Prague

Color Theory

COLOR THEORY 

The colors on a monitor screen are seen as direct light. Colors of the physical world- of printed pages, objects, and the environment are seen as reflected light. Color is unstable. Every change in light or material has the potential to change the way a color is perceived and, in addition, individuals interpret the experience of color indifferent and personal ways. Color is sensed by the eye, but the perception of color takes place in the mind, and not necessarily at a conscious level. Surrounding colors have a powerful impact on the human body and mind, but most of the time they are experienced with an astonishing lack of awareness. Graphic colors (the colors of images: painted, drawn, printed or on-screen) are experienced on many levels; conscious and unconscious, sensory and intellectual, at the same time. Color can be used to communicate ideas and emotions, to manipulate perception, to create focus, to motivate and influence actions. Colors can be a visual expression of mood or emotion. Colors have physiological effects on the body. They can be chosen to stimulate, or to calm. They can be used to arouse a non-visual sense, instill unconscious motivation, alter behavior or induce mood. “Color responses are more tied to man’s emotions than to his intellect. In general, people do not respond to color with their minds.”- Deborah Sharpe. Colors can be visual codes that communicate ideas and feelings and influence the way ideas are presented. And like words, the meanings of colors can change, or be lost, or be replaced by new meanings over time. Color is a living language. For every individual the meaning of a color, or group of colors, is shaped by a hierarchy of outside forced: culture, spoken language, social status, setting, time, and individual life experience. Awareness of cultural differences in the semantics of color is critical to the successful marketing of any product or image destined for the global market. 

The decision to buy has as much to do with the purchaser’s perception of a product as it does with the product itself. An item may be purchased because it seems comfortingly familiar, or because it makes a fresh and positive impression at the point of sale. No matter how well-functioning a product may be, to succeed it must be both attractive and memorable. A great part of success in sales is a result of good looks. For consumers, color is the largest single factor in a decision of whether or not to make a purchase. Market research indicates that 90% of consumer purchases are the result of a deliberate search, and that only 10% of purchases are made on impulse. And of the planned purchases, 60% of the decision to buy involves color. 

According to Color Marketing Group, a professional color research organization, the use of color expands readership: color advertisement are read up to 42% more than similar ones in black and white, and color on a page both accelerates learning and increases comprehension. Colors increase brand recognition, which is crucial in a competitive market. 

Essay on light