The Emotional Meaning of Color and How to Use it in Storytelling

Whether we are designing a character or describing a setting, color is a fantastic way to connect with an audience in a subtle yet meaningful way. There is an age-old belief that warm colors reflect a more positive and homey feeling while cool colors can range from relaxed to sadness. It's baked into our being to have a biased opinion about certain colors, so why not dig deeper for the sake of storytelling? While some of these breakdowns may not be surprising, they are handy to have on hand when you are in the middle of writing and want to know the symbolism behind the color blue. Use them to fuel your stories and allow them to give your story deeper and more impactful moments and characters.

The Color Wheel

While these are basic concepts that we may be familiar with, let's take a moment to review so we're all on the same page:

• Primary: the fundamental colors that all the other colors come from.

• Secondary: The equal mixing of two primary colors.

• Tertiary: The combination of primary and secondary colors.

• Complimentary: Colors directly opposite each other on a color wheel.

• Visually Similar: Colors close together on a color wheel.

• Contrasting: Colors further apart from each other on a color wheel.

• Warm Colors: Orange, Red, and Yellow

• Cool Colors: Purple, and Blue, Green

Color Symbolism

Note: This is just one interpretation of how certain colors are represented. They could mean something different from culture to culture.

While I love this chart from RMIT University's Color Theory 1 Section (highly recommended to check out if you want to pick apart colors), this is only the start of the conversation. Let's take a look at colors through the lens of popular yet strong emotions used in stories.

This is my personal favorite to pull out when I feel like my character is stuck in a rut. There are times that I have my characters laughing, smiling, or looking at each other's eyes more than a single story needs. When I take a look at these two charts, I'm able to get a feeling of my character's headspace and how I can use that to enhance the scene.

As cliche as it is quickly becoming to reference Pixar's Inside Out series, the characters in have as strong connection to their colors, and each color effects how the character moves in their world. Sadness is blue and anything she touches turns blue. Anytime an emotion touches the consol that controls Riley's emotions, it lights up that specific color. Even the environment of the memory dump is dark and lifeless, each memory forgotten fading away from a faded gray instead of the original color they had. Color is a part of life and should be expressed in our stories.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when thinking about color:

• What is my character's signature color/color scheme?

• What colors stand out in the scene and are they important to highlight?

• What is the feeling of the scene and which color(s) describes it best?

• Does my main character and side character have complementary colors or contrasting colors?

• Is there a deeper reason why you have chosen this specific color for this scene or character? Why or why not?

The theories on color do not end here. You can even take it a step further and connect it to the charkas or the various crystals and minerals that make up our planet. Take the time to do your own research about colors and what they mean to you in your life. You might learn more about yourself than you think. Until next time!

Helpful Reference Links:

• https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/pixar/color

• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/psychology-color-how-use-evoke-emotion-tacpoint/

• https://www.floweraura.com/blog/importance-of-colours-of-love-in-life#:~:text=As%20each%20colour%20represents%20a,and%20gentleness%2C%20and%20so%20on.

• https://rmit.pressbooks.pub/colourtheory1/chapter/colour-psychology-physiology/#:~:text=One%20of%20Jung's%20theories%20was,line%20between%20Thinking%20and%20Feeling.

• https://www.crayola.com/faq/another-topic/what-are-the-primary-colors/

• https://rmit.pressbooks.pub/colourtheory1/chapter/colour-psychology-physiology/#:~:text=One%20of%20Jung's%20theories%20was,line%20between%20Thinking%20and%20Feeling.

• https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/design/discover/secondary-colors.html#:~:text=Secondary%20colors:,and%20yellow%20will%20make%20green.

• https://www.accentbanner.com/blog/color-and-symbolism-part-1#:~:text=White%20is%20the%20symbol%20of,mortified%2C%20represents%20affliction%20and%20melancholy.

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who writes dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. Born as Angelica Cabrera, she is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA NYC, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. Crystal has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. While she tries to keep up with her social media accounts, the best way to get to know her is over a cup of tea or a good plate of food.