Sensational Color Pro Kate Smith » color-psychology

The Meaning of the Color Purple for ‘Team Obama’?

Kate Smith — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:32:45 +0000

There is always lots of chatter about any State of the Union address but this week the conversations included the color purple. Why was purple the color of the day for ‘Team Obama”?

A question Georgea Kovanis attempts to answer in her article, Did purple apparel send a message at the State of the Union address? I was quoted in the article.

“Color sends a message,’” says Kate Smith, a color expert who works as a corporate color consultant. “There’s some message on our mind, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.”

So, what does purple mean when it comes to politics?

Because it is a combination of red and blue, it carries some meanings from both colors. “You’re communicating the trustworthiness from blue as well as some red, the power, the in-charge side of red,” says Smith, who owns Sensational Color, a company based in Washington, D.C. “They’re unifying.”

And unification was one of the points of Obama’s speech.

And a bit further into the article:

Squidoo: Colours of India

Kate Smith — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:57:34 +0000

I’ve added a new color lens to Squidoo– Colours of India. Check out all of my many Squidoo lenses and if you like what you find please take time to give me a 5* rating at the top of the lens page. Thanks.

Color Psychology: How to Make Your Home Feel Good

Kate Smith — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:00:29 +0000

Creating mood in home interiors is a topic I often talk about but usually in the home decorating space not on a medical advice website so what fun to be included in the article ‘Color Psychology: How to Make Your Home Feel Good’ on WebMD.

Read the article on WebMD…

Red Pens Frowned Upon in Australia

Kate Smith — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:30:54 +0000

From the article: Red pen too aggressive, Queensland teachers told By Gabrielle Dunlevy, AAP, December 03, 2008

“TEACHERS have been told to stop marking schoolchildren’s work with red pen because it is an “aggressive” colour.

Queensland’s Deputy Opposition Leader Mark McArdle told parliament today that teachers were being advised to reconsider their pen choice because it may offend children.”

As of this morning 301 readers had commented on the article and left some very negative reactions that I enjoyed reading. It is always so enlightening to have people express their understanding (and misunderstanding) of the effects of color.

Read the article: Red pen too aggressive, Queensland teachers told

The Courier Mail displayed their sense of humor over the issue. The picture above is one of several they posed. For a laugh see the entire Red Pen Rogues Photo Gallery

I couldn’t help but leave a comment of my own.

Colors Trigger Appetite

Kate Smith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:33:15 +0000

I talk alot about how your surroundings can affect your mood and now two researchers from the Institute for Color Research in Chicago tell us that your stomach [or maybe that should be waistline, gentleman] may pay the price Red: When a person sees red, the pituitary gland sends out signals that make

Featured in CMG Found

Kate Smith — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:40:58 +0000

Red – The Color of Romance!
Scarlet, Crimson, Torch Red, Lipstick Red, Red Rose, Paint the Town Red, Red Hot, Red Handed, Candy Apple Red, Fire Engine Red, Blood Red, Red Letter Day, Red Bull. Red is not passive or fluffy. Red is attention-getting. Red is assertive. Red is action and energy. Red is powerful.

Brainbow mice

Kate Smith — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:02:33 +0000

Thanks to Janice Lindsey of PINK for sharing this site with some stunningly beautiful color images. I think you’ll be surprised at what this is a picture of. Would you believe mice brains in 90 colors! See all of the pictures here…

Fear of purple

Kate Smith — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:41:17 +0000

Thanks to the blog SubZeroBlue I discovered that there is a condition called Porphyrophobia which is the fear of the color purple…who knew?

So I decided to see if all colors received equal recognition in the phobia world but only came up with two other

Color: Messages & Meanings

Kate Smith — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:43:28 +0000

Make effective, unique and credible color choices Based on research and filled with hundreds of color combinations and illustrations, Color: Messages & Meanings presents color expert, Leatrice Eiseman’s insights on color and emotion, and addresses how best to integrate these qualities into your work, insuring your intended message is communicated.

Working in a Red Room

Kate Smith — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:11:12 +0000

The New York Times ran an interesting article in the science section on the color red yesterday called: How Do We See Red? Count the Ways This is one of the many interesting aspects of red that they noted: Given red’s pushy reputation, design experts long thought people felt uncomfortable and worked poorly when confined to red rooms. But when Dr. Nancy Kwallek, a professor of