Ever wonder why....

Why is a barber pole red and white? A study says that the red and white stripes are symbolic of bandages; white to represent the clean, and red to represent the blood-soaked. However, many believe the other theory, that goes further back to medieval times, that the red and white stripes represent the bandages used during bloodletting. During those times, you wouldn't just go to your barber for a hair cut and a shave, but they would also perform tooth extractions, surgeries and bloodletting. Bloodletting was a historically practiced medical procedure which involved removing a set amount of blood from the veins of a patient for therapeutic purposes. It is still retained, in an abstract sense, in the form of phlebotomy, the drawing of blood for the purposes of analysis. Now you know!

Ever wonder why....

Have you ever wondered why most pencils are the remote and unchanged color of yellow? Well, not only does yellow stimulate mental process and activate the memory, but also because back in the 1800's, the best graphite in the world came from China. During the 1890's, American pencil makers wanted to have their own special way of letting the world know that their pencils contained the finest Chinese graphite, so, in honor of China, they made their pencils yellow. Yellow is the color of loyalty and respect in China, so they were very pleased with this gesture.

Trichromats - Humans have three kinds of color receptor cells, or “cones” -  in their eyes. Each type of cone contains a different visual pigment. These three cone types are called "red", "green" and "blue." Therefore we are “trichromats” (tri = 3, chroma = color).

Tricromats - Some animals, for example bees, have three types of cones. Two of the cones are sensitive to "human visible" wavelengths. The third cone is sensitive to colors in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum.
This cone enables them to see colors that humans can’t see.

Tetrachromats - Most bird species (that have been studied) have at least four types of cones. They are "tetrachromats." Recent studies have confirmed tetrachromacy in some fish and turtles. It has been suggested that some women are also tetrachromats. One study suggested that 2-3% of the world's women may have the kind of fourth cone that gives a significant increase in color differentiation.

Dichromats - Many animals have only two kinds of cones in their eyes. They are known as “dichromats.” It’s worth noting that the color-sensing pigment in these cones may be weak. Therefore, an animal - for example a dog - probably sees very weak colors.

[information found on http://www.post-gazette.com]

How favorite colors differ in gender and age groups.

As you can see, in this group, the favorite color was blue. This is typical, yet ironic, as the color blue is associated with sadness and depression.Though, when we separate the graphs by gender, some interesting results surface.

Here we can see that the color purple was eliminated from the male color chart. Interesting enough, purple is associated with nobility and loyalty, which are usually two things that males like to flaunt about oneself.  But let's take a look at what kind of differences age groups will apply to our results. It is also notable that on the male chart, you will notice a 9% for black, 2% for white, and 3% for gray, all of which technically aren't colors. On the female chart, we can see a 6% for black, 1% for white, and 0% for gray. This may relate to a scientific study, stating that human eye picks up on 3 different colors (and creates millions of hues and variations of) the colors red, blue and green. This study shows that the genes to create copious amounts of hues for red and green lay on the X chromosome, which woman have 2 of. In some cases, certain woman will have the ability to see a lot more red than green, or a lot more green than red. This may describe why some men favor duller shades and tints, such as black, white or gray.

It appears that the liking of the color green decreases with age, as the color purple increases. Blue remains always being a favorite. It is said that older people tend to favor the color white, as it is associated with a sense of comfort and sterility.



[research charts and information found on http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html]

I thought it might be fun to have people take this quiz, and see how much of the information I have posted has been absorbed...


click !

I am very interested to see the scores of my friends and peers.

Eastern world color comprehension:

Marriage: White and Pink are favorite just as in the western world.

Green: Eternity, Family, Harmony, Health, Peace, Posterity

Happiness: Red.

Helpful:  Gray

Wealth: Blue, Gold and Purple

White: Children, Helpful people, Marriage, Mourning, Peace, Purity, Travel
Gold: Strength, Wealth

Evil or Saddness: Just like in the western world: Black.

BLACK

Power, Sexuality, Sophistication, Formality, Elegance, Wealth, Mystery, Fear, Evil, Unhappiness, Secrecy, Depth, Style, Evil, Sadness, Remorse, Anger, Anonymity, Underground, Technical, Mourning, Death.

Dark humor, or black humor, is considered morbid or unhealthy gloomy humor.

WHITE

Reverence, Purity, Birth, Simplicity, Cleanliness, Peace, Humility, Precision, Innocence, Youth, Winter, Snow, Good, Sterility, Marriage

In western cultures, white symbolizes death.
In Eastern cultures, white symbolizes cold and clinical.

GRAY

Security, Reliability, Intelligence, Staid, Modesty, Dignity, Maturity, Solid, Conservative, Practical, Old age, Sadness, Boring.
SILVER symbolizes calm.

In England, Gray is spelled Grey.

BROWN

Earth, Stability, Hearth, Home, Outdoors, Reliability, Humility, Poverty, Comfort, Endurance and Simplicity.

During medieval times, peasants and common folk wore brown, because it represented poverty and plainness, and was also among the cheapest of color dyes.

GREEN

Nature, Enviroment, Healthy, Good luck, Renewal, Youth, Spring, Generosity, Fertility, Jealousy, Inexperience, Envy, Misfortune, Vigor, Money,

In ancient Greece, Green symbolized victory.

ORANGE

Energy, Balance, Enthusiasm, Warmth, Vibrant, Expansive, Flamboyant, Demanding of attention.

It is said that the brain absorbs more oxygen when seeing the color orange.

PURPLE

Royalty, Nobility, Spirituality, Ceremony, Mysterious, Transformation, Wisdom, Enlightenment, Cruelty, Arrogance.
LAVENDER symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance.

According to color theory, it is said that a child's imagination development will be boosted by painting the walls of their room purple.

BLUE

Peace, Tranquility, Cold, Calm, Stability, Harmony, Unity, Trust, Truth, Confidence, Conservatism, Security, Cleanliness, Order, Loyalty, Sky, Water, Technology, Depression
TURQUOISE symbolizes calm. LIGHTER TURQUOISE has a feminine appeal

The color blue is an appetite suppressant.

YELLOW

Joy, Happiness, Betrayal, Optimism, Idealism, Imagination, Hope, Sunshine, Summer, Gold, Philosophy, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Jealousy, Deceit, Illness, Hazard and Friendship.

In Egypt and Burma, the color yellow signifies mourning.

PINK

Love and Romance, Caring, Acceptance, Tenderness and Calm.

Though many mistake pink to be it's own color, it is actually a tint of red.

RED

Excitement, Energy, Love, Passion, Desire, Speed, Strength, Power, Heat, Aggression, Danger, Fire, Blood, War, Violence.

Red is also the most attractive color to the human eye. Objects that are red can appear bigger than they actually are, which can make this an unflattering color to wear.

Color Symbolism - The Use of a color to convey a certain feeling or meaning.


Color symbolism is part of the giant lexicon of essential knowledge in the graphic design and advertising world. The meaning behind colors often vary from culture to culture. For example, did you know that in a lot of Asian countries the color of mourning is actually lavender as opposed to black? Did you know that, in India, a bride to be will not select a white wedding dress, instead she will be wed in yellow. A woman in China will be wed in red.


A lot of advertising companies use color symbolism as well. Did you know, that Dunkin' Donuts chose the colors pink and orange to convey "fast" and "cheap" ?
 There are endless facts, opinions, and factors that I plan to explore within the posts of this blog. Please stay tuned for more!