CI 12 Colour Block

I asked a friend of mine to view each of the images, and asked her to respond specifically to the colours in each image. This is what she had to say.

Colour Block - Red (red background with text):
"It gives me a headache. It's bright and energetic. Jarring, but interesting."

Colour Block - Blue (kitten playing on chair):
"It soothing and comfortable."

Colour Block - Yellow (flowers in painting):
"It reminds me of summer. It's warm and inviting."

Colour Block - Orange (dried flowers):
"I find this one unemotional."

Similar Colour Relationship (orange cat with orange in background):
"It's relaxing and soft."

Complementary Colour Relationship (green pear on red background):
"I love it. It's energetic but not jarring. It's artistic and interesting. It draws your yey to the pear. It makes me hungry."

I found it interesting that some of the adjectives and emotions she described are very close, and sometimes exactly, what was described in class as the emotional and physiological affects of specific colours.

For example, in reaction to the colour red, my friend used the word "energetic", which was also used in class. She said this photo gave her a headache, which could be a reaction to a colour that is aggressive and connotes danger.

Similarly, reacting to the blue photo, my friend described feeling soothed and comfortable, which could be expected from a colour that is tranquil and serene.

What was also interesting was what my friend did not describe. She did not indicate that she felt a coolness or a sense a loneliness or sadness in reaction to the blue photo. What this tells me is that perhaps you can predict person's reaction to a particular colour in a general sense only. A person's emotional reaction probably has as much to do with their own particular experiences as it does to what we feel in a general cultural sense. Also, the subject matter of a particular photo is important. The blue photo depicts a kitten playing with a toy - you might be hard pressed to find a person that would find that subject matter depressing. Unless they've recently lost a cat. Which plays back into an emotional response based on an individual's experience.

The most positive response was to the complimentary colours photo. I get the feeling that was due partly to the fact that perhaps complimentary colour works very well in a simple composition, and partly because that photo might be the nicest composition out of the bunch.