It means nothing?

One part of Fridays lecture which I found interesting was how we automatically associate colour with various meanings and give it a variety of connotations. This was highlighted when the lecture theatre was asked what the colour red meant. Most people, including myself, agreed it meant danger, love, power and passion. I have since learnt that red does not mean any of the above, it is simply a word. It means nothing.

This was demonstrated when a student stood up wearing a red top; the lecture theatre were not scared or felt any sense of danger, or indeed lust towards this student. Therefore the colour red is only associated with certain connotations when they are used within context.

It is natural to associate red with these topics as that is what the colour has been used to depict over the years. However what I find really interesting is that if for instance red traffic lights were changed to purple we would eventually start associating purple with stop and danger.

This idea made me think about how important colour is in design:

• Would we buy a curry sauce if it was contained in blue packaging?
• Would we trust a bank with our savings if their logo was made up of bright pink and lime green writing?

I think that colour is extremely important in design. And the connotations that colour have can influence many of the decisions we make.