Thursday, December 17, 2009

Neutral Colours - WHITE, GREY, BLACK, BEIGE & BROWN

The theory states that neutral colours are neither cold nor warm. But last time this term is used to speak about particular colours - black, gray, beige and brown. Neutral colours are considered to be exquisite, because in their use the main accent us made to design, cut or architecture. Neutral colours don't distract attention. People pay attention to texture and content.

Great amount of neutral colours are good for use in spacious rooms. They are good by themselves and in combination with other colours. They perfectly suit for background, as they intensify main colour - that's why black is often used with red. Another example is Indian jewelry of silver and turquoise (gray and blue).

WHITE

White colour, i.e. complete absence of pigment, is usually associated with purity, chastity, novelty, peace and innocence, and with high quality too.

Though white, formally, is complete absence of pigment, it has a great variety of hues. If we paint one surface blue-white and the other yellow white, the difference will be obvious. The first hue reminds mountain glaciers, the second reminds sea pearls. However, every hue of white is associated with simplicity. White colour is a classic choice for all times.

However, white colour may arouse negative associations - white lie, white elephant, and white flag of defeat. Overuse white colour and you'll get the feeling of sterility and hospital atmosphere. If you use white without any accents or adornments, your costume may seem cheap and primitive like white plastic cups and plates. If you painted your bathroom cold blue-white you will hardly get warm even under hot shower. White also possess a very useful property of visual space extension.

GRAY COLOUR

Gray is a classic neutral colour. It reflects all the colours and non of them dominates in it. It is a perfect colour for background. It is moderately conservative, traditional and speaks about intelligence.

To smooth over the neutrality of gray you can make it "warm" by adding a bit red or yellow, or "cool" it by adding green or blue.

In nature warm gray is found in granite, cold gray - in slates. Modern technology achievements allow getting gray with pink or lavender hues, and hundreds of other interesting colours. Silver, metallic gray, speaks about wealth. Dark gray is an indispensable attribute of a serious businessman.

Does gray send any negative signals? Very few.

Gray colour may seem old, dull and uninteresting. But in combination with other neutral or bright colours gray looks strong, energetic, exquisite and beautiful.

BLACK

Black colour is traditionally associated with elegance, exquisiteness and sexuality. It's the main colour in modern lives of women leaving in a city. It's very often that women have a black dress on for business meetings. For any official reception a black smoking and a little black dress is an all-prize lottery. Black underwear looks very sexy.

Black is also connected with danger. It's a colour of night and death, witchcraft, illegal actions (black market), exile (black list) and expulsion (black sheep). In proverbs and sayings black colour is often associated with fear, anger and depression. Black colour provokes towards confrontation and breaking prohibitions.

Among artists - couturiers and designers - black colour has gained popularity long ago, as it has always spoken about breaking rules and regulations. Very soon it's appeared that black bad enough to be good.

We see teenager gangs in the streets all dressed in black. They send visual signal saying that they don't want to belong to society. It's funny, but black is rapidly turning from the sign of an outcast into a sign of belonging to society. It happens not only because black has come into fashion and been considered exquisite, but due to its incredible easement. Black perfectly matches other colours - and what else does a modern man or woman need?

Today you may find almost any object of black colour - from little cocktail dress to porcelain and children's T-shirts. Black always speaks about power, authority and exquisite taste. It is a totally safe choice.

BEIGE AND BROWN

Traditionally, brown colour was considered to be strong and energetic, but not as strong as black, red or white. Brown is considered more informal than black or red. It's a perfect choice if you want to create confidence. Brown and beige are a good for men to relax. Khaki trousers and brown leather arm-chair suit perfectly for rest.

Beige and brown are a combination of several colours. You can 'warm' by adding more red, as in terracotta, or 'cool' it by adding green, as in khaki. In a word, these colours are able to produce a variety of reactions in people.

Brown is perceived as a very natural colour. Brown and beige are very often to find in nature - wood, bamboo, send, sisal, autumn leaves. The list is almost endless. The colours of mahogany, chocolate, coffee, camel, chestnut also refer to brown and beige.

We perceive brown as the colour of soil and forest, the colour of home and heart - home-made bread and cookies have brown hue. In a word, brown tones soothe and create trust.

http://psy.rin.ru/eng/article/214-101.html

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