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Jillian Ulrich

ENG 1201-513

Professor Bell

7 September 2019

Color Theory

There are many different colors that surround us each and every day. The

yellow, orange sun that rises in the morning, the bright green grass and leaves that are

outside, and even the light blue ocean that brings in powerful waves. Each of these

colors brings a different feeling to each individual. For as long as I can remember I have

always been intrigued by the color yellow. The color yellow is everywhere from school

busses, the bees outside, and even the sunshine that lights up the sky. I associate the

color yellow with happiness and freedom because of its vibrancy and range of shades.

When asking other members of my family, I heard their favorite colors were black,

white, and dark blue. I remember feeling confused when they said these colors because

they were dark and bland. I associate these colors with sadness and hurt. When I asked

my family why they picked those colors, my mom said that white made her feel calm

and that it had an innocence to it. My dad said that black made him feel in control and

that it gave him a sense of power and belonging. My little sister said that dark blue was

her favorite color because it reminded her of the sky when there was a storm rolling in

and of the fresh smell of rain. My curiosity led me to dig deep into why I associate those

colors in a negative way when others associate them in positive ways.

The topic of color theory puzzles me as I think of all the different ways in which

people perceive color and how it affects their daily life. I think that the brighter the color,
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the more attention it gets and the more people will want to buy it. People that see bright

colors are more interested in looking closely at the product and are less likely to walk

away without making a purchase. I feel that the darker the color, the less attention it

gets. I feel that people are scared of darker colors due to their mystery of emotions.

Black tends to be associated with depression or death, while dark blue is associated

with sadness. I believe that the more knowledge we have about color theory and the

lasting impression it has on individuals can be beneficial to the world. It can help prisons

reduce the amount of violence, help people who are struggling with depression, and can

help businesses that are trying to get people to purchase their product. I know that color

is all around us and can affect mental health. For example, most people experience

mood changes when the seasons change due to the lack of color and sunshine in the

winter.

There is still a lot to learn about color theory involving emotion, health, and

communication. The impact that color has on health is important to research because

there could potentially be health benefits from eliminating certain colors. I hope to

research this by finding mental health studies performed using colors at certain times of

the day and statistics that they have found. I hope to narrow my studies around

depression and patients with anxiety. Emotion is important to study in prisons because

they have a high risk of violence that needs to be contained in order for the inmates and

the staff to be safe. I plan to research this locating journals and studies that show

statistics without using certain colors and with certain colors. This way I can compare

and contrast the potential benefits or harms some colors may cause. Finally, I hope to

study the messages that each color sends and how it may affect businesses. I can
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research this by finding out why certain companies have chosen specific colors to

market their products. This will also prove that color does a lot to do with mentality and

that we need to fund more into this theory.