Sensational Color Pro Kate Smith » color symbolism

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.

Absolutely NO Green

Kate Smith — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:09:28 +0000

Here is a sign I see at least three times a week and it has become a good reminder to me of how strong our associations with particular colors can be. Can you guess where it is? I just posted a short article inspired by this sign. You can read it here…

Chinese Splash Red Across the Internet

Kate Smith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:05:07 +0000

Chinese use icons to show Olympic support

Chinese Web users, stung by international criticism of China ahead of the Beijing Olympics, have splashed red across the Internet by adding hearts and “CHINA” to their names when chatting online in a show of support. Several Reuters reporters’ contact lists for online chat programs,

Starbuck’s Logo Goes Brown

Kate Smith — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:14:00 +0000

How Starbucks is using a special brown logo to evoke the chain’s beginnings and restore some goodwill for the brand

The new old logo: Starbucks is temporarily using a sanitized version of its original branding on new packaging.

Brown is certainly a color that communicates coffee. So, when you order a cup of the new Pike Place coffee at Starbucks this week, it doesn’t seem out of place to see a special brown logo on the cup and paper sleeve. Except that, as everyone knows, Starbucks’ iconic logo is green. So why change such a successful corporate symbol?

Can China Forbid the Color Orange?

Kate Smith — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:04:56 +0000

The organizers of The Colour Orange campaign will use the Olympics in Beijing 2008 to visually put focus on China’s violations of human rights.

“We will use the colour orange and make it a symbol of the protest against the human rights violations in China. Due to the

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.

City Branding Up in Lights

Kate Smith — Tue, 08 May 2007 03:48:54 +0000

A debate invovling color and light is underway in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus Bridge a monument rich in symbolic meaning as it brings together two continents has been decorated with 16 million blue, red, and yellow LED bulbs at the expense of the Turkish Phillips Company.

However the bright lights have been received with mixed reviews and everyone from statesmen to the people on the street seem to have a strong opinion on the project.

Squidoo: Roses Color Meaning and Symbolism

Kate Smith — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 16:46:44 +0000

I’ve added a new color lens to Squidoo– Roses: Color Meaning and Symbolism. 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.

Honored as Squidoo Lens of the Day

Kate Smith — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:46:31 +0000

Each weekday Squidoo’s Editor in Chief, Megan Casey, highlights a lens that stands out from the crowd, a lens that is unique in topic, approach, personality, tools or timing and today it was my lens on Color Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology.

Thanks so very much Megan!