Let's celebrate yellow / 5 reasons why we all adore this color of joy and creativity

Colors have a strong but also subconscious effect on our everyday lives. During my design studies, studying color was our most demanding and time consuming subject. As a visual artist I was taught how to influence and effect others with my use of the color spectrum.

Yellow is the color of sunshine, joy, vitality, happiness and creativity. Yellow is bright and warm and often used for light, breezy and joyful subjects. When I think about yellow I think off sunshine, vacation… But this color is also symbol of courage an confidence, boosting energy and self esteem. And with a little hint of black, bright sunny yellow turns into a trendy mustard color. With a little touch of red, ochre. All gender neutral colors that are very popular right now.

1 // I love yellow personality
I personally never liked yellow. Up until last year I wouldn't use this color in my designs. Only a little hint every now and then. Now I create full yellow, mostly mustard colored, designs and I really love these shades of yellow, but still I would never add a 100% yellow color to my work. I still have this inexplicable aversion towards the bright yellow color. Maybe it is just a little too energetic, draws a little too much attention, and with this ingredient it is hard to balance out colors in a design too? According to spiritual studies the color represents our self worth and in stressful times can be too vibrant. The color always makes me feel a little agitated.

2 // Yellow & branding
Yellow has often been used as a signal color. Like red is used for caution, bright yellow is often used to stand out and bring attention to the subject too, think about urban signage or the numerous cabs that circle around Manhattan, they are easy to find since their color pops out. And what about post-it notes, a brilliant color to remind you of things to do. A great color for attention without the heaviness of danger. Yellow loves to talk and is a color that can speak for itself. It is not often used in logo design but if we think about yellow branding we all think about cheap, outlet companies. Can you come up with some?



3 // The color of creativity
Yellow also lifts our mood and increases brain activity if we are surrounded by the color. It is the color of new ideas, while activating us it puts the brain at work and can give us a new perspective, create new solutions. Yellow activates in al lot of ways.

4 // Yellow & food
Studies have shown that people that were eating in a yellow room would eat a lot more than in rooms that were painted in other colors. So maybe painting your dining room in a shade of yellow might not be a good idea if you want to watch your weight. I do not eat at fast food joints often, most of these 'restaurants' have yellow interiors to make you eat a little more. A clever way to generate more cash right? One of world's largest fast food joint is well know for it's screaming yellow logo. The go to place to stuff your face.

5 // Girls & boys
This year yellow has been making a come back in fashion design. Yellow is a perfect color for gender neutral interior accents and is perfect in fashion for both boys and girls. Right now ochre and mustard are two shades that are very trending in print and fashion and also two shades we love to work with. We have made an entire new mustard colored series for this summer season. Go shop for sunshine at Spoonflower.

Let's celebrate blue // 5 reasons why we all adore this color of strength and calm

Colors have a strong but also subconscious effect on our everyday lives. During my design studies, studying color was our most demanding and time consuming subject. As a visual artist I was taught how to influence and effect others with my use of the color spectrum.

Blue is the color that is most beloved color of the spectrum. It represents calm and piece and the color is often used for male related subjects all over the world. Blue relaxes and has a suiting and cooling effect in the soul. It's the color for inspiration and self exploration. It is the icy cold color that represents the winter season. Melancholia. With a little hint of yellow blue turns into a turquois that supports our spiritual senses and our road to awareness, confidence and self awareness. Studies have shown that when you are surrounded by blue, our minds are more clear and calm and there is more room for creativity. Good to know if you are in a creative profession like me. All though nowadays society sees blue as a gender related color, a color of masculinity and can be perceived as a cold, unemotional and unfriendly color. But there is a good reason to celebrate blue for all of us.

1 // I love blue personality
After blue, pink is the most beloved color of the spectrum. It works soothing and is associated with our masculine side. Is blue your favorite color? It will probably reflect in your personality. People that prefer blue over any other color are usually not very hot headed. They keep to themselves and are often creative, intuitive individuals. Do you have a need to be in charge and take control? Do friends see you as confident and creative?

2 // Blue & business
Are you the girl boss just like me? Do you have people working for you or are you manager in a big firm? Studies have shown that powerful woman wearing blue are seen as professional and formal. It might be a good color for negotiations and business meetings. But the color can also be perceived as cold and distant.

If you think about brands using blue for their logo you would probably come up with a lot of communication and tech related companies. A fresh blue is clean, classy and trustworthy, at least that is how most people perceive the color. Using a darker blue will give the brand credibility, it is often used for conservative brands that like to be taken seriously. A very formal color often used in finance and legal businesses. Blue is often used in medical professions too, nurses, dentists, and also often used for uniforms. There is no color to ease the nerves better than blue.



3 // The Blue City
As you might know, since I only mention it everywhere: I adore India. The city of Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City, is one of the sunniest and also warmest cities in Rajasthan. Most of the houses are painted in a fresh bright blue. Traditionally the color was used by the Brahmin caste who housed themselves in these blue homes to differentiate themselves from the other casts. Blue was considered to be the color of the psyche but nowadays these homes also serve the purpose of a tourist attraction and I must say it is a beautiful sight.

4 // The royal color
Blue pigments have a long rich history. Blue, the ultramarine pigment to be more precise used to be the most expensive pigment of the color spectrum during the Renaissance. The color was not easy to get therefore blue is related to wealth, it was an expensive and prestigious color in European paintings and was mostly used for Royalty. Blue was a difficult color to extract. During the same period our European blue got some competition from indigo. The brighter indigo pigment had to come all the way from India. Maybe you have heard of Delft Blue porcelain? Of course the blue porcelain came from Asia originally but it was only a matter of time before these pigments arrived at Europe's main ports and we were able to use blue in porcelain, decoration, fabrics and art too.

5 // Girls & boys
Of course whether it is subconsciously or because we were brought up in a world of pink and blue, we woman all feel a little more girly when we are dressed in pink and we choose a soft blue for our little boys nursery since it represents masculinity. Soft shades of blue calm the mind and improve concentration. A great color for your little boys room. But personally I think we now are at a point in time when we all want to let go of the little girl boy box too.

Let's celebrate pink / 5 reasons why we all adore this color of positivity and optimism

Colors have a strong but also subconscious effect on our everyday lives. During my design studies, studying color was our most demanding and time consuming subject. As a visual artist I was taught how to influence and effect others with my use of the color spectrum.

Pink is the color of compassion, optimism and love. Pink is soft and warm and often used for feminine related subjects. With a little hint of red this is a passionate color that will give you a calm balanced energy and triggers positivity. Studies have shown that when you are surrounded by pink, negative influences have lower impact. All though nowadays society sees pink as a gender related color, a color of feminism and romance, there is a good reason to celebrate pink for all of us.

1 // I love pink personality
After blue, pink is the most beloved color of the spectrum. It works soothing and is associated with our nurturing side. Is pink your favorite color? It will probably reflect in your personality. People that prefer pink over any other color are usually a little more sensitive to the needs of others. Do you have a need to protect and take care of others? Do friends see you as warm and easy to approach? The color represents a nurturing part in us.

2 // Pink & branding
Pink logo's are usually made for feminine businesses. Such as beauty parlors and massage salons, fashion brands and glossy magazines. To attract more female clients this is the color to use for your brand. It is soft, warm and open. A good combination to attract people to your business. To add a little more professionalism and sophistication pink is usually combined with a strong gray or black. To keep it light, youthful and fresh, on younger female market, pink is usually mixed with whites and pastels that enhance the softer side of the color.



3 // The color of motherhood
It is impossible to give birth to a daughter an not receive pink gifts. But even though we see pink as a female gender color match, it is the softness, warmth and nurturing effect that drives us to make things pink. It might be why pink is mostly represented on the market even though blue is the most favored one.

4 // pink & business
Are you the girl boss just like me? Do you have people working for you or are you manager in a big firm? Studies have shown that powerful woman wearing pink are seen as more approachable, warm and calm. Most female CEO's wear strong colors and are seen as superior.

5 // Girls & boys
Of course whether it is subconsciously or because we were brought up in a world of pink, we woman all feel a little more girly when we are dressed in pink or decorate our house with a hint of pink in there. But I personally think we now are at a point in time when we all want to let go of the little girl boy box too. Woman might be a little warmer, softer and maybe have an instinct to nurture, all of that is also part of men. And no, not only gay people have a softer side there. Pink is not a color to separate from gender. Think about all the romantic gestures that are related to love and also marriage, pink is also a color of romance that brings people together. Embrace the softer side.

Fun fact: traditionally pink was a color used for boys in Belgium

Pink has been a girl-only color for a long time but there is a more conscious trend going around. We all have the need to get back to nature, eat more healthy, purify our lives, consume less. So if we talk about pink it is usually from the nurture point of view. Do consumers really want pink for there girls or are we taught to choose pink over any other color? Pink will be battling between nature and nurture. But it is good to see a blossoming gender neutral market. Even in our business we see a growing demand on gender neutral themes and colors.



But what if you don't like pink?
Usually a strong reaction on color comes from a subconscious level. Of course you can dislike a color but if you really feel like you hate the color pink it might relate to a disbalance within. Did you grow up in a safe environment where you felt nurtured and taken care of? Do you woman feel feminine?

I never necessarily liked pink much and if I see it from a psychological point of view, yes this strong reaction might have something to do with me on a more personal level. I see that designer colleagues and friends that run there own businesses all have a little thing against this crazy popular color. Is it because it is forced on us woman to relate with everything pink? Or are we out of touch with our feminine side? Or just quirky designers that take a prefer a different approach?

Nevertheless pink works for me personally but also in our Little Smilemakers design business. Our pink designs are most popular, people are crazy for pink! And working on a market for new borns is kind of awesome. Yes, that triggers our warm, motherly sides too. I wonder if you can relate to this topic. Do leave a comment if you have something to say about this topic.