The Meaning Of Color

When building your blog or website for syndication, there is nothing more important than choosing a color theme. But this is one of those things that can be really tricky to do no matter how important. And often majority of colors can have dual meanings so then the real decision comes down to tint or shade.

Now once upon a time, oh so long ago, I was part of the fashion industry and still know some fashion photographers, make up artists and designers. It is due to these experiences that I learned what colors actually generate the best responses. The most popular was obviously blue as it promotes a more soothing and tranquil response while maintaining a vibrancy and luxurious qualities. But then there are other colors like certain shades of red or orange that are shied away from because of the negative responses they invoke. Colors like burnt orange are often associated with deceit and mistrust and are often seen in construction zones and on hunters to caution others when they approach. Oh I know that sometimes they can be thought of as a more passionate, warm or power colors but it is the association that people use with them like the caution in a construction zone that should be an out weighing factor in your considerations. 

As for myself, my favorite color is green as it is so versatile, inviting, homey and generates the warmer responses. Yes, I do know the old adage, "green with envy," but green is more often associated with growth, spring, growing things, health, renewal, nature, harmony, balance, safety, fertility and energy. I use a warm sage green in my kitchen to go with all of my herbs that I grow on my patio and love wearing emerald green for the energy boost it always seems to give me. Empowered By Color has articles delving deeper into the meanings of all of the colors and their tints or shades too should that be of use or inspiration for your blog theme. 

I had a designer once ask me if I knew why Nordstroms used blue so much or green rather than yellow, reds or orange. What she told me was that it all came down to those subliminal messages. And of course which ones looked good on people more. Blues, greens, purples and pinks were good colors and had various shades to compliment skin tones or promote increased buying, luxury or calming affects. While reds, oranges and yellows often washed people out, detracted from a prominent feature to make the piece typically unflattering or was too much all together in its connotation. 

So when you are making branding decisions ask yourself what you would want your readers, customers or viewers to see or feel when they come to your site. What subliminal messages are you sending to them? How are you going to be received when they get there and will they then be back? Working digitally is about more than just being able to provide a good product. Working digitally takes knowing social media and that there is more than just posting on the platforms, which I cover in another post. Working digitally takes an entrepreneurial spirit and an analytical mind to ensure that you are sending out the right message on every level. So tell me...what are you saying?

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Thanks for reading!

The Scribbler