Hello colour lover!

Mother Nature has been in hibernation for the past several months and she’s now waking up and bursting into a glorious show of colour. Yellow just sings of spring for me and so this month I’m sharing with you 5 fun fact about the colour yellow!

1. Yellow is the most visible colour in daylight

Now this would of course would be one of the bright, vibrant yellows not your mustards or saffrons.

Those famous yellow taxis we see in the US, apparently a John D. Hertz decided to painted his yellow based on a University of Chicago study which suggested yellow was the most easily seen colour at a distance. You’d have to agree, they are easy to spot. And come to think of it so are those yellow school buses and those golden arches from a well known fast food chain.

2. The many ways to describe the colour Yellow

There are so many ways we describe the colour yellow. You’ll probably notice the names all pretty much come from nature. Names like sunshine yellow, buttercup, cream, daffodil, ochre, magnolia, straw, saffron, mustard and lemon just to name a few. Can you think of any others?

3. Yellow pigment is as old as time

Before the Industrial Age when colours could be artificially created, the only yellow pigments available came from the ground. One of the oldest pigments is yellow ochre. This pigment has been used since prehistoric times found in cave paintings and is still in use today.   

4. Colour in culture Yellow

It’s fascinating how yellow can have such different significance depending on the country. This is known as colour in culture or colour symbolism.

For example, yellow is associated with pornography in China. It is also the colour of emperors. It is the colour of mourning and sadness in Egypt because of its close association with gold, which represents eternal life. In Europe, it is the colour of cowardice, weakness and betrayal. Specifically, in Germany and France, it is the colour of jealousy.

Yellow certainly seems to get a bit of a bad rap when it comes to cultural meanings. Thankfully next you’ll see there is a happier side to this delightful hue.

5. The psychology of Yellow

Colour is an amazing phenomenon that has the ability to change how we think, feel and react in an instant.

The colour yellow, despite it seemingly not having any positive cultural meanings (see point above), when it comes to the psychology of colour it’s the colour of happiness. You only have to think about how you feel when the sun is shining? Happy, spirits uplifted?

It gives us a boost, helping us to feel more confident, positive and optimistic. Yellow can boost our self-esteem. Just remember, a little is often enough.

Want to learn more?

Head over to buy The Little Book of Colour where you can find out How to Use the Psychology of Colour to Transform your Life.

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You can also download the First Chapter of The Little Book of Colour for free.

Want to find new ways to bring colour into all areas of your life? Then The Colour Club might be just what you’re looking for.

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Wishing you a colourful day!
Karenx

Image credits

Daffodils – Karen Haller
Yellow Taxi on Unsplash
Many names for Yellow – Karen Haller
Mountains –  Tobias Keller on Unsplash
Yellow rose – Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash
Sunshine – shutterstock