第1485期:The power of colour

Take five colours: red, black, blue, green and purple. How do they make you feel? It’s a question of supreme significance to designers and marketers. British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway explored this topic in a BBC radio programme about the psychology of colour. You can read a summary of his ideas below. Do you agree with him? Or do you think the meaning of colour depends on the culture you live in? 

取五种颜色：红色、黑色、蓝色、绿色和紫色。他们让你感觉如何？对于设计师和营销人员来说，这是一个至关重要的问题。英国时装设计师韦恩·海明威 (Wayne Hemingway) 在 BBC 广播节目中探讨了这个话题，讲述了色彩心理学。您可以在下面阅读他的想法摘要。你同意他吗？还是您认为颜色的含义取决于您所居住的文化？

Red is, of course, considered auspicious in China. But he points out that it’s a powerful colour wherever you go, with some serious scientific credentials. Studies have indicated that red “raises blood pressure”, and claim that it stands out from other colours thanks to its long wavelength. Hemingway says it appears to be “coming towards you”, and so is useful for emergency and alarm signs, and also to for conveying “urgency” in general. That’s why he thinks red sale posters seem to yell at us: “Quick, buy it now!”

当然，红色在中国被认为是吉祥的。但他指出，无论你走到哪里，它都是一种强大的颜色，具有一些严肃的科学依据。研究表明，红色“提高血压”，并声称由于其长波长，它从其他颜色中脱颖而出。海明威说它似乎“向你走来”，因此对于紧急情况和警报信号以及一般传达“紧迫性”也很有用。这就是为什么他认为红色促销海报似乎在对我们大喊：“快，现在就买！”

Black has a different sense. In the West it’s associated with death, but that hasn’t stopped it becoming a prestigious and mysterious colour. Hemingway says it’s the colour of luxury brands: things like “glossy black limousines” and “designer watches” are often black. He says it’s “very powerful and sophisticated when used as a primary colour in branding.” 

黑色有不同的感觉。在西方，它与死亡联系在一起，但这并没有阻止它成为一种有声望和神秘的颜色。海明威说这是奢侈品牌的颜色：“有光泽的黑色豪华轿车”和“名牌手表”之类的东西通常是黑色的。他说它“在品牌推广中用作原色时非常强大和复杂。”

Blue, by contrast, is cool and tranquil. The colour is a constant presence in our lives, says Hemingway, being the colour of the sky and the sea. That gives it an air of reliability, which makes it a firm choice with “banks and corporations”. Hemingway says this is also why emergency services often choose the colour. A blue uniform can, for example, indicate “the cool competence of a nurse”. 

相比之下，蓝色则凉爽而宁静。海明威说，颜色是我们生活中的永恒存在，是天空和大海的颜色。这赋予了它一种可靠的感觉，这使它成为“银行和公司”的坚定选择。海明威说，这也是紧急服务人员经常选择这种颜色的原因。例如，蓝色制服可以表示“护士的酷能力”。

Green is, unsurprisingly, the colour of nature and the environment. Marketers understand that giving a product green packaging creates the impression it is enviromentally friendly. But savvy customers are also aware of this – and now think twice before blindly swallowing environmental claims. Hemingway also says that green is the colour of growth and movement: it’s used to indicate ‘go’ on traffic lights.

毫不奇怪，绿色是自然和环境的颜色。营销人员明白，赋予产品绿色包装会给人以环保的印象。但精明的客户也意识到了这一点——现在在盲目接受环境声明之前要三思而后行。海明威还说绿色是成长和运动的颜色：它被用来表示交通信号灯上的“前进”。

Finally, we have purple, which is associated with valuable things. In the past, purple dye was expensive because it was very difficult to produce, and it became the colour worn by royalty in many Western countries. These days, companies still use purple to make their product seem more exclusive, whether they’re selling chocolate or cigarettes.

最后，我们有紫色，它与有价值的东西有关。过去，紫色染料因生产难度大，价格昂贵，成为许多西方国家皇室佩戴的颜色。如今，无论是销售巧克力还是香烟，公司仍然使用紫色来使他们的产品看起来更加独特。

词汇表

marketer 市场营销人员
auspicious 吉利的
credentials 凭据，依据
blood pressure 血压
to stand out 显眼
wavelength （光的）波长
urgency 紧迫性
prestigious 尊贵的，庄严的
luxury brand 奢侈品牌
glossy 有光泽的
designer 出自著名设计师的
sophisticated 有品味的，高雅的
tranquil 宁静的
an air of 一种…的氛围
competence 能力，水平
packaging （产品）包装
enviromentally friendly 利于环保的
savvy 有头脑的，机智的
to swallow 全盘接受
exclusive 高档奢华的