That Yellow Thing ...
Maybe it's because it's freakin' cold outside and I'm desperately longing for warmer temperatures, but when given this assignment, I immediately thought of the color yellow. It's not surprising, really, given that yellow is frequently associated with the color of happiness, optimism, enlightenment, and energy, and I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. (Well, aside from the fact that I'm doing homework. I digress.)
It's not all sunshine, though. It also represents deceit and cowardice -- think the old phrase "yellow belly." It also represents danger and caution. For example, yellow is often used for traffic lights and signs, and even for police tape. And if you're a soccer fan, there's the yellow card. You don't want that.
It is eye-catching, and there's a reason for that: It's the first color the eye absorbs certainly, but its use should be used with caution.
Yellow comes in a range of shades. Graphiclouds.com has created several grids presenting the myriad ranges of colors. Below is its grid for yellow:
It can be hard on the eyes when used improperly in print and Web design, however. Take for example, this sentence. That wasn't very easy to read, was it? It should therefore be used with careful consideration of backgrounds and with complementary colors.
Note the various use of yellow throughout the design elements on this Web page -- for example, its combination with blue in the header as well as its use with hot pink in the examples below. See how the thickness of the font comes into play as well. What examples do you think are the most successful?
Uses, Audiences, Responses ...
According to ColorMatters.com, because yellow is the most luminous of the colors, it captures attention more than any other. So it's no surprise that it appears for similar reasons in various cultures, in particular for traffic signals to convey caution. And in almost every culture, yellow represents sunshine, happiness, and warmth.
Still, there are differences among cultures:
- In China it represents honor and royalty.
- In Russia, a colloquial expression for an insane asylum was once "yellow house."
- Marigold yellow may be associated with death in some areas of Mexico.
- Similarly, in Egypt, yellow is used for mourning.
- In Japan, yellow is a sign of courage.
In physiological terms, the color yellow connotes death. Nautilus notes that yellow represents the "signs of decay and putrefaction in the human body: respiratory secretions, jaundice, skin disease, vomit, and bile. All these signals of bodily disintegration can present as sickly, noxious yellow."
Yellow should therefore be used with care. Before incorporating it in your design, consider things like the tone of the actual shade. Too much green can lend a sickly cast. Further, users should consider the culture of the targeted audience. What represents joy and optimism to you can represent death to another.
Some Sites Incorporating Yellow ...
Awwwards.com and Web Design Ledger have excellent assortments of websites whose designs make creative use of the color yellow. Some favorites:
- La Moulade introduces yellow on its home page, but it is its services page that really shines.
- Daniel Martin is a website designer who uses yellow as the background for his entire website.
- Creative Spark, in the United Kingdom, is more subtle in its approach, incorporating yellow in its textual design elements rather than in large sections.
- Amnesty International also uses yellow prominently.
- And, of course, there's the refreshing Lipton Iced Tea site.