A Study of Colour Emotion and Colour Preference. Part I: Colour Emotions for Single Colours
Classifies emotional responses to single colors and models color emotion using color science.
Citation
Ou, L.-C., Luo, M. R., Woodcock, A., & Wright, A. (2004). A Study of Colour Emotion and Colour Preference. Part I: Colour Emotions for Single Colours. Color Research & Application, 29(3), 232–240.
Method
Psychophysical study of 31 British and Chinese observers, 20 colors, and ten scales.
Claims used
- Three factors of color emotion were activity, weight, and warmth. Warm–cool, heavy–light, active–passive, and hard–soft associations appeared relatively culture-independent.
- British and Chinese observers differed on tense–relaxed and like–dislike ratings.
Limitations: Only 31 observers from two countries.
Extracted principles
- Cool hues for large surfacesNot tested
For large colored areas, blue, blue-green, green, and blue-violet may be safer choices than yellow, yellow-green, or brown.
Color