May 2, 2012

I hope my readers will forgive my taking a moment to vent. I love that there is more information available on the web concerning color psychology, when it is properly vetted and accurate. But I really dislike the propagation of information that is based on old information and urban legends. For example, the following article appeared on a graphic design website . It is attractively done and I am certain that these people mean well, are interested in educating others and are trying to show the importance of color, so please read the following copy and look for my comments at the end.

 

 

{BLUE} The color of peace and tranquility. It’s been stated that people are more productive in blue rooms. Although, be careful. It can cause feelings of sadness…we don’t want to cause people to have “A case of the Monday’s”. While blue can calm people, it can also decrease your appetite. People typically stay away from blue foods (aside from blueberries and plums)…blue is usually an indication that something has spoiled or is poisonous. If you want to eat less, eat off of a blue plate. 

{FUN BLUE FACT}: In Columbia, Blue is associated with soap. Yep, soap. Can’t get more random than that!

 Leatrice Eiseman says:

Love that you are promoting the use of color and helping to educate people about it, but sorry–there are no definitive studies about blue suppressing appetite. As matter of fact, blue china and dinnerware is a big seller all over the world, cobalt blue glasses and glass plates are very popular (think Williams Sonoma and Mexican glassware) so you would think there would lots of thin people as a result, whereas people are getting fatter, especially in U.S. That is an urban legend, especially when blue berry flavors are mixed in smoothies, drinks and with yogurts. There are blue potatoes now, blue corn chips, blue m&ms, blue sweet enticements on cakes and pastries. My advice is not to pick up on the old urban legends without checking more recent and credible info. I have written seven books on color, have three websites and a blog and am always looking at more current info to update the old legends that simply are no longer true.

 

One more point; as I point out in my books, not all blues speak of serenity. There are electric blues,that, just as the name implies, speak of excitement and high energy.