The Simple Life by Jan Zaremba
Cortex In Metallic Pastels by Greg Dunn
Neuroscience has given people a better understanding of why we perceive things a certain way. It helps us comprehend the emotional effect that art has on us. Art and science come together in consumer marketing. Based on a psychological study by Andrew Elliot at the University of Rochester, the color red evokes stronger and quicker responses from people. Red is the color that most effectively catches our attention and that our brain associates with danger, compelling us to take action. Sale signs are red because our attention is drawn toward the sign and the action it compels is the purchase of the product.
Red Sale Signs
Different colors evoke different emotions and prime our mind to think a certain way. Most people associate red with provocation, blue with security, purple with sophistication, green with health, yellow with warmth, orange with fun, brown with nature, black with prestige, and white with purity. This understanding allows artists to evoke specific emotions in their audience. Additionally, this information is used heavily in logo design and consumer marketing.
Works Cited
Dunn, Greg. "Gold Leaf." Greg A Dunn Design. Greg A Dunn. Web. 17 May 2015.
Elliot, Andrew J., and Henk Aarts. "Perception of the Color Red Enhances the Force and Velocity of Motor Output." Emotion 11.2 (2011): 445-49. Psycnet.apa.org. American Psychological Association. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://psycnet.apa.org/>.
Frank, Priscilla. "Neuroscience Art: Greg Dunn's Neurons Painted In Japanese Sumi-e Style (PHOTOS, INTERVIEW)." The Huffington Post 23 May 2012. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Web. 17 May 2015.
Khan, Humayun. "Why All Sale Signs Are Red: The Science of Color in Retail – Shopify." Shopify. Shopify, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 May 2015.
Williams, Ray. "Mind Control: Neuroscience in Marketing." Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 17 May 2015.
Wright, Angela. "Psychological Properties Of Colours." Psychological Properties Of Colours - Colour Affects. Angela Wright. Web. 17 May 2015.
Zaremba, Jan. "Sumi-e." Jan Zaremba. Jan Zaremba, 2010. Web. 17 May 2015.
Hey Roger,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was cool how you made a connection between the brain and the mind. Your example of color reminded me of a discussion of archetypes I learned about in AP Literature in high school. We talked about how colors were often used in literature to represent different symbols or emotions to readers and I wondered how those colors gained that significance in the first place. It was interesting to read that colors actually have a psychological significance and a connection to our minds. Now it seems the question is why do these colors have a psychological significance in the first place? Could there potentially be an evolutionary connection?
Hey Roger,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Dunn's artwork on neurons was incredibly beautiful; I like how his pastels made neurons look like a forest, which could be an analogy for how neurons actually work within a brain.
I like how your blog incorporated everyday life, such as shopping and how marketing uses colors to invigorate the brain. My blog post was similar to yours in that I talked about people with a certain neurological phenomenon called synesthesia are able to associate/see colors when looking, hearing, smelling, or tasting certain things (for example the letter A with the color yellow). However, between all of these people who have this condition (approximately on 4% of the population has it), the associations vary from person to person. I wonder how these people are different than the rest of the population who seem to all associate the same colors with the same feelings; like Justin, I also wonder how these colors came to mean what they do to the human psyche. As a science major, I feel like it could be explained by evolution, but the human brain is a very new subject that we are just starting to research and learn more about.