigo, baby blue

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Marketing Blue

• Promote products related to cleanliness, air,
  sky, water
• High tech products
• Masculine color
• Avoid with cooking and foodcan suppress appetite

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• Good Blue
• True Bluesomeone loyal faithful
• Blue Ribbon-first rate, top prize
• Out of the Blueunexpected
• Bluebook/blueblood-noble birth, royalty
• The Bluesmusic type
• Baby blues--eyes

• Bad Blue
• Feeling bluedepressed
• Baby Bluespostpartum depression
• Blue Mondayfeeling sad
• Singing the blues-bemoaning ones circumstances
• Into the blueentering the unknown

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Purple

• Royalty, spirituality, flowers, imaginative,
  luxury, wealth, magic
• Dark colorsrichness, light colors--delicate
• violet, plum, lavender, lilac, orchid, mauve,
  magenta, wine, amethyst, mulberry, eggplant

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Marketing Purple

• Accent color
• Light purple often good for femine design
• Bright purple for promoting childrens products
• May be viewed as an artificial colorartificial
  item promoted

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• Good Purple
• Purple Cowunusual, eye-catching, remarkable
• Purple Proseexaggeration, highly imaginative

• Bad Purple
• Purple Speechprofanity, raunchy language
• Purple Proseexaggeration, lies

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White

• Light, goodness, purity, perfection, innocence
• Safety, coolness, clean, simplicity, softness
• Angels, hospitals, dairy products, low-fat, bath
  papers

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Black

• Power, elegance, death, evil, mystery
• Fear and unknown, negative
• Used for prestige (black tie, black expensive
  car)
• Makes things look smaller
• Can be neutral or aggressive in a color scheme

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Grey

• Neutral, conservative, boring, dreary, rain,
  cold, stormy, sophisicated
• Works well with black and white
• Often used with pastels
• Not a commonly used marketing color

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Brown

• Neutral, often old fashioned, earthy, nature
• Ranges from tan to dark brown
• Used to market camping, scouting, fishing related
  items.
• Chocolate products