Communicating with Yellow
/Some time ago I started a series communicating with color to highlight the strong psychological influence color has on our mood. When it comes to color, we often grow up with a learned set of rules. There was a time when redheads were told never to wear pink or red, or blondes were told never to wear yellow. And truth be told, because my skin has such gold, yellow undertones, I have always been cautious about wearing yellow, particularly when it comes to yellow make-up or nail polish. This summer, I've been taking notice of the yellow nail polish trend. I absolutely love the way it looks on dark skin tones, but never thought I could pull it off. Well, never say never, right? Because I recently decided to try a shade of yellow, and found one I was really happy with (see below). It's a strong yellow, and doesn't blend in with or wash out my skin tone. I'm glad that I've been able to move beyond "color typing" and experiment a little. Color typing is when we rely on a set of ideal rules that govern our color choices and interferes with our individuality and creative expression. Really, we don't have to be limited to an ideal set of colors, as there are a range of factors (e.g.,cultural, physiological, environmental) that influence our perception of color. And as you may recall from my last post in this series, colors can communicate different messages depending on the context, and even the shade. Of course yellow is no exception. Yellow is often thought of as an uplifting, happy color. But used too much, it can be stressful and lead to frustration and anger. It also evokes creativity or originality, and is best used as an accent color designed to stimulate the senses but not overload them.
If you're thinking of using yellow in your home or outfit, you can incorporate some global inspired yellow wallpaper for a well-traveled feel like this Aphrochic wallpaper, or wear yellow suede shoes for a cheerful, yet glamorous look as shown here by socialite Olivia Palermo. You can even paint your walls bright yellow if you you're looking for high excitement like this room designed by Nick Olsen, but just make sure you and your guests can handle the stimulation. See these and more ways to use yellow below.
communicating with yellow_edited7
