Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
SURPRINTING A FIELD of red ink on top of found, make-ready sheets means budget-conscious
production with interesting visual effects in this detail of a poster. The ink's transparency allows
a haze of the surprinted image to show through.
Brett Yasko United States
Color Psychology With color comes a variety of psychological messages that can
be used to influence content—both imagery and the verbal meaning of typography.
This emotional component of color is deeply connected to human experience at an in-
stinctual and biological level. Colors of varying wavelengths have different effects on
the autonomic nervous system—warmer colors, such as red and yellows, have long
wavelengths, and so more energy is needed to process them as they enter the eye and
brain. The accompanying rise in energy level and metabolic rate translates as arousal.
Conversely, the shorter wavelengths of cooler colors—such as blue, green, and viol-
et—require far less energy to process, resulting in the slowing of our metabolic rate and
a soothing, calming effect. The psychological properties of color, however, also de-
pend highly on a viewer's culture and personal experience. Many cultures equate red
with feelings of hunger, anger, or energy because red is closely associated with meat,
blood, and violence. By contrast, vegetarians might associate the color green with hun-
ger. In Western cultures, which are predominantly Christian, black is associated with
death and mourning, but Hindus associate the color white with death. Christians asso-
ciate white with purity or cleanliness. Because of the history of Western civilization,
violet conveys authority, status, and luxury to members of that culture. Most cultures
respond to blue with an association of water and, therefore, of life. Blue is also often
perceived as deeply spiritual or contemplative, perhaps because of this particular asso-
ciation. Clearly, selecting a color for specific words in a composition can add meaning
by linking its associations to the verbal message. A headline or title set in one color
might take on additional, or completely different, meaning when set in another color.
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