BLACK. Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, subst ance. Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that a re considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy co ming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Black is essentially an abse nce of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menaci ng; many people are afraid of the dark. Positively, it communicates absolute cla rity, with no fine nuances. It communicates sophistication and uncompromising ex cellence and it works particularly well with white. Black creates a perception o f weight and seriousness. It is a myth that black clothes are slimming: Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it m akes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion expert s say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black. GREY. Positive: Psychological neutrality. Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy. Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. A virtual absence of colour is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation. Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on o ther colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confide nce and fear of exposure. WHITE. Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistica tion, efficiency. Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism. Just as black is total absorption, so white is total reflection. In effect, it r eflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also creates barri ers, but differently from black, and it is often a strain to look at. It communi cates, "Touch me not!" White is purity and, like black, uncompromising; it is cl ean, hygienic, and sterile. The concept of sterility can also be negative. Visua lly, white gives a heightened perception of space. The negative effect of white on warm colours is to make them look and feel garish. Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion becaus e it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility. Red The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breath ing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the weare r appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help peop le in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furnitu re should be perfect since it will attract attention.

RED. Physical Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement. Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain. Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic light s the world over. Its effect is physical; it stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is. It relates t o the masculine principle and can activate the "fight or flight" instinct. Red i s strong, and very basic. Pure red is the simplest colour, with no subtlety. It is stimulating and lively, very friendly. At the same time, it can be perceived as demanding and aggressive. PINK. Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, s urvival of the species. Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness. Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it soothes, rather tha n stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only colour that has an entirely separa te name for its tints. Tints of blue, green, yellow, etc. are simply called ligh t blue, light greenetc.) Pink is a powerful colour, psychologically. It represen ts the feminine principle, and survival of the species; it is nurturing and phys ically soothing. Too much pink is physically draining and can be somewhat emascu lating. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes pai nt the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will l ose energy. BLUE. Intellectual. Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm. Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness. Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mental ly, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulat e clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration . Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear comm unication. Blue objects do not appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research, blue is the world's favourite colour. However, it can be per ceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly. The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It c auses the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to p roduce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews be cause it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies s how weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. GREEN. Balance Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reas surance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation. Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of ba

lance - a more important concept than many people realise. When the world about us contains plenty of green, this indicates the presence of water, and little da nger of famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level. Negatively, it can indicate stagnation and, incorrectly used, will be perceived as being too bland. Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing col or. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals ofte n use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck. YELLOW. Emotional Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, f riendliness, creativity. Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide . The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating. In this ca se the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the strongest colour, psycholo gically. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the c olour of confidence and optimism. Too much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety. Our "yellow streak" can surface. Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimist ic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be ov erpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal p ads. It also speeds metabolism. Purple The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can ap pear artificial. VIOLET. Spiritual Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority. The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is h ighly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It has asso ciations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality. Bein g the last visible wavelength before the ultra-violet ray, it has associations w ith time and space and the cosmos. Excessive use of purple can bring about too m uch introspection and the wrong tone of it communicates something cheap and nast y, faster than any other colour. BROWN. Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support. Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication. Brown usually consists of red and yellow, with a large percentage of black. Cons equently, it has much of the same seriousness as black, but is warmer and softer . It has elements of the red and yellow properties. Brown has associations with

the earth and the natural world. It is a solid, reliable colour and most people find it quietly supportive - more positively than the ever-popular black, which is suppressive, rather than supportive. Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light bro wn implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors. ORANGE. Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundan ce, fun. Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity. Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds o n issues of physical comfort - food, warmth, shelter etc. - and sensuality. It i s a 'fun' colour. Negatively, it might focus on the exact opposite - deprivation . This is particularly likely when warm orange is used with black. Equally, too much orange suggests frivolity and a lack of serious intellectual values.