The Psychology of Colour: How Colours Control Emotions & Decisions (Live Class)

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:01]All right, good evening everyone and welcome to this evening's live class.

[00:00:08]Um I'm glad to have you back this training this evening and um if you can hear me as usual I would like to just have you uh drop reactions and let me know that you can actually hear me. All right. So, and we'll just wait for like one or two more minutes while we allow people to join us fully and then we will just go straight into today's class. All right. Um today's you know u teaching is actually one of such that you should not uh miss at all and if you have been following us hope in the last series of you know lectures that we've had or teachings or training like you may deem fit to call it. Um you will notice that we have been coming from a long way and we can't afford to just have a break or complete uh switch to another topic and we've been talking extensively about color. All right. And um it will be nice that you just stay tuned and then enjoy today's class. Um previous classes that we held we talk about color color wheel we talk about color generally and today is an amazing topic that we have ahead of us and that is color psychology. It will be nice to have you on board to enjoy this uh topic. So please if you can hear me I would just like you to drop reactions and let me know that you can hear me and um you can equally drop nice emojis and I will be encouraged with that you know to know that people can hear me this evening. So please just drop all those reactions nice reactions and uh we'll be fine to move on. I would like to welcome those that are joining this class for the first time. If this is your first time of joining this class, please um you are welcome. A big shout out to you.

[00:02:21]And equally um welcoming those that are returning, you know, those that have been our students for a long while. This is an academy that is set to change your life, change your destiny, and change everything that has to do with you. You will have a new life, a new definition of your existence and obviously and honestly speaking uh you can't go through this academy and then you will regret it. So please welcome on board and we will be talking about uh the color psychology and this has put a lot of people into serious issues you know out there when it comes to uh the game of color in graphics design and u if you just get it wrong you are not going to be turning out designs that are amazing or catchy and you'll be having a lot of issues you know uh out there. So, please um like I said, don't forget to drop your reactions. I would like to have them and then that will really really uh be nice to know that you can all email me. All right, so let's kickstart the topic for today and that is color psychology.

[00:03:38]All right, that is color psychology. Uh before I go into a brief definition of what psych color psychology is, I would like to bring this funny joke of uh how someone told me that there are certain colors that you don't wear uh before a bull or a cow you'll be attacked.

[00:04:01]One of those colors is color red. The moment you are putting on anything colored and you come in front of a cow.

[00:04:09]Well, if they are if the cow is in the good mood at the point that you were around, you may be lucky to have escaped it. But in most cases, you know, they will attack you and color red for them means like you are bringing blood to them and they will just react with everything in them. H that is fine. Then another thing that again that I want to talk about before I kick into the uh you know the definition of what color psychology is. I remember how in Africa here I know there are people joining us from all over the world. So I would like to be particular about where I'm talking about in Africa, Nigeria to be precise.

[00:04:50]When you lose someone, uh it is customary, it is culture that the woman will shave her hair and then possibly put on black, especially if she's a young, you know, woman. And I think that the same thing goes for older woman anyway, she will put on black. So in Africa, black symbolizes money. It symbolizes bad thing has happened and it throws everyone into that you know state of worry and then of concern that you have lost something important to you.

[00:05:25]And equally I remember while I was in school I had this professor that was always putting on white and people were like oh you must have belonged to one cult or the other. The truth of the matter is that color has a way of playing with our sense, has a way of playing with the way we feel, the way we react to things, the way we act, and also the way we react to things. Like I said earlier, all right, so we will be doing extensive exposition about color psychology. I want you to give it your all. Color is life like I always say.

[00:06:02]And if you permit me, virtually color is about everything that you can imagine of in life. The truth of the matter is that there's nothing God created that God did not give one unique color. Even what you call colorless is also color. All right.

[00:06:19]So let's move deep into the topic today.

[00:06:22]And I would like to just take the definition of color psychology first and then we go on. Um before we proceed, I would like to register in your mind that if you have questions, please just uh keep them to yourselves and uh next weekend we will be holding a live whereby it will be on Google meets and uh we will have access to half questions. So just take note of whatsoever that is bothering your mind as I keep on explaining and then do this lecture. All right. So color psychology is the study of how colors determine you know uh human emotions and behavior.

[00:07:00]Like I told you colors have a way of making behaving funny. Colors have a way of making people behaving exciting you know as a way of making people behaving sad you know joyous. Just think of it.

[00:07:15]Mosquitoes will not come out during the day. They like when it is dark. Come on.

[00:07:20]Do you get that? things that God created. There's a way that color has a way of playing, you know, with our emotions, with our behavior, with our actions, and the way we do things. So, we react to color, you know, based on a complex series of interactions, you know, between our personal, our family, our upbringing, and uh, you know, and our culture and our background. All right? So I would just like to make you know that there are things you've done in your life e and you did them not because you were you were you were rational about them. It was just because of the reactions of colors you know colors as a way of just making you to do things and that's the basic truth. So if you missed the first or the second series of this lecture, please go back so that you can have deeper understanding of what I'm saying. We have talked about color wheel and categories of colors that we have, how you can pick them up and then you know just combine them for good graphics design. It is important. These are the theoretical part of graphics design that if you don't know, you will mess up. You will flop. And this is not just only for graphic designer. Even if you are a fashion designer, you are here, this topic is for you. If you are an interior designer, you know, and you are here, this topic is for you. If you do stage setup, stage decoration and all that and you are here, honestly speaking, this topic is just for you. Pay good attention. Color psychology as a way of playing with your emotions. All right.

[00:09:00]Um we will be going deeper again into the next uh you know slide that we have and that is talking about the four major dimensions to color psychology.

[00:09:12]When you are going to pick colors for your design. There are four major areas that needs to play you know certain role in the kind of color that you are choosing for your design in the kind of color you are choosing for your logo. in the kind of color you are choosing for your brand, in the kind of color you are choosing for, you know, anything that has to do with your business. Even the lighting, the painting of your environment, if you have an office that is representing, you know, where people can meet you and then you can do business. For those that are into construction, for those that into food, uh for those that are into just name it, whatever that you're doing that you just have to have a space where you work, all these things will still come into play.

[00:09:57]It is called color psychology. If you miss it in the place of color, you'll be shocked that you are first your own village people. Not those ones there that are disturbing you through Bluetooth. You are the one connected with USB to your problem. Yes. Not those ones operating via wireless. You are because you have missed it in the place of color. All right. So there are four dimensions to color psychology. Anytime you are picking color, we spoke about how you can pick colors and what color will go well for what reasons in the last lecture that we had, you know, about color and that is about uh uh the color wheel. You understand?

[00:10:37]Understanding the different types of colors that we have, how you can pick them and then match them correctly. But you don't just pick colors. There are things that you must look into. And these dimensions are what I want to expose you to. And if you will give me your attention tonight, you know, you are just going to be uh uh uh operating at another level when it comes to graphics design and anything that you do that has to do with design. All right.

[00:11:03]So let's go to the first one and the first one is the universal view and universal view about color is very important.

[00:11:12]There are definitions you know that uh let me say it this way just like the way we have universal language. I'll give you example. Good money is not a universal language for telling somebody oh it is money. When you get to another location the person will tell you bonju that's French. You get another location somebody will tell you it is good what do you call it now eurobana. Another person will tell you another person will tell you. So that is not a universal language for good money. But there are things that you say you know and somebody will just know that this thing whether you go to China you go to Italy you go to wherever you are going to the language stands I will give example I don't know what language suits well for good money for universal level but I'm going to give you example whenever a a goal is called anywhere in football game in soccer whether you be French whether you be German whether you be Nigerian all of us we just go ahead and just go.

[00:12:13]It is a universal language. That's just an example. So when it comes to color also, we have universal definitions for colors. And for those that are in our master class, you will not be new to this. So just go into your you know your course outline and then you will see a particular topic that talks about how to know color definitions. So you need the universal definitions for colors and then uh uh uh before the end of this class this evening I'll be exposing you to one or two but I will leave you to just go back to those videos. So in case you are not in the master class you need this course honestly speaking not just because of graphics design is going to affect everything about you. All right so universal view about a particular color before you choose it is very important. I have color yellow on my screen as the top sorry as the you know the title for this particular slide and the there's a definition for color yellow. We have color white there's a definition for color white that is universal in nature. So whenever you are picking color either for your brand or you are picking it for a design of a logo of a flyer whatsoever you are designing a space you are designing uh you are designing doing interior design like I said fashion design whatsoever you are designing you just need colors you need to know the universal view or the universal definition about that color all right so let's look at the second one and u the the second slide that we have here talks about the cultural view and this is very very important. Please I want you to give me your attention.

[00:13:56]Despite the fact that we know that white signifies peace to some of us it shock you to know that when you go to the Asia you know like you go to China and all those guys within that region white symbolizes morning to them. Like in Nigeria now we can put on black when somebody you know is actually showing that he's money you know you just wear black over there putting on white conotes that you are money can you see that so if I'm getting a graphics design project and my client is coming from China all right so and I want to actually talk about peace it would be wrong for me to use color white to them color white is it could not money could a bad thing. It connoting for somebody maybe they are doing a jubilitionian kind of event or program or they are doing something that is exciting, it may be wrong for me to begin to now use color black for that particular tribe. Maybe I for instance they don't they everybody just have definition. So there there are cultural definitions to color. There are culture.

[00:15:19]Okay. I would like to also say that there are times that you will wear a particular color in your culture and then you go over there maybe because you do a cross culture marriage you know and and maybe on your naming day you decide to just put on color black. To you it's color black is okay. And you hear your mother-in-law say no you have to remove that particular clothes you are wearing.

[00:15:41]Why? Because of the color. The color code not that we are not money. We are celebrating to you is a different thing.

[00:15:46]To them is a different thing. Now because you are married to that culture, what do you do? You do what they are doing. The same way when you are carrying out design, you need to have the cultural view of the colors you know that will work well with the intended audience that you are designing for, the intended clients you are designing for, the the region you are designing for.

[00:16:07]All right. So if somebody is going to ask me to do a design for Lagos for instance, maybe there's a crusade coming up in Lagos, it may shock you that there are certain colors that will conote happiness in Lagos and if I take the same color down to Cano or somewhere far north to them is something else. All right? So you have to look at the cultural perspective of colors before you use them especially if that design is meant for that location. All right.

[00:16:36]So we will move on to the next one and that will also help us in our you know uh uh understanding the dimensions to color psychology. And then we have the third one which is the spiritual view and this is getting more intense right.

[00:16:50]Okay. So the truth of the matter is that uh the spirit the the spiritual controls this uh you know the physical in life and the same way it happens you know the way we just feel it in our various aspect of lives the same way it also happens in graphics design we have the spiritual perspective to colors in graphics design all right um I remember while I was in school and I was putting on a particular color of shirt And uh some older friends that I met you know in school had to call my attention to guy you are not supposed to be wearing this you are lucky if not we be say can't gentle if you wear this some 15 20 years ago therefore don't come mar you why to those cults which we can liken to spiritual entity now you know to those cult guys that is their own color that means something to them nobody body wears those color you know anyhow as of the time they were operating all right so the same way you also have in some churches you can't just go to some churches and wear different color maybe the white garments now there are some I know there are some particular churches that if you wear a different color even when they give you access to the church you won't sit in some areas they will restrict you to certain areas to them white is holiness and there are other places where they see you wear Why they begin to call you babala and all that that you belong to all those things. Now there are spiritual implications to colors. You know there are spiritual definitions to color. In Christianity red may means blood of Jesus and then you go somewhere else and it is danger. Are you getting it? So it depends on who you are designing for. For those of us that are doing designing for churches, you know, we need to understand the spiritual views to colors, especially for the clients we are designing for before you go ahead. Don't just pick color. Don't say, "No, no, no, no, no. Because this works with this particular denomination or it works with this religion, then you will pick the same thing and then bring to Islam and do it." No, no, no, no. It doesn't work that way. There are different colors that applies to every individual. The same way for I'm not a Muslim but at least I still have a view of how Islam operates. And when people go for jihad or what do they call it now? Haj. Sorry. I'm sorry. So when you go for Haj now and there's a particular color you wear there. You don't just go there and then feel oh pink is ladies color. Let's go and flaunt pink. It won't work. The same way if you are doing a design that will catch attention of people for that same jihad. The spiritual color that they have affinity for must reflect in what you're doing.

[00:19:39]Please note this and note it for good.

[00:19:43]These are some of the reasons why some of you are not selling in your business.

[00:19:48]There are some colors that you are using. It is not because those colors are bad, but the colors are not really working out well with your kind of, you know, audience or the location you find yourself. So you must factor in all these points that I'm telling you. All right. So we have spoken about the universal view about colors. You must note that you have spoken about the cultural view about color. What works in Euroba may not work you know among the EOSA may like green color you know and then you come to have you haven't you seen during celebration period that the color that the man will wear maybe in Lagos when they are going for prayer you what is this one putting on and to them that's what really speaks to their emotion they like it color riot is their game so and come over here if you are not if you are mixing too much color or you are doing some colors that just off people just get you know offended with whatsoever you're doing. So the same way we have for the spiritual view when it comes to color game. So we'll be looking at the last one and that is the audience. Your audience uh is very very important when it comes to the kind of color you're going to choose for your design. Your audience is very very important. You will not just consider the universal view. You not just consider the cultural view. you not just consider the you know spiritual view and then you not just consider all these three you have to factor in your audience all right if I'm doing design for primary school is quite different from when I'm doing design for people in secondary school is quite different from when I'm doing design for people in tertiary education is quite different from when I'm doing design for people that even go to school so there are colors that will speak better there are colors that will attract better there are colors that will you know speak to people's emotion and make them react better. If you can put all these four into place when you are choosing color for your design, you'll be shocked.

[00:21:49]Maybe all you're doing is just you are selling air and be shocked that your color is adding more value to your flyer, you know, and is making people to fall in love with what you are selling and they are more uh they gravitating more to you than other people. If you are doing to whatever thing you are doing, maybe you in you a church owner, you're doing flyer designs, it may shock you that your flyer may be the reason why somebody will just look and say, "Oh, this concert now nonsense be and there are colors you put in into into position based on all these four dimensions I've spoken about and you'll be shocked that people rush down.

[00:22:26]Haven't you seen where you rush to events because of flyer that you saw?

[00:22:31]Now their presentation may now not may now not be up to expectation of what you expecting you know but the flyer has done the job which is the work of a graphics design to convince whosoever that is holding that flyer either to buy to attend to react to respond which these are the purpose of you know of of flyers that we design and if you put all these into play you'll be shocked and then be wow at your result. All right.

[00:22:58]So that is just it about uh color psychology. You must know this or else you will not be doing well. I would like to just make you have this grab. You know uh colors have the power to determine how you behave and react.

[00:23:16]The same way color you know can influence your behavior and then can influence your reactions over things.

[00:23:23]That is why you will see that certain colors are chosen. Things that has to do with men, things that has to do with women, things that has to do with children, things that has to do with Christians, things that has to do with Muslims, different religions. So if you choose these colors effectively, you can you can greatly pay play a significant role, you know, in affecting how they behave and how they react. So if you are selling a product and you are doing flyers, it may be because of the kind of colors that you're choosing for your, you know, for your business and then your flyers could be why people are not patronizing. You just need to go back and then do a bit of rehazer, sorry, a bit of research on what colors you can use and then you have a good result. All right. So let's look at the next uh thing and then I would just like to just you know talk about few colors that uh you know I can lay my hands upon before we call it a wrap. All right. So we have the red color here and the red color uh is associated with passion is is the it conotes strong emotions, excitement, love, confidence, comfort, warmth.

[00:24:36]That's on the positive side. But if you look at it on the negative side also, we have the danger as a violence aspect of it. We have the fire aspect of it. And we have the if I'm going to do a design and I'm really talking about warfare you know uh sorry I'm calling it welfare is actually warfare now. So now if I'm going to do a design that has to do with warfare you understand maybe Christian you're doing a flyer a touch of red in that kind of design will speak more to people's mind as to this thing warfare we need to just be there and then go and pray our way out you know. So it's not just talking about the negative and then the positive aation to now make you say no red is good red is not bad you can use red when you want to conote passion if I'm going to talk to people about oh this place is a danger zone don't come there red will do well with whatsoever description I'm doing to make them know that this is a danger zone don't come here if I'm going to just say some things about violence and then fire and all those stuff so red will do a good game so red can be positively use and can be negatively used but it will still command or you know get the results that you're looking for. All right, so let's look at another one and that is yellow color. For those of us that like food like myself, you will know that this color has a way of wetting your appetite. Yes. All right. Can you see?

[00:26:03]And then when you are looking at the positive side of yellow color, you see warm, cheerful, attentiongrabbing. Can you see that attention grabbing MTN they use this thing they collect most of us money well where well yeah so it is attention grabbing uh it conotes happiness and then we have hope there on the positive side so if I'm going to do a design there are few questions I just need to answer what is this all about oh I want to catch people's attention and if you check most of the call to actions uh buttons in designs maybe they want to or let me say where you want to get people's attention as to this thing is this price or not. Yellow color is mostly used, you know, and then you see it either as the background of the text you want to write or you make it a yellow color something around yellow color anyway. So, and then you can see it is grabbing attention. So if you want to do something and you are looking out to grab attention to do this to do that in your design you may be considering yellow color and that doesn't mean yellow color is only used on the positive aspect like that if I'm want if I want to demonstrate anger frustration caution danger just like red yellow is also used if you go to construction sites for those of us that have construction site around us the caution tape there's what we call caution tape that the yellow portion sorry The color used for caution tape anywhere in the world is yellow and black. You understand? So that yellow conote caution could not there's this place is not too okay and all that. So when you are carrying out design this thought will guide your you know color to use because it has been proven anywhere yellow is used on site people are careful is a that's another universal view to color when it comes to yellow.

[00:27:53]Now anywhere you see yellow on any site it is always conoting something is going and you can see the pattern of even equipment used on site there are colors close to yellow even when most of them are still not yellow they are close to yellow. So who is producing those equipment will not just paint them black and think people will buy. When you do any equipment, go and check is a universal law. Everybody is just shifting towards this color. Just to portress your you know your just to port butress my explanation on you know why people choose color like we mentioned earlier on with the dimensions. All right. So we have talked about red and then we have talked about yellow. So let's talk about the black color. black colors, you know, the positive side, we have magic, Halloween, power, fashion, elegance, mystery, wealth, and then formality. Can you see that? So, black is not just death. It's not just evil.

[00:28:50]It's not just intimidation. It's not just money. It's not just control. It's not just bad luck. It's not just the occultic, guys. It is also a good color to be used. It has the positive side. It is well too. Can you see money there? Black is wealth. All right. So, it depends on what you doing.

[00:29:09]So, and you can now go back and then begin to check. But if I'm going to design something for for people from the eastern part of Nigeria now, I think anything black will just make them feel this guy in a morning game if they do.

[00:29:22]They are not just excited about the color. So, irrespective of the positive aspect of the color, I must still bringing the cultural, you know, view about the color if I am to use it or not. So some of you may be wondering at times why would you just do design then the the the owner of the project turns it off possibly maybe you didn't ask questions about this color at times ask people what color do you want you are designing for them mind you you understand you cannot advise them professionally based on their audience because there are times we need to just you know water down our feelings personal feelings on design over the audience feelings you know you must not elevate your own feelings is oh I like black. So anything you are doing you will now impose black on the audience.

[00:30:09]The goal is not just first the owner of the job. The goal is for the audience but the owner of the job must be carried along. So you need to ask them certain questions and then guide them in the line of oh sir you are talking about this product and then you are speaking to women although you you are a guy you won't use this color you have to use this color. Why women get you know attracted women get more excited to colors that are bright and guys feel comfortable with colors that are dark.

[00:30:39]So that's why you see colors like pink associated with ladies and then color like uh uh colors like uh coffee is associated with guys. All right. So let's move on to the next one and that is the white color. White conotes cleaniness uh brighter. Can you see that for the white? Some people on their wedding day they have not worn white gown they just feel I'm not doing marriage. All right. So, so it's not their fault. There's this aspect of white color that people see as a brider aspect of it. So, white conote brider innocence virginity health care. So, you see most hospitals when you go there everywhere is painted white in most cases or very sky blue.

[00:31:26]All right.

[00:31:27]and then purity, goodness and peace. Can you see that in Christianity or even in Nigerian coat of ham or our flag you see white color there conoting peace and all that. So there is the positive aspect of white and there's also the negative aspect. So let's look at the negative aspect. We have cold, dull, bland, u impersonal, you know, uninspiring and then the stere. So that's the uh that's the aspect of white color now that is on the negative side. So it depends on what you're doing. So it depends on what expression you want to give people.

[00:32:01]Depends on what you want to make people to have the catch or the connection of.

[00:32:07]So it will be wrong now that I'm doing wedding uh colors and all that and considering location that's culture considering general definition of what color is considering uh you know the audience considering uh the the fourth aspect that we look at earlier on. You know, it'd be wrong for me to just go and pick a black color and say I'm sewing a wedding gown and it is black color. Men, that would be off. It will turn off people's mood. It will not make the bride happy, daddy. So, you can see how this come into play and then is actually going to change your game in the world of graphics design. So in summary, all right, so graphic design takes far more than selecting colors, combinations that just combining colors that looks nice. It's not because it is nice, that's why you should use them.

[00:33:00]You must be careful. You must know the psychology behind them. So you need to carefully consider colors to produce specific desire effects, you know. And in doing that, you must understand all this. It is part of your job as a graphics designer. You must know it. You won't go far. If your goal, like I normally say to most of our students, you know, whenever we are holding, if your goal is just to design rubbish because you don't need all these things.

[00:33:30]If your goal is never to go far, you don't need it. If your goal is never to design for corporate companies like banks, like we do at Kand here, like some corporate government organizations like big churches, you just want to do one church that is behind one tree near your house, you can go ahead and be doing the nonsense color combination.

[00:33:52]But if you must really influence the world of graphics design, you know, you must understand color psychology. And this is what color psychology entails.

[00:34:04]If you know this, you're already a pro when it comes to choosing color for design. And please, if you miss the previous lectures that we had that has to do with this color game, go back and listen to them. And if you have questions just put them together and then uh we'll be looking at questions because we can't accommodate people talk over you know uh YouTube and it may be taking our time and we may not have the feel of question and answer you know is actually question time but we may not have that feel we just organize the next weekend class that we are going to have we'll be talking to ourselves via Google meet and or any other platform that the admin feels is okay for me to talk to you and we will have this feeling and uh I will take your questions and do lots more. All right guys, thank you very much. That brings us to the end of the class. Don't forget Kand is to impact lives and then change your perspective about design, make you a wonder in the field of design and that is what we are committed to. Till I come your way again next week. Uh don't stop being creative and I'll see you next week. Bye.