per le combinazioni di colori vedere:
armonie giapponesi
armonie americane
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o in locale.
Come i colori veicolano un significato?
Color can be used to convey specific meaning such as warning (red), caution (yellow), safety (green), etc. There has even been some standardization on the assignment of colors to meaning. For example OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Agency) has designated the the following color meanings:
- red: danger
- orange: warning
- yellow: caution
- blue: notice
- green: safety
Various colors have come to be associated with various emotions over time, but be aware that these colors are often cultural specific, and we should not fall into a Westernized-Chauvanism, and assume that our western interpretaions apply to the whole world. Here are some of the more obvious associations.
red: urgency, passion, power heat, love, blood
purple: wealth, royalty, sophistication, intelligence
violet: magic,nostalgia
blue: truth, dignity, power, coolness, melancholy, heaviness
lighter blues and greens: coolness, naturalness, freshness
navy blue:dependability, trustworthyness
black: death, rebellion, strength, evil
grays: professionalism, conservatism
white: purity, cleanliness, lightness, emptiness
yellow: warmth, cowardice, brightness
green: nature, health, cheerfulness, environment, money, vegetation
Beyond specific color-meaning relationships, there are also some general interpretations. Cool and warm colors convey specific emotions to most viewers. Vivid, warm, highly saturated, bright colors are likely to appeal to the young and energetic; Cooler cooler, sedate colors will appeal to older people; dull colors will convey a calming effect; light tints will creata feeling of lightness; pale pastels will convy femininity etc. In general using colors of similar hue will suggest a commonality group while colors of a complementary hue will infer strong differences.
Branding is another use of color to convey meaning. Businesses frequently try to differentiate themselves by creating a visually distinctive brand. One way to accomplish this goal is create an association with a color(s) by means of a logo. IBM is blue, UPS is brown, Catterpillar is yellow, Coke is red and white, etc.
Lastly, be warned that use of color to convey meaning is very tricky. Of course, color-meaning connections do not always transfer across cultures, but there can be difficulties even within Western culture. Color meanings can conflict. For example, blue can mean power or melancholy, two ideas which don�t seem compatible. Moreover, suppose there is a control colored red. Does that mean that something is wrong, so change the setting? Or does it mean don�t touch the control and leave the setting alone?