Colours Across Cultures:

Translating Colours in Interactive

Marketing Communications
Mario De Bortoli & Jesús Maroto

This paper was first published with the title “Translating colours in web site localisation” in
2001 in the Proceedings of the European Languages and the Implementation of
Communication and Information Technologies (Elicit) conference. University of Paisley.
ISBN: 0-9541774-0-1
 Table of contents

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Colour Theory ............................................................................................. 3
1.2 Context.......................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Linguistic Relativity and Colours ............................................................. 4
1.4 Climate and Colour .................................................................................... 4
1.5 Gender and Colour ..................................................................................... 5
1.6 Age and Colour ........................................................................................... 5
2. Comparing Colour Preferences and Meanings ............................................ 7
2.1 Colour Preferences ...................................................................................... 7
2.2 Colour Meaning Associations ................................................................... 7
2.3 Effect of Colour on Choice ......................................................................... 8
2.4 Colour Associations Across Cultures ...................................................... 8
2.5 Research from the Journal of International Marketing.......................... 9
2.6 Colour Symbolism per Country.............................................................. 10
2.7 The Idiomatic Use of Colours in Languages ......................................... 10
2.8 The Meaning of Colours in Religions .................................................... 11
2.9 Non Cultural Factors ................................................................................ 11
3. Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 12
Appendix 1........................................................................................................... 13
Comparative Analysis of Colour-related Expressions in Western
European Languages ...................................................................................... 13
Appendix 2........................................................................................................... 15
Colour Symbolism per Country ................................................................... 15
References ............................................................................................................ 27
1. Introduction
In an increasingly competitive and saturated market, communication needs to
be carefully targeted. Few companies have a brand that is powerful enough to
generate a quasi uniform perception world-wide. For most companies it is
important to understand what the impact of communication and colour use
will be on the targeted group. Therefore it is not only important to understand
its meanings but also to find easily applicable rules for translating them.
This short research analyses the impact of colour on consumers belonging to
different cultures, and how each of them perceives them.
In the Internet age these differences are particularly relevant to online
advertisers since colour is the first thing that you notice on a web site or
banner, even before you can understand which language is being used or
what the message says. But how to use colours cleverly and what is colour?

1.1 Colour Theory

We can see over 7 million colours. These are built from some basic building
blocks:

1. Primary colours. Red, blue and yellow are the basis of all other
shades, and can‟t be created by combining other colours. If all three
are mixed together in equal amounts, they will make black.
2. Secondary Colours. This is the term used to describe the three
colours that are created by mixing two primary colours together. There
are three secondary colours: violet (made up of red and blue); orange
(made up of red and yellow) and green (made up of yellow and blue).
3. Tertiary Colours. These come from mixing one primary with one
secondary colour. These are six: saffron (red and orange); lime (yellow
with green); lavender (blue with violet); purple (red with violet);
amber (yellow with orange) and turquoise (blue with green).

When combining white or black to the above-mentioned colours you obtain

tints and shades, while tones describe the depth of a colour.
Neutrals are subtle shades from the palest range of colours (beige, cream),
and are used for balancing vibrant or rich colours.
Cold colours have a high proportion of blue in their make-up, such as violet
blue and some greens, and they have a calming effect.
Warm colours have more red and yellow in their make-up. They are
energising.
1.2 Context
A single colour can have many different meanings in different cultures. In Asia
orange is a positive, spiritually enlightened, and life-affirming colour, while in
the US it is a colour of road hazards, traffic delays, and fast-food restaurants.
Colours can symbolise a rite of passage, differentiate a premium from a
discount brand, and distinguish between fun and serious, young and old, male
and female. Context is everything: a group of people wearing black might be
the crowd at a gallery opening, priests, Mennonites, a punk band, ninjas,
Kabuki stagehands, Bedouins, mourners, or a mime troupe.
In addition to all the traditional meanings associated with colours in various
cultures (those linked to birth, weddings, funerals or even the colour of the
mailbox), there are also those layers of meaning brought about by
international marketing and communication: for instance Coca-Cola red.
Concentrating on webvertising, context for a banner is given not only by the
cultural context for which it is developed, but also by the Web site on which it
is hosted. A clash of colours or meanings between the web site content and
the banner could annihilate or even damage the objectives sought by the
advertiser.

1.3 Linguistic Relativity and Colours

According to Benjamin Whorf‟s Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis a person‟s
language determines and limits what the person experiences. Not all concepts
can be expressed in some languages. This language barrier can affect one‟s
perception of colour. For example, the Shona language in Zimbabwe and the
Boas language in Liberia have no words which distinguish red from orange.
Therefore, people fail to perceive different colours because of language
limitations.
When colour terminology in different cultures is compared, certain patterns
are observed consistently. All languages have designations for black and
white. If a third hue is distinguished, it is red; next comes yellow or green,
and then both yellow and green. Blue is the sixth colour named, and brown is
the seventh. Finally, in no particular sequence, the colours grey, orange, pink,
and purple are designated.

1.4 Climate and Colour

Even the climate in which we live influences our colour preferences, according
to psychologist E.R. Jaensch. Jaensch‟s research indicates those who live in
climates with a lot of sunlight prefer warm bright colours; while those from
climates with less sunlight prefer cooler, less saturated colours.
But the environment and the climate also dictate the way colours are
classified, according to the relevance they have in the everyday life. For
example, Eskimos use 17 words for white as applied to different snow
conditions.

1.5 Gender and Colour

Considering gender differences in colour perception could seem unrelated to
cross-cultural localization. A closer look, however, will reveal that these can
be found in every society, each with some specific characteristics.
The investigative work existing to date on the subject is very interesting. To
give an example of the findings, Radeloff (1990) has found that women were
more likely than men to have a favourite colour. In expressing the
preferences for light versus dark colours, there was no significant difference
between men and women; however, in expressing the preference for bright
and soft colours, there was a difference, with women preferring soft colours
and men preferring bright ones.
Thomas, Curtis, and Bolton (1978) interviewed 72 Nepalese and asked them
to list the names all the colours they could think of. There was a significant
difference between men and women. Although, the women consistently listed
more colour names than men did, the cultural context of this study must be
noted since Nepalese women traditionally wear more colourful clothing than
men do. A similar study by Greene (1995) examined the colour identification
and vocabulary skills of college students. They were asked to identify the
colours of 21 colour chips. The results showed that women recognized
significantly more elaborate colours than did the men. Findings also indicated
that gender different responses in colour identification may be attributed to a
difference in the socialisation of men and women.
These examples show us that gender and cultural differences influence colour
perception, a fact that should be held in mind when localizing the colours of a
web site or advertisement aimed at women.

1.6 Age and Colour

The use of colour is one of the means psychologists have at their disposal to
analyse children. In early childhood colours are used more subjectively than in
a naturalistic objective way. From the age of three to six children strongly
prefer colour to shapes (the opposite is true at a later stage of development).
Bright red can be used by children to express anger, desire to destroy, while
the black of the night can be fraught with all the depressive anguishes. The
yellow of the sun can stand for a happy desire to communicate and express
themselves. Younger children are attracted by strong, warm, and intense
colours. As time progresses colours become less violent and softer shades
appear: colours “cool down”. This process continues throughout life, with
older people finding „subdued‟ colours more attractive.
The findings about age differences in perception seem to indicate that colour
intensity should be regulated to match the taste of the targeted age category.
2. Comparing Colour Preferences and
Meanings
All the pieces of research carried out on colour preferences and meaning
associations are extremely interesting, but the question is whether these
cross-cultural differences in perception have tangible effects on consumer
behaviour, and if so, whether these can be measured and ultimately
compared.

2.1 Colour Preferences

A study was carried out in eight countries to explore consumers‟ preferences
for different colours and colour combinations.
The results show a cross-cultural pattern of both similarity and dissimilarity in
colour preferences and coulour meaning associations. When subjects are
asked to match colours for a product logo, some colour combinations suggest
a consistency in meaning, whereas other combinations suggest colours
whose meanings are complementary. The presence of such patterns opens
the possibility of managing colour to create and sustain brand and corporate
images across international markets.

2.2 Colour Meaning Associations

The meanings associated with different colours are important to marketers
because the tools used to communicate brand image are mechanisms of
meaning transfer. If consumers associate specific meanings with individual
colours and colour combinations, managers can select the colours that best fit
their image strategy.
The effects of culture on the meaning associated with marketing cues (such as
colour) are critical in international marketing. If the meaning associated with
a colour or combination of colours is different across cultures, it might be
beneficial pursuing a customised strategy with respect to the colour
associated with the brand, package, web page and so on. In contrast, when
colour meanings are similar across markets, a standardised strategy is more
viable.
To give an example, McDonald‟s follow a customised web site strategy, with a
different web site and different colours in every country.
2.3 Effect of Colour on Choice
Some researchers maintain that colours are associated with certain images.
For example blue is associated with wealth, trust, and security; grey is
associated with strength, exclusivity, and success; and orange denotes
cheapness. These associations may explain why banks are more likely to
colour their logos and literature using blue and grey rather than orange. This
theory was put into practice with Wienerschnitzel, a hot dog restaurant with
350 branches across the USA. Wienerschnitzel were advised to add a little
orange to the colour of their buildings to convey the message that the chain
sold inexpensive hot dogs. After a change in colour, Wienerschnitzel reported
a 7% increase in sales.
Colour used in packaging can be equally important in determining a product‟s
desirability. James Mandle, a colour consultant, changed the colour of Ty-d-
Bol‟s toilet bowl cleanser bottle from light blue and green to stark white
letters on a dark background to connote strength and cleanliness. In the 18
months that followed the implementation of the change sales jumped 40%.

2.4 Colour Associations Across Cultures

A survey was conducted among high school students in 20 countries, asking
them to rate 7 colours in 12 semantic differential items. The results were
reported for the dimensions of evaluation, potency, and activity. Blue was the
most highly evaluated colour, followed by green and white. The most potent
colours were black and red. Red was the most active colour, whereas black
and grey were the most passive colours.
In another test, subjects from four cultures (Japan, People‟s Republic of
China, South Korea and the USA) were asked to state which one of eight
colours was most closely associated with 13 words often used to describe
consumer products. The results indicate some similarities and some
dissimilarities across cultures. All four cultures associate blue with high quality
and red with love. Purple is associated with expensive for subjects from
Japan, PRC, and South Korea. In contrast, respondents from the United
States associate purple with inexpensive. Black is consistently associated with
expensive and powerful across cultures.
Colour combinations are considered culturally bound with certain ideologies
and traditions (Geboy 1996). The combination of colours selected for product
logos and communication may convey meaning as a result of the specific
colour pairings. For example black and red signifies happiness to Chinese
people, and therefore the colour combination is commonly used for wedding
invitations. This is very important when choosing the colours for a logo, or the
dominant colours of a banner.
2.5 Research from the Journal of International Marketing
In 1999 American researchers conducted a research in 8 countries to explore
the extent to which consumers in different countries like various colours, the
meanings they associate with colours, and how they would match colours for
a logo.

The results indicated that the colours blue, green and white are well liked
across countries and share similar meanings. In contrast, black and red also
received high liking ratings, yet in many cases their meanings are
considerably different. East Asian groups tend to make the greatest
distinctions among colours in terms of their affective meaning, whereas Latin
American and US groups make only average amounts of colour distinctions.
Results indicate that in many parts of the world, consumers exhibit similarities
in colour liking and colour meaning associations. Many intrinsic properties of
colours (liking, meaning associations) thus appear to be pancultural. How
colours are combined for logos, however, indicates that cultural similarities
and differences exist in the ways consumers select colour combinations.

One of the most important innovations of this research was the use of
perceptual maps to position colour meaning in different cultures, according to
the rating assigned by respondents to each colour on 20 different semantic
differential scales.
A consistent pattern of colour clusters emerged for each country. The most
striking patterns are the clustering of blue, green, and white and of black and
brown. Both of these clusters are evident in all eight countries and imply that,
within each country, consumers associate each colour with similar meanings;
however the meanings may vary by culture. Gold, orange, and yellow also
tend to cluster close to one another and usually near the origin of the maps.
Purple is close to gold, orange, and yellow in some countries and close to
black and brown in others. Red is the colour that tended not to cluster with
any of the other colours. The meanings associated with each of these colour
clusters showed both similarities and dissimilarities between countries. This
research allowed to get a clearer idea of the positioning of colour meanings in
each culture, and also to study the relationships of colour clusters within and
across cultures.

A Spectrum of Colour Meaning. An interesting pattern of colours forming a

spectrum of meaning is evident across all countries. Close examination of the
eight perceptual maps shows that a straight line can be drawn with red on
one end and the blue-green-white cluster on the other end. The meaning
associations along this spectrum run from „active‟, „hot‟, and „vibrant‟
(associated with red) to „calming‟, „gentle‟, and „peaceful‟ (associated with the
blue-green-white cluster). The remaining six colours tend to locate
approximately equidistant between these endpoints. See next figure.

Active, exciting, Calming, cold,

ferocious, hot, gentle, passive,
vibrant, violent Meanings peaceful, still

Colours

Red Gold Black Blue

Orange Brown Green
Yellow Purple White

This research also found that respondents from different countries have
different tendencies with regard to matching colours in a logo design. More
specifically, some groups tend to match or select only colours they like equally
(respondents from Hong Kong and Taiwan in particular). Alternatively, other
groups of respondents seemed to match colours that share the same
meanings, and others paired colours whose associations were complementary.

2.6 Colour Symbolism per Country

Every country and culture attaches certain symbolic values to colours. There
are various sources where these symbolic meanings are listed. A useful place
where to find them is on the web site:
http://www.webofculture.com/worldsmart/design_colors.asp
(See appendix 2)

2.7 The Idiomatic Use of Colours in Languages

Many languages use names of colours to express moods and feelings. In all
languages there are numerous expressions in which colour plays an important
role. In most cases there is no equivalent in other languages and when
translating them literally the meaning is lost.
The English “to feel blue” has no equivalent in other languages while in
German “blau sein” (literally: to be blue) means to be drunk or in Russian
“голубой” (literally: light blue) means to be homosexual.
Idiomatic expressions therefore create a different map of colour meanings in
every language, thus modifying perception.
(See appendix 1)

2.8 The Meaning of Colours in Religions

It is important to remember that religion is an important part of culture, and
that in every religion colours have their associations. An inappropriate use of
colour can be perceived as offensive. For Shiite Muslims green is sacred, and
its use should be undertaken very cautiously. White is the colour of mourning
in China. An overabundance of white space around a small isolated image or
lettering might hint at funerary meanings.

2.9 Non Cultural Factors

There are many non-cultural factors that can influence colour perception.
These include psychological factors, the state of physical and mental health,
the technology used, etc.
Among the psychological factors are the visual effects: a stronger or lighter
contrast between adjacent colours can influence our perception of each
colour. The shape of an object can modify our perception of its colour. A
heart-shape cut from orange paper may seem to have a redder hue than a
geometric figure cut from the same paper.
As far as health conditions are concerned: schizophrenics are reported to have
an abnormal colour perception. Colour blind people have difficulties
distinguishing certain colours.
Technology has an influence too, with modifications in colour due to different
screens, or to the way images are compressed.
3. Conclusion
This short analysis shows just how colour can be a critical factor in
communication and the power that it can exert on perception in various
cultures.
The study of the impact of colours on internet surfers and consumers has
been extensive, but it is still at the beginning as far as cross-cultural
localization is concerned.
Findings should now be integrated to other research results on webvertising
effectiveness such as banner burnout rate (the decrease of effectiveness after
a certain number of impressions), integration into the environment, the use of
the word „free‟, the effect of animation, the development of eye-tracking
technology, etc.
In particular the use of colour-cluster research could prove very helpful in
identifying clusters of colours with similar meanings, or in deciding whether a
colour combination needs changing in order for the ad to retain the same
symbolic meaning.
The scope for research and application is very wide, and in a world where only
43% of Web users speak English, with the prospect of them shrinking to 35%
by 2005, the importance of every aspect of localization increases steadily.
Appendix 1

Comparative Analysis of Colour-related Expressions in

Western European Languages

By comparing some expressions from different European languages (English,

French, German, Italian, Spanish) we discover a number of interesting things.
Some expressions are common to all the five languages analysed: white flag
has the same meaning in all languages (surrender), and red heat and white
heat have their equivalents in every language. The Greens are
environmentalists in all 5 languages, and intelligent people have a lot of grey
matter all over Europe. Many Europeans are in white collar or blue collar
jobs and most of them see pink elephants when drunk. Being in the red is
not desirable in any European country: it‟s better to be in the black. Red
light districts sell sex and pornography in every country. The aristocracy is
blue-blooded in all languages.

What is more interesting is to concentrate on some of the differences:

 A British or Italian black eye becomes blue in Germany, purple in

Spain, and the French add some butter to make it a black-butter eye


(oeuil au beurre noir).
If English hooligans beat you black and blue, you will notice that the
German ones prefer beating you green and blue, while the Italian tifosi


make you a plain black.
If English people are quite glad to be invited to a black tie party,
because of the glamour it involves, Italians are less enthused at the
idea because the kind of party where you wear a black tie involves a


coffin, too.
For the Italians a person with rare qualities is a white fly while for the


Spanish the same person is white blackbird.


Blue jokes turn green in Spain
Your English, French, Italian neighbours are green with envy because


of your beautiful garden, while the German one is yellow.
It probably means that you have green fingers (UK), green hands


(German) or a green thumb (Italy).
In France you are as white as a sheet, in Italy as a cloth, in


Germany as chalk or as the wall.
A white night is sleepless in French, Italian and Spanish, but not in
English.
 In France and Britain something is jet-black or black like coal, in
Germany it‟s black like the night and in Italy it‟s black like ebony
or like sin, in Spain it‟s black like coal tit.
 While the egg-white is the same everywhere, the yolk can be red


(Italy), or yellow (the others).
Red wine turns to black when in Italy, and it is simply coloured (tinto)


in Spain.
When they are scared the French are green with fear, while the


Italians are blue (fifa blu) or white.
When hitting the bull‟s eye, the Germans hit the black while the


Spaniards hit the white.
The middle traffic light is amber in Britain, yellow in Italy, Germany


and Spain and orange in France.


Goldfish are simply red fish for Italians and the French.
The Blue Prince is how Prince Charming is called in Italy and Spain.
Appendix 2
Colour Symbolism per Country

REGION/
COLOR SIGNIFICANCE EXAMPLES
COUNTRY
North America
United States Red Excitement, warning, sex, Color of Canadian flag and
and Canada passion, adultery, safety dress uniform of Royal
rescue, hot, spicy Canadian Mountain Police
Yellow Visibility, cautionary, Used in U.S. to signal police
happy, sunny, cowardice area; color of taxis; yellow
ribbon as symbol for loved
one to return home
Blue Trustworthy, official US mailboxes. Uniforms,
business, philosophy, blue ribbon, singing the
soothing blues
Green Environmental, outdoorsy, Money, nature, highway
masculinity, freshness, signs
healthy, envy, jealousy,
inexperience
Orange Visibility, refreshing, Sunsets, fruit, highway
danger signs, prison uniforms
Purple Nobility, bravery, law, Bravery medal, college
excess colors
Pink Feminity, childhood, fun, Baby girls, candy, gay
sweetness, homosexuality movement
Brown Dullness, boring, fertile, National Park signs, coffee
strength, unprocessed, packaging
poverty
Gold Money, wealth luminosity Jewelry, architecture, liquor,
chocolate
Black Death, evil, sin, Clothing
nothingness, business,
adult, formal, sexy
White Clean, pure, elegant, Paper, building walls,
antiseptic bedding
 Silver Sleek, classy, modern Products for men, tools, car
parts
Gray Humility, grief, depression, Hair color, clothing,
strength, wisdom concrete, steel
Latin America
Mexico Red Sunny, religion, compass, Aztec color for north, used in
vibrancy, intensity, death national flag
Yellow Sun Folk art

Blue Mourning, trust, tranquility Wear when someone dies

Green Vegetation n/a

Gold Wealth, church Jewelry

adornments
Black Mourning, religion, Cleric robes
respect, death
White Pure, clean, peasant Peasant clothing

Silver n/a Jewelry; silver mines

Caribbean
Bahamas, Red African roots, nature, Flowers, birds
Cuba, Jamaica, animals
Haiti, Green Lush vegetation Animals (Puerto Rico's coqui
Dominican frog)
Republic,
Puerto Rico
Yellow African roots, nature, Jamaica's flag, flowers,
animals animals
Pink Buildings Architecture in Puerto Rico

Blue Water, animals Birds

White Clean, cool, authority Police uniforms, jewelry

Orange Animals Trupiaal bird in Aruba

 Blue Pirates, death Hats, eye patches

Gold Pirates, riches Jewelry, pirate treasure

Silver Pirates, riches Jewelry, pirate treasure

Brown Alcohol Caribbean rum

South America
Argentina Silver Gauchos, craftsmanship Jewelry, knives, belt
buckles, saddles
Red Craftsmanship Baskets, pottery

Blue Sky, freedom, infinity, Travel, goals, ambition,

blessing, ocean vastness, color of Argentine
flag
Yellow Wealth, religion, Jewelry, religious relics
ceremony, visibility
White Light, cool, purity, Clothing, snow
accomplishment,
aspiration
Brazil Red Visibility, Vibrancy Red cars illegal in Brazil due
to perception of them
causing more accidents
Purple Mourning

Green Environment Symbol of the rainforest

Orange Environment Birds (macaws)

Brown Nature Wood, nuts

Black Sophistication, authority, Religious clothing, widows'

mourning, religion, clothing, formal clothing
formality
Western Black Mourning, formality, death, Formal clothing, widows'
Europe evil, elegance, clothing
sophistication
White Pure, clean, good, empty, Nurses' uniforms, food
bleak, neutral, antiseptic, packaging
 surrender
Gray Architecture, ambiguity, Concrete, buildings, smoke,
wisdom, experience ash, fog
Silver Masculinity, technology, Weapons, shaving tools
expensive, craftsmanship
Red Sexy, love, romance, Clothing, cars, traffic signs
vigor, optimism, strength,
caution
Yellow Visibility, hazard, quality Mailboxes, telephone
booths, reference guides
Blue Sky, fidelity, serenity, Art, uniforms
truth, reliability,
responsibility, emotion
Green Nature, fertility, Surgical uniforms, ecological
confidence, jealousy, symbols, mold
inexperienced
Orange Visibility, cheap, loud Warning signs, life rafts

Brown Masculinity, earth Wood, animal fur

Purple Nobility, luxury, power, Royal colors

vanity
Pink Delicate, flirtation, Girls' clothing, baby clothing,
femininity, sensitivity, makeup
soothing
Gold Mysticism, luxury, wealth, Coins, jewelry
excessive
England, Red Power, authority, Mailboxes, red hair, buses,
Scotland, government, visibility, telephone booths
Wales and temper
Ireland
Yellow Visibility, rubber Rain jackets

Blue Tranquil, dignity, decorum Scottish war paint, formal

clothing
Green Environment, Catholicism, Four-leaf clover,
quality leprechauns
Brown Earth, honesty, manual Soil
labor
 Gold Royalty Colors of the royal crown

Purple Royalty Colors of the royal crown

Black Mourning, death, dignity Clothing, taxis

White Leisure, sports, peace Sportswear, linen, lace

Gray Sophistication, elegance, Concrete, clothing, industrial

traditional, tasteful, town
strength
Orange Protestant religion Irish flag color

France Red Blood, passionate love, Lipstick, clothing

lust, virile
Yellow Summer, joy Fruit, mailboxes

Blue Water, reliability, trust Street signs, jewelry

Green Outdoors Park benches, rooftops

Gold Decoration, light, luxury Champagne, Paris is known

as the City of Light
Orange Earth Pottery, figurines

Germany, White Nature Snow, mountains

Austria and Blue Reliability, neutrality, Blue Danube waltz
Switzerland romance
Yellow Cowardice, persecution, Yellow Stars of David during
sunshine WWII
Silver Sophistication Cars, shaving tools

Green Earth Emeralds

Blue Ocean n/a

Gold Money, wealth Swiss bank accounts

Brown Earth Soil, Swiss chocolate

Scandinavia
Iceland, Blue Water, clean, poor Hospital supplies, out of
Norway, money
Sweden,
Finland
Green Sterility n/a

Yellow Heart, warmth Mailboxes in Sweden

Orange Heart, warmth Sun

White Evil repellant, peace, Ice, glaciers

nature
Red Strength Eric the Red, father of Leif
Ericson , first European on
North American continent
Netherlands Red Nature, government, Mailboxes, tulips, colors of
royalty the royal crown
Green Ecology Greenpeace movement
headquartered in
Netherlands
Brown Architecture Wooden shoes, bricks,
windmills
Yellow Food Cheese, butter

Spain and Black Power, death, piety Bulls, Catholic faith

Portugal
Yellow Treason Condemned prisoners
during Inquisition
Green Racy, sexy, cheap, Off-color humor, vineyards
agriculture
Orange Blood, aggression Scarves, flamenco dresses,
bull-fighting
Gray Strength Rock of Gibraltar

Italy Red Light, fidelity Italian flag, restaurant

decorations
Blue Mourning, judgmental, n/a
heaven, purity
 Purple Nobility, endurance of Martyrs' clothing
suffering
Gold Wealth, luxury, divinity, Jewelry, church decorations,
greed crosses
Black Humility, death, mourning Venician gondolas

Silver Wealth, luxury, Jewelry

craftsmanship
White Virtue, purity Clothing

Brown Earth, penitence, humility Leather goods, religious

clothing
Eastern Europe
Greece Red Love, Autumn Wine, flowers
Yellow Spring n/a

Green Water, earth, divinity, n/a

wisdom
Purple Nobility n/a

Black Winter n/a

Commonwealth
of Independent
States
Georgia, Red Communism, revolution, Red Square, Metro station
Armenia, beauty signs, Russian word for
Azerbizian, "beautiful" sounds same as
Turkmenistan, English word for "red"
Tajikistan, Yellow Nature Sunflowers, Russian
Uzbekistan, wedding color
Krygtan,
Kazakhstan, Gold Aristocracy Ukrainian coat of arms
Russian Blue Hope, purity, peace, Virgin Mary
serenity
Silver Religion Georgian art
Turkey Blue Healing, evil repellant, Ward off evil eye (amulets),
wealth art (frescoes)
 Red Fruit, Nature Flowers, rugs, cherries,
apricots, almonds, figs
Purple Nature Flowers, stones

White Nature Flowers, stones

Gold Nature Flowers, stones

Pink Birds Pink flamingos

Balkans and
Slavic States
Albania, Red Medicine Flags of Lithuania and
Macedonia, Latvia; red wool in
Bulgaria, Macedonia
Romania, Blue Art Church frescoes
Bosnia,
Herzegovina, White Intelligence, neatness Clothing, linen
Croatia, Gold Fairytale Latvian amber
Hungary,
Slovakia, Green Nature Forests, pine trees
Czech
Republic,
Ukraine,
Moldova,
Poland,
Belarus,
Lithuania,
Latvia, Estonia
Middle East
Israel Red Love, sacrifice, sin, blood, n/a
anger, hatred, strength
Yellow Saintly halo of God

Blue the Lord; glory colors of Israeli flag

Purple Sea; divinity Shellfish

Gold Decoration Jewelry

 White Nature, mercy, peace, Clothing, white hair
purity joy, wisdom
Egypt Red n/a Mailboxes, rugs
Yellow Soul, sun, happiness, Stones, bees
prosperity
Blue Truth, justice, Stones, flowers
reproduction, virtue, faith
Green Fertility, vegetation Stones, rugs

Gold Wealth Jewelry

Africa Red Death, bloodshed; Mourning clothing

Green Fertility Trees

White Victory, purity Young girls' clothing

Yellow High rank Chiefs' clothing

Black Age, maturity, masculinity Clothing

Gold Continuous life Women's' clothing

Brown Earth Soil, pottery

Asia Pacific
China, Hong Red Communism, celebration, Wedding dresses, lucky
Kong, Taiwan government, fire, summer, money envelopes, red ink
good luck, joy, fertility, used in obituaries
good fortune
Yellow Earth, power, royalty, sun, Sun, Ying
masculinity, happiness
Blue Sky, water Clothing

Green Desirability, spring, youth, Crops, jade jewelry

birth
Orange Love, happiness, humility, Robes of Buddhist monks,
good health, immortality fire
Gold Preciousness, prestige, Jewelry, gold lettering on red
wealth, status, decoration background signifies
 ultimate prosperity
Black Water, life, stability, the Clothing, paint
unknown
White Death, mourning, pure, Funeral clothing, flowers,
neutral, west, autumn packages
Singapore and Red Healing Red hibiscus flowers
Malaysia Yellow Royalty, authority Taxicab roofs
Green Affiliation with Islam Green twig placed on rear of
car on road indicates car is
disabled
Orange Official Public coin phones

Black Mourning Funeral clothing

White Respect White chrysanthemums

used in ceremonial
pilgrimages
Thailand Gold Architecture Temple decoration
Red Buddhism Buddhist robes

Yellow Nirvana Sash around Buddha

statues
South Korea Red Good luck, blood Festive clothing
Yellow Joy, happiness Engagement

Blue Mourning Clothing

Gold Decoration Jewelry

Black Darkness, mystery, Clothing

mourning, water
Indonesia Red Anger, celebration Wedding dress
Blue Sadness Clothing

Gold Decoration Jewelry

Brown Earth Soil

Japan Red Blood, passion, self- Public phones, paint,
sacrifice, strength cherries
Yellow Sunshine, nature Flowers, clothing, gardening

Blue n/a Clothing

Green n/a Clothing

Orange Love, happiness Clothing

Purple Royalty Flowers

Pink Spring, femininity, youth, Lingerie, flowers, clothing,

good health off-color humor
Brown Earth, strength, durability Wood

Gold Decoration, wealth, Jewelry

prestige
Silver Masculinity, high-tech, Tools, weapons
strength, precision
Black Non-being, night, Electronics, clothing
unknown, mystery, anger
White Death, mourning Cars

India Red Birth, fertility Wedding dress, bindi, henna

color in hair
Yellow Sun, commerce Taxis, tumeric spice

Blue Heavens, love, truth, Krishna's skin

mercy
Green Nature Plants, crops

Pink Happiness, hope Ganesh birthday celebration

powder
Orange Death, rebellion+C72 Hindu monks' robes, death
shroud of married woman
Black Laziness, anger, Alcohol, Sudra (untouchable
intolerance caste)
 White Creation, rebirth, light, Brahman (highest caste),
serenity, reincarnation food, dairy products
Australia, New Tan Earth Desert, bamboo
Zealand, and White Ocean Coral (Great Barrier Reef)
the Philippines
Orange Animals Fish
Yellow Resurrection, rebirth Easter
Red Sun Sunset, scarves, soil

Blue Water Ocean, flags

Green Craftsmanship Handicrafts, nature

Brown Earth Soil

Black n/a n/a

References
Ensenberger, Maria de Fatima [1997], Universals in Colours, University of
Porto, Portugal

Ideal Home [2001], Complete Book of Colour Scheming, Ideal Home

Magazine.

Lane Randall [1991], Does Orange Mean Cheap?, Forbes, [December 23]
pp.144-147.

Madden, Thomas J.; Hewett, Kelly; Roth, Martin S. [2000], Managing Images
in Different Cultures: A Cross-National Study of Color Meanings and
Preferences, Journal of International Marketing, Vol. 8, No. 4, USA, 2000, pp.
90-107

Peterson, L. K., Dangel Cullen, Cheryl [2000], Global Graphics: Color,

Rockport, Gloucester, MA, USA, 2000.

Techtronix (1998), The Color Connection, Morton, IL, USA.

Research Sources and Findings, Banner Ad Placement Study [1997-98],
www.webreference.com.

http://www.britannica.com [2001], The Psychology of Colour, Encyclopaedia

Britannica.

http://www.colormatters.com [23 April 2001], Natalia Khouw, The Meaning of

Color for Gender

http://library.thinkquest.org [23 April 2001], Psychological Effects of Colour

Perception.

http://www.grantam.com [2001], Il colore: la dimensione psicologica,

Grantam.com