Your surroundings can affect your mood — and your stomach may pay the price
Red: When a person sees red, the pituitary gland sends out signals that make the heart beat faster, the blood pressure increase and the muscles tense.
Yellow: Perceived as a happy color, yellow is processed rapidly by the brain and is an attention getter.
White and silver: These colors suggest reduced calories. A bottle of Diet Coke is mostly silver, while a bottle of regular Coke is predominantly red.
Orange: Perhaps because it isn’t considered a classy color, orange indicates affordability.
Brown: Often used as a background color for gravy and cake mixes, brown indicates roasted or baked. It also suggests rich flavor.
SOURCE: Eric Johnson, head of research studies for the Chicago- based Institute for Color Research and Brian Wansink, PhD., director of the University of Illinois Food & Brand Lab
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U.S. News reports that “People who own emerald green automobiles…have the most positive attitude about the course of their own lives. Dark blue and silver are other colors chosen by upbeat people.”
The article goes on to say that, “Red supposedly connotes an aggressive, high-speed personality, while yellow, theoretically, is for folks with sunny dispositions. But survey data show that people who drive red or yellow cars have below-average confidence. And black cars, supposedly a sign of power and elegance, are driven by the most downbeat drivers of all.”
The information in the article was based on a survery by CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, OR. Nearly 1,900 Americans were asked about their attitudes toward their own lives at several points over the course of a year and the color of the car they drive most often
According to CNW:
“CNW got a range of answers for each respondent over time, they were also able to calculate the “moodiness” of drivers—how widely their confidence varied from one extreme to the other, in the course of a year.”
I got such a kick out of the statistics on color and moodiness. Is it really reasonable to single out one item and its color to gauge an element of personality? Well yes and no. If the survey had been only among those that purchased a car where they had all available options and then selected a particular color it might be a bit more likely to reflect something that could be linked to other traits.
But what about those who end up with a color because that was what was available? Or those that had other outside factors that influenced the color? Does their acceptance of a color still say something about them? Do you think the color of your car says something about you?
Hmmm, I was skeptical but thought it would be fun to look at the statistics from CNW and see how they played against my personal experience. Does what I think to be the outlook on life of my friends and acquaintances match up with their car color? Well to my surprise for the most part it does. Not 100% but closer than I would have anticipated.
If you asked me to name ‘glass half empty’ folks a few people come to mind and true to the survey results they all drive black cars.
I know many people that drive silver and most of them are nice people that are usually upbeat and stay on an even keel but what keeps them from pushing higher up on the positive scale is that they tend to caught up in the blame game when something negative happens.
I have two very good friends that drive green cars and both are likely to be heard telling someone “forget about it” or “move on” or “look at the upside”. They definately fall into those super positive ‘get over it’ green drivers.
Very few people I am close with drive red or other brightly colored cars but that could have to do with age and practicality as much as outlook.
But what about me? I may do this for a living but I’m no different than anyone else when it comes to reports like this. I wanted to know what it says about me!
In this case I’m happy to report that as a driver of a midnight blue car I fall into the above average group and have a consistent positive attitude. Whew, I’m glad my car isn’t black!
I read this article just a few days before I was asked to comment on the Dupont 2007 Car Color Popularity report for IBSYS broadcasting. Here what the chart says about North America:
But what if I was to combine these two car color reports? Just like the companies that created them I could use the data to arrive at my own conclusions and here’s the result — my tongue-in-cheek look at what it reveals about the mood of the drivers I might encounter.
Kate’s Color Guide to Driving on the Highway
If you want to reduce your stress when driving on the highway let color clue you in to who to steer clear of.
Just under 20% of the vehicles you encounter will be in white with driver with an average outlook in regard to their attitude about the course of their own lives and only experience modest mood swings.
These are the people that usually leave on time, listen to the radio and accept that traffic is part of life. You don’t need to worry too much most of the time about those driving white cars. Just keep in mind that extra long traffic delays that make them late for a meeting or daycare pickup could raise their anxiety level and temporarily increase their aggressiveness on the road.
About an equal number of drivers would be behind the wheel of a silver car. These folks fall into the slightly above average category when it comes to having a positive outlook and their moods are very consistent.
These are the people happily signing along to the radio but always at the ready to better their position and get through the maze of traffic a bit more quickly. They will usually give you room to merge but if you don’t keep up with the pace they’ll take the first opportunity to go around you.
Then we get to black and the 16% of drivers who have te the least positive attitudes, are consistent about it and are subject to the greatest number of mood swings. These drivers are happiest on the open road because they truly think they own the road and that traffic laws don’t apply to them.
In traffic you might recognize them by the scowl on their face and if you were in the car with them you would probably hear complaining and griping about other drivers –you know the ones that don’t know how to drive. It is best to avoid those driving black cars.
But what about those red car drivers who are often thought to be aggressive and bold? Perhaps this is the persona they take on to mask a less than positive attitude or at least that might explain why those that drive red cars are just behind black when it comes to having the least positive attitude and most pronounced mood swings.
While they might not cut you off with the same sense of entitlement a black car driver does they will race by you and slide in with a grin and sense of satisfaction.
Though far fewer, if you do see an emerald green or blue car these are the folks to follow because they drive happy!
So what color is your driving?
Resources:
U.S. News article ‘What Your Car Color Reveals About Your Psyche’…
What Leatrice Eiseman says about ‘What Your Car Color Says About You…’
The complete report from Dupont…
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Journalist Staci Kramer interviewed Jeff Bezos about The Kindle. One of the questions she asked him was: “Is color something you want to see eventually?”
Kindle evangelist Jeff Bezos, chairman and CEO of Amazon responds: “We would love to have color but electronic ink doesn’t do color.”
So what is electronic ink you asked? The source of the electronic ink for Kindle explains it as follows on their website:
An Electronic Paper Display is a display that possess a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption, and a thin, light form. It gives the viewer the experience of reading from paper, while having the power of updatable information.
EPDs are a technology enabled by electronic ink - ink that carries a charge enabling it to be updated through electronics. Electronic ink is ideally suited for EPDs as it is a reflective technology which requires no front or backlight, is viewable under a wide range of lighting conditions, including direct sunlight, and requires no power to maintain an image.
From what I have learned adding color to electronic ink isn’t yet on the horizon. Let me know if you have an information that indicates it might be closer to being a reality.
Resources:
See more about the Kindle at Amazon…
Related article Bezos On Kindle: ‘We Would Love To Have Color’—And Every Book Ever
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The sound diners hear while they are eating food can change the way they think it tastes, scientists have discovered.
Researchers have also found that changing the colour of a food can influence the flavour experienced by consumers.
Food manufacturers are now hoping to exploit the findings in a bid to make their foods more appealing.
Previously it was thought that the sense of taste and smell were the only human senses that played a role in experiencing flavour. Professor Charles Spence, a sensory psychologist at Oxford University, believes it is possible to change the flavour of food simply by exciting people’s sense of hearing and vision.
Continue reading at Telegraph online…
Another related article: Science: could martinis be the secret of Bond’s success?
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Here is a sign I see at least three times a week so I can’t image why I haven’t blogged about it before this.
Can you guess where this is posted?
This sign is just outside of the door to the studio where I practice Bikram hot yoga.
When I first saw the sign I wondered what the owner had heard or been told. I suspected that he might be under the impression that the color green would in some way have a negative effect on the participants. I couldn’t even imagine what tidbit of color knowledge might have been misinterpreted to arrive at such a thought.
Naturally I questioned him ready for an explanation that vaguely referenced some scientific or psychological studies but boy was I off target. There was a much simpler answer.
Bikram doesn’t like the color green! At some time in his past there was some tragic event that he associates with the color and doesn’t want to be reminded of it. Who can blame him?
The studio owner said he respected his feelings and didn’t allow his students to wear green or use green towels or mats just in case Bikram dropped by the studio unexpectedly.
Now every time I see this sign it reminds to me of how strong our associations with particular colors can be. Sometimes the memories and feelings a color evokes are very pleasant and sometimes not so pleasant but in either case they can have a long reaching effect on how we respond to that color.
Whether working with an executive making color decisions for his company or an individual picking color for a home or wardrobe you need to always be aware that even if not stated as boldly as it is in my yoga studio personal color memories can effect how someone feels about a color and thus their decisions about it.
Also be aware of your own color associations. Color professionals need to be conscious that their own color history is at play and keep those thoughts at bay when evaluating colors for a client.
Can you share any examples of how color memories have influenced you?
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The Times will launch the first stage of its full-color redesign today.
Monday’s paper will feature the introduction of color-coded sections and will be the first stage in a process of revamping the Times that will continue until September.
Changes from Monday will include a redesigned and expanded times2 features section. The new design is also said to allow for more spreads across two pages.
Read more at The Times online…
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Jack Bredenfoerder, current President of Color Marketing Group (and one of my traveling companions on my recent trip to India) was asked to comment on the emergence and popularity of Yves Klein International Blue and this question sent him on a quest to understand more about the origins of this color and why it is regaining popularity.
Here’s what Jack has to say about Yves Klein blue…
Yves Klein: The Artist at Work
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Deutsche Telekom parent company of T-mobile filed a lawsuit in the Danish court saying that Telia had no right to use the pink color magenta, because the German company has invested in building their branding around that color for many years.
The Danish Eastern Regional High Court ruled that Telia and DT don’t compete directly in the Danish market. They also said there was some doubt that they were using the same hue. The court to overturned the injunction DT sought against Telia and to add insult to injury slapped DT with an order to pay 1.5 million kroner ($316,188) to Telia for their court costs and attorneys’ fees. Ouch!
While you might not recognize Telia in the U.S. you might recall DT has regularly taken steps to keep competitors from using magenta in their branding. Recently I wrote about their run in with engadget.com and earlier talked about their action against Intel.
Read the original article about the court ruling (translated into Engish) here…
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I often hear from people who are curious about opportunities in the world of color consulting.
Creative color opportunities do exist in a variety of industries and there is a need for skilled people to guide companies through the myriad of color choices, as advice is sought on how to use color effectively.
But you need more than a love of color to get there. You need to know the way and I know of no one more qualified to show you a path to success in color consulting than the leading expert in the field, Leatrice Eiseman.
Lee is the author of seven books on color, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, as well as the director of the Eiseman Center for Color information and Training on Bainbridge Island, WA. She is widely quoted in the media and has been named by Fortune magazine as one of the ten top ‘decision makers’ internationally for her work in color.
When I made the decision to focus solely on color rather than all aspects of product development and marketing, Lee was the person I sought out to help me and her guidance was invaluable in setting me on a path to success in the world of color consulting.
If like me you have a passion and an ‘eye’ for color, determination and motivation and want to learn how to get started with a color related career I recommend that you enroll in a training program that Lee offers. Her cutting-edge program that will enhance your color knowledge and show you how to hone your skills. Color workshops are included, but you will also learn about what is expected of you and what to charge for your services.
Even if you are already working in an area that utilizes color, such as interior or graphic design or personal color, you might consider this course as a way to ‘spread your wings’ and extend into other areas, becoming more of a ‘full service’ color consultant.
If you are a professional working within a particular industry or for a specific company, this course will give you additional insights that will enhance your use of color and potentially expand your career opportunities.
Best of all you will receive credible, veritable information, including the emotional aspect of color as well as color trend forecasting, taught by the leading expert in these fields, Leatrice Eiseman.
Lee teaches this Color/Design program annually and enrollment is limited. For more information about the program, please contact Bobbie Hawkes.
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Here’s what they told the folks at Crayola….
- Kids feel great about doing well in school.
- Kids want to help protect the planet.
- Kids believe that anyone can be a celebrity.
- Outdoor activities are fun for kids.
- Kids love having fun with parents, their best friends.
- Kids want everyone’s dream to come true.
- Kids want everyone’s story to be a happy one.
- Kids want their homes to feel like a warm, cozy bear hug.
And here’s the colors that express those thoughts. Can you match the color name to the idea above?
- Happy Ever After
- Awesome
- Best Friends
- Giving Tree
- Bear Hug
- Famous
- Fun in the Sun
- Super Happy
See if you were right and meet the 2008 Kids Choice Colors….
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