To coincide with Cadmium yellow being our hero colour we wanted to look at what makes yellow so unique by looking at the psychology behind this colour.

Yellow is often associated with the intellect, logic; it has the ability to improve analytical thinking. It is also linked with cheerfulness, happiness, optimism. It inspires hope, enthusiasm. Yellow fosters positive way of thinking, as well as a thirst for knowledge. Its creativeness focuses on mental aspects, it inspires new ways of thinking and acting. As a practical colour, it directs our thoughts to finding solutions to problems, rather than encouraging daydreaming about ideal life. It also helps with fast decision making, especially in stressful situations, when a mind is clouded with thoughts. As a non-emotional colour, yellow ignores emotions in complex situations, organises thoughts, and quickly chooses between multiple options. Yellow also promotes energy, optimism, confidence, fun. The brain releases more serotonin when a person is surrounded by the colour yellow, which is why this colour stands as a symbol of happiness and positivity.

The Yellow Personality Type

People who prefer the colour yellow tend to be self-assured, upbeat, and joyful. They are friendly and have effective communication skills. Yet, they would rather hang out with a select group of close friends than participate in extensive social events. Perfectionists are a stereotype of yellows. They have high standards for both themselves and other people. Yellows have a tendency to become quite judgmental and critical when their expectations are not met. They can be hard on themselves and those around them because of their short fuse. Their impulsivity also affects how much money they spend. They generate money quickly, but they also spend it quickly. People struggle to control their wants to spend money impulsively on things they don't actually need.

Yellow personality type is also characterized by a high degree of independence; they rely on themselves for emotional stability. Even when emotionally overwhelmed, yellows tend to nurse hurt feelings privately. That might be the reason why they are also found to be anxious. They take on too much and never ask for help, even when things go sideways. Yellows don’t mind being alone and they sometimes even prefer being single. Same as with friends, they pick partners carefully, and in the meantime, they enjoy their own company.

Colour yellow - the brand

Yellow is considered a warm colour, which means that it can make people more emotional than some cool shades. At the same time, it is an attention grabbing colour. In fact, yellow is the most noticeable colour of all. Its visibility, along with the ability to provoke cheerfulness, warmth, fun, makes it a good colour for branding and marketing. It is especially recommended for use by companies that offer pleasurable and accessible products and services. However, not using too much of yellow is important in order to make the target audience feel accepted, but not overwhelmed.

Negative characteristics of yellow

Despite its associations with optimism and happiness, yellow carries a number of negative connotations. It also stands for cowardice, deceitfulness, impulsiveness, egoism. High levels of exposure to yellow can also lead to aggression and irritability. Yellow personality types can often be too judgmental, spiteful, and have a lack of empathy. It is even found that babies cry more in yellow painted rooms, as well as that people tend to get angry when around this colour for too long. Yellow personality types have been associated with choleric temperament in a way that they are often described as violent, vengeful, and short-tempered.... So not all sunflowers and daises!

Yellow in business

Yellow colour stimulates mental activity. For example, it is found that people have a better chance of remembering something that is written on a yellow background, as opposed to a white one. However, yellow is also the shade that is most stressful on the eye, given the high amount of light that is reflected off of it. In a business context, yellow can be too distracting and can cause the inability to focus. Brighter shades of yellow can also lead to irritation and frustration. Using just the right amount of yellow can create a positive and warm atmosphere and it can help a business become associated with optimism and positive outcomes.So not all sunflowers and daises!