Coloring Book

For this assignment I chose to research more in depth about color and design. When we learned in class that the color blue makes people less hungry, it got me thinking what other effects certain colors have on people. In design, this correlation could be pretty significant. If McDonald's had blue arches, would they still be as big as they are today? I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I never really paid attention to the different color pallets that businesses use. I'm interested in finding more information on the effects of certain colors and then seeing what correlation there is in the real world.

1. Baker-Miller Pink
http://www.colormatters.com/body_pink.html
This article talks about how Baker-Miller Pink (similar to bubble gum pink) is used to calm down upset prisoners. Dr. Alexander Schauss was the first to do research on this effect and he found that even if prisoners tried to be aggressive in a Baker-Miller Pink room, they couldn't. The pink trumped their emotions and calmed them down. Schauss even found that putting angry color blind prisoners in these rooms calmed them down too. This phenomenon must be a hit because Iowa and Colorado State used to paint the visitor's football locker rooms this color, hoping that it would make the other team less aggressive. Because of this, there is now a rule that the home and visitor locker rooms have to be painted the same color. I wonder if this is why Pepto Bismal products are a similar pink......no one wants to be angry when they're having diarrhea.

2. Red and Blue
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/02/05/color-can-affect-how-people-think-and-act
In this article, a study of about 700 students was conducted to see the effects that color plays. The participants had to complete detail-oriented and creative tasks on either a red, blue or white computer screen background. Those students who had a blue background did better with the creative tasks. And those students who had a red background did better on the detail-oriented tasks which consisted of proofreading or memory tasks. Researches support this data with the theory that when we see red, we think of ambulances, fire and emergencies which makes us attentive. On the other hand, when we see blue, we think of the sky and water which keeps us calm and allows us to be more creative.

3. Color Psychology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology
On this page, the color of placebo pills is discussed. Research shows that "hot-colored" placebo pills are more suited for stimulants and "cool" colored pills are better for depressants. It also talks about how in 2000 blue street lights were installed throughout different neighborhoods and it was found that the amount of crime reduced. In general color plays a big role on people's moods but for the most part, people tend to prefer hues in the blue range the most.

4.  Yellow
http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/color_yellow.htm
My favorite color is yellow so I decided to research the psychological effect of this color. According to this website, yellow is bright and cheery. However, yellow fatigues the eye the most due to the amount of light reflected. Yellow can also cause people to become agitated and frustrated. Babies tend to cry more in a room that is painted yellow. Don't paint your nursery yellow! Yellow can also increase metabolism and is the most attention-getting color because it is so bright.

5. Color Matters
http://www.ehow.com/about_5273168_color-affect-mood.html
Like the other articles, this one covers a broad amount of material focusing on the effects that colors play. Something interesting I found was that certain color can cause mistakes. There was a study done where people had to perform tasks under green, blue, white, orange and red lights. Those performing under the blue and green lights did much worse. Another study was done where participants were given a green colored juice that was actually cherry or strawberry juice. The participants could not identify the odor of the drink because the color didn't match. Maybe next time I should have my mom paint the fish she cooks before I eat it so I can't identify what it is.