Homer Simpson once called the Blue Man Group a rip-off of “The Smurfs.” On “Arrested Development,” hapless actor Tobias Funke, played by David Cross, dreamed of becoming a Blue Man and painted himself their signature shade. Then they were featured in Intel commercials.

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But have you ever wondered why they chose blue?

From an interview with Michael Quinn, the Artistic Director for The Blue Man Group, here is one of the questions:

Interviewer: Your overall identity at your site and in promotional materials revolves around the color blue. Why was blue originally chosen to be the skin color of the men?

Michael Quinn: Blue just felt right on all counts. All other colors had some sort of connotation that we didn’t want. Green was alien or Martian, and it represents envy. Red is angry or has socio-political connections. Black and white have racial connotations. Yellow is jaundiced and sickly. Blue was perfect. It represents serenity, calmness. It represents water, the stuff of life. It is neutral, vibrant, and simple.

Read the entire interview ~ "Notes on Design"

Feature Image Credit: Galeria de Léo Pinheiro - Picasa [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Read Time: 2 min
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Kate Smith
Kate Smith is an optimistic, expressive, artist, designer, writer and color fanatic. With her warm and witty style, Kate teaches you to clearly see, understand and be inspired by color. Then she guides you step-by-step to develop your own unique color sense-ability and achieve results you never dreamed possible.
  • What a memorable experience it was for us! This was my family’s second time to see Blue Man Group. Audience participation was great. Imagine getting your point across to so many people without speaking – incredible.

    • Kate Smith says:

      That sounds like an amazing experience, Michelle. I have only seen Blue Man Group on television but must go to see them live one day.

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