Page 24 - Designing Ways 274

FASHION

Colour in your

lifestyle

by Stienie Greyling

olour is the visual perception
of a wavelength of energy in
Cthe electromagnetic spectrum.
There are three main core receptors in the
human eye and they naturally respond
best to the base frequencies of red, green
and blue. Other colours are variations
away from these main frequencies.
The only time we seem to notice that
we live in a colourful world is when we
are buying a product with various colour
options or when we are happy and in while some colours bring good luck. Many
love. As with most things in life, just people also believe that there are appropriate Colours come in three basic moods:
because we don’t notice the importance colours for particular occasions. For active, passive and neutral.
of something doesn’t mean others haven’t example, the Chinese consider it bad luck to • Active colours are warm and create
too. The truth is most companies around wear black on the first day of the Lunar Year, a positive, confident environment.
us understand the subtle way colours as black symbolises death and should never They can help in social situations
influence people and they use this to be worn on such occasions. by inspiring upbeat conversations,
manipulate our emotions, lean towards Whether we accept it or not, the way creativity and productivity.
their products, alter our moods ever we dress communicates something about • Passive colours creat calm.
so slightly. This works the other way us. Colours affect movement of our • Neutral colours work as a bridge
round too, we might find ourselves not lives although most of the time colour between the others.
quite comfortable in our work space or choices are done unconsciously. We all
bedroom because we might have chosen have a favourite colour and often wear Basic overview of colours:
the wrong colour scheme. clothes of that colour. However, these • Colours with respect to mood are
Often, in some cultures, we have certain colours are linked to our personality type, separated into two major groups –
beliefs or colour superstitions. People our strength and weaknesses as well as warm and cold colours.
believe that certain colours bring bad luck indicating our potential in life. • Warm colours are your reds, yellows,

Neutral colours

24 Issue 274 • dw