What’s your color language?

We use colors to communicate with others because color has the power to evoke emotions. For example, cosmetologists learn to use color theory basics to deliver beauty-enhancement services such as makeup application, scalp and facial treatments, hair styling, manicures, and pedicures. The foundation of color theory is the color wheel, which helps cosmetologists understand color relationships and properties. By studying primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, beauty professionals can predict how colors will interact and how to combine them effectively.

Another key concept is color harmony, which refers to combining colors in pleasing and balanced ways. Using tones, tints, and shades allows cosmetologists to create depth, contrast, and visual interest while matching a client’s preferences and features.

Cosmetologists also consider color temperature, meaning whether a color appears warm or cool. Warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow can create energy and warmth, while cool colors like blue, green, and violet often create calmness and softness. Understanding color temperature helps professionals choose flattering makeup shades, hair colors, and nail colors that complement skin tone and achieve the desired overall look

Color is an element of visual language we use to communicate our affect, mood, and emotional state to others. The colors we select to dress and style ourselves, to decorate our homes, to enhance meaning (highlighting select words in a sentence), to establish brand identity, etc., can also tell us much about ourselves as well. So, what is your favorite color and why?

As a visual artist, I have reviewed countless surveys of color preferences. Some surveys focus on color popularity for decorating home and office spaces, others focus on fashion, nationality, or human color psychology. For this post, I have combined and attached an “importance” value to this information to produce my list of the top ten most popular colors in the world.

Blue (the coolest primary color) is the most popular color in the world. Blue represents the sky and water. Blue can be used to invoke feelings of awe, happiness, pride, or satisfaction. By adjusting the hue, tint, tone, or shade of blue, the resultant color can be used to invoke feelings of anxiety, boredom, or sadness. Psychologists tell us that people associate blue with royalty, patience, trust, calm, relief, and integrity.

Red (the warmest primary color) is the second most popular color in the world. Red represents passion, desire, or love. Red can be used in artwork to invoke a variety of emotions ranging from awe, happiness, and satisfaction, to anger, contempt, and fear. Psychologists tell us that people associate red with energy, war, danger, strength, and power.

Green (the result of mixing blue and yellow together) is the third most popular color in the world. Green is the color of nature, fertility, life, and prosperity. Gentle, invigorating, and relaxing, green also represents connection. The use of green in artwork can invoke a mood of joy or fear. Psychologists tell us that people associate green with wealth, prestige, purity, health, jealousy, and greed.

Black (the darkest achromatic color) is the fourth most popular color in the world. In the fashion industry, black is the color of elegance and simplicity. A black chip is worth $100 in most casinos. The use of black within an artwork can invoke emotional states of anger, fear, or sadness. Psychologists tell us that people associate black with elegance, mystery, intensity, prestige, death, grief, and evil.

Purple (the result of mixing blue and red together) is the fifth most popular color in the world. Purple represents royalty, majesty, pleasure, harmony, and nobility. Darker shades of purple often represent luxury or opulence, while lighter shades are feminine, sentimental, and even nostalgic. A purple chip is worth $500 in most casinos. The use of purple (a complimentary color to yellow) within artwork can invoke emotional states of happiness, pride, anger, or sadness. Psychologists tell us that people associate purple with pleasure, luxury, and power.

It may surprise you that grey (the result of mixing black and white together) is the sixth most popular color in the world. Grey represents neutrality, relevance, and practicality. The use of grey within an artwork can invoke a mood of annoyance, serenity, or sadness. Psychologists tell us that people associate grey with balance, calm, control, melancholy, reasoning, and intelligence.

Rounding out my list of the top ten most popular colors are (from seven to ten) orange, yellow, white, and pink. These color languages will be addressed in a future post. In the meantime, please enjoy our variety of visual works of abstract art, surreal art, portraits (and more), that complement your individual color language.