Everything About Yellow Color

Colors engage in many parts of our life. they leave certain impacts on our mood and feelings. this time, we are going to discuss the yellow color and its features in several subjects.

So far, we have talked about several colors in various situations.
But have we ever talked about just one specific color and everything about it? have we ever considered everywhere that you might see that color?
The answer is No, but it doesn’t have to stay No.

Then, let’s get deep and see what’s going on!

How to obtain yellow color?

To answer this question, first, we need to know what color is!
Ok, what is Color?
Light consists of several wavelengths, and each wavelength is particular to a color. So, scientifically colors are wavelengths. Or in other words, the colors we see are a reflection of wavelengths to our eyes.
When the white light goes through a prism, it is broken into seven main colors and wavelengths. Technically, when we see any color it means that the object is absorbing all the other colors, and it is reflecting the color that our eyes recognize.

On the spectrum of visible light, yellow is found between orange and green. When we (human eyes) look at light with a dominant wavelength which is between 570-590 nm, the color we see is yellow.             
The wavelength of yellow is 600nm. The yellow color is one of the three primary colors alongside magenta and cyan on the subtractive color system.
There are so many natural living things we see in nature that appear to be yellow. Like the yellow fruits, such as lemon and banana, autumn leaves, plenty of other yellow flowers and plants. 

Yellow tones vary from glittering gold to muted blonde.
Here’s how to create each one:

1.Gold: Yellow + Black + Red
2.Bright Yellow: Yellow + Green
3.Mustard Yellow: Yellow + Red + Orange
4.Cadmium Yellow: Yellow + Orange
5.Flaxen Yellow: Yellow + Gray
6.Banana Yellow: Yellow + White

Yellow In History

Everything has a history or background, and colors are no exception. When we’re talking about history, most likely Egypt is the first place that comes to mind without a doubt. also, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name of this country is the pyramids of Egypt. but we aren’t going to talk about the pyramids; we’re going to discuss how and why the Egyptians used the color yellow. 

Yellow color in ancient Egypt

The yellow pigments and dye were extracted from the clay soils rich in ochre.
Since the very old ages, the golden color is known to symbolize gold, which was considered to be eternal, imperishable, and indestructible. ancient Egyptians used huge amounts of gold to decorate their palaces and also in their tomb paintings. The bodies of the gods were painted in vivid yellow because the people of Egypt believed that the bones and skins of the god were made of gold. From the 14th century, the negative associations of this color began to overcome the positive associations. It became the color of envy, jealousy, lying, dishonor, and treason. In the middle ages, people started to believe that the color yellow cannot be trusted.

Ancient Egyptians were not the only nation that used the yellow color a lot; also ancient Romans used the yellow in their paintings a lot to indicate gold and strength. Ancient Romans used a lot of yellow in their wall paintings, their villas, and towns.

Color Psychology Of Yellow

The psychology behind each color represents traits and symbols that each particular color indicates. Color psychology somehow defines how colors change our moods and feelings.

Every color has several shades and tints. yellow as well, has different shades like:

*Cadmium pigments
*Champagne (color)
*Chartreuse (color)
*Chrome yellow
*Citrine (color)
*Citron (color)
*Coyote brown
*Cream (color)

Naturally, yellow is a sharp and intense color, and therefore, it is the easiest color to the human eyes. 
If you want to grab attention as soon as possible, yellow or red are potential choices. Yellow is used in traffic signs and lights because driving needs a huge amount of attention. several factors can affect the way we perceive colors like past experiences, childhood, culture, or even the country we come from; but colors do tend to evoke certain moods or feelings.

some of the key traits that are proven to associate with yellow are:

1.warmth: because yellow is the color of the sun, it’s believed to bring warmth and joy and is a cheerful color.
2. attention-grabbing: yellow is the most visible color so it draws attention without a second of hesitation.
3.energetic: seeing yellow can help increase metabolism which means more energy and strength.

there are also some negative associations with this color:

• frustration: as said before, yellow is an intense color due to the amount of light that it reflects. Therefore, using or seeing too much yellow can cause frustration.
• disturbing to the eyes: because yellow is the most fatiguing color, using it as the color of screen backgrounds or scripts may cause eye strain or headaches
• aggression: Sometimes using the yellow color for the wrong situations also may create aggression.

Yellow In Different Cultures

Different countries and cultures, sometimes, have their own meanings for each color. and as a result, the way that people perceive color and their symbols or meanings can change. Let’s take a look at some countries as examples to understand this better.

yellow in China

In China, yellow has deep historical and cultural roots. Chinese people consider yellow as the color of happiness, glory, and wisdom. you may not know this, but in China, there are five main directions of the compass, while in most parts of the world there are four directions. five directions that are symbolized with colors.

These five directions are north, south, east, west, and middle. The yellow color signifies the middle. In Chinese culture, yellow, red, and green are symbolized as masculine colors. Also, black and white are symbolized as feminine colors. One more interesting point about China is that, just as there are five directions, there are also five seasons; spring, summer, fall, end of the summer which is represented by the yellow leaves.
Chinese believe that yellow is the color of virtue and nobility.

yellow in other parts of the world

Enough of Asia and let’s go to the other side of the planet, the West. In the west, however, yellow is not a popular color. Research has shown that only %6 of respondents in European and American consider yellow their favorite color and %7 of the respondents considered yellow as their least favorite color. maybe that’s because yellow is associated with some negative meanings like jealousy, betrayal, duplicity, ambivalence, and contradiction.

For example, in Germany, the color is associated with envy.

In Canada and the United States, the yellow color often represents humor, amusement, and spontaneity also in the U.S associated with cowardice.

on the other side of world, in Iran, this color usually symbolizes sickness and pallor because of the skin color changes during an illness.

Yellow Color In Food

Find whatever yellow we can eat

Have you ever paid attention to the color of the food you’re eating? Or you were so hungry that the color of what you’re feeding to your body was the last thing you cared about? No judgment, we all love food and of course, eating it is the most interesting part of it. But, in my opinion, the process of cooking, designing, and the color of food all deserve more attention.
To make my point clear, imagine a dish of food that looks weird or ugly or even disgusting! Would you still be willing to put that in your mouth? I guess Not.

I’m no chef, but I know some info about food coloring that I’m about to share with you.
Apart from the color of the organic products, there are dyes used to color things we eat. 

there are two ways for food coloring:

1-natural and organic dyes
2-chemical food dyes

Vegetables, minerals, seeds, algae, fruits, leaves, or other parts of the flowers and plants are potential resources to extract natural food colors from.

Back to yellow, let’s see what yellow things we eat?

Saffron:

Saffron provides a yellow or rather orange color that is perfect for designing. It also creates a pure aroma that makes the food even more delicious ( if it’s already delicious). Iranian people use a lot of saffron in their cooking. Iran is also the largest producer of saffron, this expensive spice, in the world.

Turmeric:

Turmeric is another spice that you can add to your food to make the yellow color, and it also creates a nice taste. 

Caramel:

you can create caramel color by heating carbohydrates at a particular temperature. It somehow tastes bitter and smells like bitter sugar; but is the perfect coloring and flavoring material for desserts.   
There are natural yellow food products, like corn seed, cheese, lemon, yellow pepper, olive oil, banana, pineapple, and semolina.

Yellow In Photography

Colors are one of the most important parts of a photo. 
When you look at a photo you see colors. Colors breathe life into pictures. We see colors everywhere all the time. 
Knowing colors and their characteristics will help you take better photos. Then, let’s get started!
You can find yellow everywhere in nature. Look at the sun, you see yellow( just for a second ), autumn leaves are yellow, go to the beach and see the yellow sands, time to go home. The banana in the fruit bowl on the counter, you see yellow. I think I made it clear enough.

Let’s talk about photography
have you ever heard about ” yellow photography“?

What is yellow photography?

it is a method in which a yellow filter is used to absorb all light but yellow. it is often used with black and white films, but is also used in IR photography. The yellow filter absorbs blue and increases the contrast and tonal separation between the blue and yellow/white objects. Builds contrast in B&W images.

Now, what is the yellow filter?

Photographers use the yellow filter to bring out the clouds. this is how it works:
It darkens the blue sky. it gives a vivid visual separation between the white clouds and the darkened sky. It also provides penetration of haze and fog.
If you’re a professional photographer and have more info on this, we’d be glad to hear it in the comment section.

Yellow Color In Fashion 

As I said before, colors are a part of everything.
Fashion is all about colors, designs, and paring.
We are going to take a look at the yellow color in the design world. Shall we??

The psychology behind this associates the yellow color with optimism, energy, happiness, and joy. The yellow color is known to be cheerful; which makes it a great choice for happy occasions like birthday parties and wedding ceremonies.
As the color psychology suggests, wearing yellow can make you seem confident and help boost self-esteem and improve low mood. It helps you look enthusiastic and happy. Now that you know these (maybe you already knew), you’d know where to wear yellow and where not to. 
Wearing yellow will help you stand out from the crowd, but pay attention to what occasion you’re wearing it.

What colors look good with yellow outfits?

The best options to pair with yellow clothes are:

light blue, sage, purple, even lavender, and pink. But based on the shade and saturation, other colors like gray would look good too.
Yellow is gaining more and more popularity in the design world. So, maybe we should trust designers and wear this cheerful color more often.

There are different shades of yellow like gold, lemon yellow, mustard, lemon chiffon, and light yellow.
Which one is your favorite? 
You can share your idea in the comment section.

Yellow color in makeup

Yellow is not the color of cosmetics that you want to use daily. But still, yellow is a very special and unique color for special occasions. Informal birthday parties, costume parties, and generally speaking, more informal situations are the best time to use yellow makeup.
In my idea, summer and spring are the best seasons for wearing yellow ( clothing or makeup).
You can find the right tonnage for your skin color and just wear it. So simple!!!

There are various yellow cosmetic products available like yellow eye shadows, lipstick, mascara, highlighter, nail polish, you name it.
There are several natural resources to provide yellow pigments, such as saffron, pomegranate rind, turmeric, safflower, onionskin. And also chemical and synthetic dyes that are used to provide yellow color.

In the recent decade, cosmetic producer companies have been trying to use organic and less harmful materials and dyes for their products.

Yellow Color In Cinema

Colors are also an integral part of the movies. Filmmakers and movie directors try to take advantage of colors in their movies or shows.

yellow in movies

Colors are capable of showing feelings as said before.
So, one of the components that can make a scene resonate emotionally is color. Then, when they ( and by “they” I mean filmmakers) know the psychology of each color, they can choose the best color for each scene to evoke a particular feeling or a sense of sympathy. 
Colors can help tell an idea or the story of a film, and therefore, the pattern of color usage in the film industry is high-priority. The repetition of a color determines its significance. So, from now on, pay more attention to the movies you watch and see if you can find any color usage pattern and guess its message. 
There are both positive and negative associations with each color, which can be used in different scenes.

Let’s take a look at some positive and negative associations with the yellow color:

negative:

duplicity, cowardice, jealousy, dishonesty, betrayal, hazard, and illness.

positive:

joy, happiness, positivity, optimism, cheerfulness, wisdom, knowledge, hope, and idealism.

With that in mind, yellow color ( or any other color) is used in movies for different scenes and characters to evoke your emotions. What emotions? And to what extent?
That is up to the director and actor/actors of that movie or a particular scene.
All these things lead to one final goal: create a great show to get you thinking about it afterward, maybe even for days, and make you feel the story or the message deeply.

Yellow Color In Marketing And Branding

In marketing, colors and logos play a very important role. Designing the right logo and choosing the right colors will help you have a brand that will be remembered. When people remember and know your brand, they will talk about it; and that will help you gain more popularity for your products. The next step is to produce a high-quality product or service that keeps people talking about you.

You need to know exactly what you are offering to your audience.
To do all of this, you need to know your target audience and their needs, desires, and problems.
The yellow color in marketing stands for clarity, creativity, and optimism. 

• Yellow color has quite a complicated psychology. Infants also react the most to this color. So, if your product is related to infants and babies in any way, yellow can come in handy.
• Yellow evokes feelings like hunger, too. Therefore, if you’re offering food products or you own a restaurant,then some of the yellow in your logo will do no harm. on the contrary, will boost your growth. 

Thinking about McDonald’s?! yeah, me too.

It is the best color if you want to draw attention immediately, yellow is your color.
If you own a store, using yellow objects behind vitrine can be an effective way to attract window shoppers.

Here are some famous and successful brands with a yellow logo:

1- CAT

2- McDonald’s

3- Subway

4- Best Buy

5- Snapchat

6- National Geographic

7- Ferrari

8- Lay’s

9- Dunkin Donuts

10- Fanta

Yellow In Interior Designing

The interior design of a place changes the mood and vibe you receive from that place. Therefore, interior decorating is of utmost importance.
The furniture, color, and the stuff that we use in our home or office are all parts of interior designing.

Where to use the yellow color?

Yellow color represents happiness, joy, positivity, and youth. yellow is the color of sunshine and warmth, and sunshine and is a cure to social anxiety. so, if you’re designing a place that needs to bring people a sense of positive feeling and cheer, yellow is useful.
color psychology suggests to use yellow when you want to make people smile and feel joyful.
Yellow is a popular color for painting walls and it makes the place to look cozy.

You may think, is the yellow really a good choice for decorating?

It depends on how much yellow is used. A balanced amount of it is ok. but too much yellow is going to ruin it; completely yellow walls,many yellow lights or furniture would cause eye strain and irritation with no doubt.

You can use a color wheel to find the best matching colors.

What are the best colors to pair with yellow?
In general, purple ( and its different shades) go well with yellow. also green, black, gray, pale pink, and light blue can create a sense of complement with yellow.

Yellow Color in art

Painting is the body, and the color is blood.
I know that there are black and white paintings too, but black and white are colors too.
Colors say a lot about the work of art.
Warm colors like yellow, red, or orange make a picture look brighter. 
Speaking of art, I’m pretty sure you all know Van Gogh or at least heard his name. Either way, you know he’s an Austrian artist.
By studying his paintings, you’ll realize that yellow is a permanent participant in his drawings. The reason why he used yellow a lot is not clear.
Besides, yellow stands for faith and intelligence. Yellow can mean the eternal life that stems from mother earth given by the sun and its light.
In the end, the use of colors and their meaning in any piece of art depends on the vision and perspective of its artist.

Yellow Color In The Car Industry

Nowadays, cars are everywhere. Some of us can’t even imagine life without a car. The most common colors for cars are: black, white, and beige.
Colors like yellow, red, burgundy are not observed every day on the streets, and they are exclusive to luxury and super expensive cars. But, there are a great number of yellow cars that we see on the streets every day, Taxis.
Ferrari company, which is one of the biggest car companies in the world has shown interest in yellow.
There are many Ferrari models in yellow, and they happen to be achingly well-designed and super expensive.

Here are some pictures:

Yellow Color In Quotes

 “ What a horrible thing yellow is.

Edgar Degas, French realist

“ My favorite color to glaze with is yellow. It always glows just like stained glass lit up by the sun.”

Jane Jones, contemporary watercolorist

“ Oh yes! He loved yellow, did good Vincent… When the two of us were together in Arles, both of us insane, and constantly at war over beautiful colors, I adored red; where could I find a perfect vermilion?

Paul Gauguin, French Post-Impressionist painter, 1848-1903

“A yellow room gives you perpetual sunshine.

Steve Hovland, American artist

“Indian yellow, banned. Cows were poisoned with mango leaves and the color was made from their urine. It is the bright yellow in Indian miniatures. Although yellow occupies one-twentieth of the spectrum, it is the brightest color.

Michael Derek Elworthy, English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, and author, 1942–1994

here are some color palette inspirations with yellow colors:

Conclusion

We are trying our best to provide you as much information as possible about colors, to give you what you’re looking for. We hope we’re successful so far. And if you have further info about colors we’d be glad to hear it. Then, feel free to share your ideas. 
Colors are involved in everything, and sometimes we need to choose colors. So, by knowing these info about them we can make better choices. 

ENJOY