7 Reasons Why You Should Use the Color Green for Your Next Design project

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“So, why you chose green?”

Someone had asked this question to me a few days back. They were referring to my use of Green, as the accent color on this website.

“Because I am not a Pink/Red person!” – I had said jokingly.

On a serious note, I have my own set of reasons for using Green for my website, and I would reveal them later.

For most people, choosing a color and applying it anywhere is hardly anything more than a personal choice, or a superficial, garnishing sort of process.

But, as a creative professional (Graphic designer, Web designer, Interior designer, Fashion designer or someone in any other awesome field of visual creativity), it is one of the most important decisions you make in the lifetime of your project. Your aim is to “communicate” and not just “decorate” with your color choice. You use colors to create vibes and trigger certain emotional reactions in the viewer.

So, let me present to you my reasons for why, you, as a designer, should consider using the color Green, for your next assignment.

Green Color exudes youthful vibes (and works well with technology brands)!

Did you know, Green is the second most common favorite color (first being blue) of people?

Mostly because of our psychological association of the color with Nature, it feels very down to earth, balancing, and friendly.

When we see this color, our pituitary gland is stimulated. It relaxes our muscles and so we feel this subtle, stress-relieving effect.

Green is also the color of the Heart Chakra, also known as Anahata. This Chakra influences our relationships.

Avia Venefica says -“The heart is the dispatcher of information – all kinds of information. From physical, emotional, and intellectual the heart serves as the hub – and interconnects the matrix of existence. When green glows in your thoughts, it’s a cue to get back in step with the beating rhythm of the pulse of all life”

Green is made by mixing the two pure colors – Blue & Yellow. And so, Green has the calming and stabilizing effect of blue, but additionally, it has also absorbed in itself the energy of Yellow, and this makes it more youthful, giving vibes of growth, productivity, new beginnings!

This might be the reason why so many successful technology brands appealing to youth and their emotions have green in their logos.

With their choice of color, WhatsApp has made such a great connection with youth.

No need to clarify this one either…

Music gives the harmonizing effect to our senses and so does Green!

Google’s open-source operating system is immensely popular with youth and geeks all around the world, and they embrace it with a lot of affection.

No need to say anything about the popularity of Microsoft’s video gaming brand amongst teens and youngsters.

The Color of Nature!

Year after year, the socio-economic environment the world over is becoming increasingly about “going green” and our collective social consciousness is drifting towards protecting nature, more than ever before…Vegetarianism, organic produce, battery operated vehicles, these are just a few examples of the trend.

More and more people are feeling the need to retreat and connect to nature. Obviously, as our political and social surroundings become more complicated, chaotic, and stressful, the yearning to be in the simplicity of nature is bound to increase.

Green, is the most visible color in nature and also the easiest for the human eyes to process. The very reason why we so easily get drawn to nature is the fact that it makes us feel rejuvenated and thus it explains the overall effect of most of the shades of green on our minds, which is very relaxing and soothing.

You might not have realized, but when you see Green, on let’s say a sofa, a window curtain, or a shopping bag, a vehicle, it instantly reminds you of the comfort of being in nature.

Many brands whose products or message have an association with nature, they have made use of the color very successfully.

Below are some well-known instances:

The popular wildlife channel’s attempt to convey a connection with mother nature is very obvious, and in their newly made-over logo, they have used this eccentric “M” to strike that connect. I had read somewhere a very interesting explanation about the “eccentricity” of their green “M”. It said that “M” is lying down instead of standing upright like other letters in the logo because it represents the behavior of animals. Like animals in nature are free-spirited, and they lie down “as and when they please”, “M” is doing the same!

This British oil and gas brand does various renewable energy activities such as biofuels practices, wind, and solar power, etc. And this makes their logo very relevant in today’s economy where ‘green practices” is the “trend”, and when understood wholeheartedly, of course a requirement!

The 18o years old company has been using this logo design almost since their very beginnings. The association of their Green with nature is hard to miss since they manufacture products which are equipment for agriculture, forestry, landscaping, etc.

The Sierra Club is a more than 100 years old, San Francisco, California based environmental organization in the United States, The beautiful shade of green in their logo matches so well their motto – Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.

Green in darker shades signifies sophistication, stability & wealth…

Traditionally, darker shades of Green have been connected with wealth and prosperity.

Think of precious gemstones like Jade & Emerald, and currency notes in many nations!

What comes to your mind when you think of a Starbucks Coffee Shop? Just good coffee? No, you think of a crowd that is urban, sophisticated, and classy! The company also uses this color a lot, in the interiors of their shops.

Now this one is a personal favorite!

Think about a Barnes & Noble store and what comes in mind is a place with a distinct finesse and privileged people, intellectually privileged that is.

This British auto brand which is in turn owned by India’s Tata Motors is known for its large and sturdy vehicles. With this shade of Green in their logo, the luxury SUV makers not only convey adventurous off-road feel their vehicles offer but also, the class, this high-end brand stands for.

As seen here in their signature shoulder bag, luxury department store Harrods use this posh shade of green in their branding.

Fidelity Investments, the fourth largest mutual fund and financial services group in the world. This American multinational financial services corporation delivers the message of trust and wealth creation with their name written in rich green in the logo.

Green is associated with freshness & health

The association of Green with Nature automatically extends to two other things humans derive, or sense, from Nature – Freshness & Health. And so, almost all the food and beverages brands who want to associate themselves with healthy or fresh products use Green in their branding to win the trust of the health-conscious customers.

“Eat fresh”, their slogan says it all, and so does one of the prominent colors in their branding, green.

The use of green by this organic grocery stores chain of America works well to convey their Eco-mindedness and their claim to be “The healthiest grocery store of the country”.

Tropicana sells juices worldwide, claiming to bottle 100% pure squeezed orange juice.

Tictac uses the freshness quotient of the Green color in a more direct sense to sell their very popular mints.

Green invites, motivates, feels safe!

Have you ever noticed the color of “call of action” buttons on most websites? They are green.

The traffic signal light for “Safe to proceed” is Green, and so are the pharmacy signs.

For a hospitality brand like Holiday Inn Hotels, it makes a lot of sense to keep it green, it not only gives away the de-stressing feeling but also invites the tourists/visitors to stay!

Talking of travel, let me give another example – the most visited travel website in the world…

Not only they have incorporated the Green color in their name, but there is one more interesting thing to observe…

Did you notice that both the eyes of the owl are of different colors? One is red, the other is green!

It signifies the fact, that the website advises you about what places to go and where not to go!!!

Green is capable of making any creative concept/design look stunningly attractive (and so it just effortlessly complements lifestyle products and designs!)

Look at the images below and it should not take much too figure this one out.

Fashion…

Home Decor & Interior…

Cosmetics & accessories…

Whoa!!!

Gorgeous, isn’t it?

Pantone announced “Greenery” as the color of the year for 2017!

And why that matters? You might ask if you don’t know Pantone.

Pantone provides professional color standards for the design industries and they claim to be “the global authority on color”.

Since 2000, every year, the company has been choosing a color that reflects the present day cultural climate.

The company describes their color “Greenery”, The color of the year for 2017, as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew.”

The Color of the Year selection by Pantone is the result of very thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, the color experts at the Pantone Color Institute carefully study the newest color impacts all around the world in the areas like art, travel, lifestyle, fashion, movies and also they observe the socio-economic fabric, the trends, and events, that might be taking the attention of people around the globe.

Over the last few years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has been strongly influencing product development and buying decisions in fashion, home furnishing, branding, graphic design, etc. To cite my first-hand experience on this – as a registered user of a popular online home decor store in the US, I got an email from them recommending their products in this special color!

So, you see, when Pantone calls it The Color of the Year, you can rest assured, it is in vogue, and you can safely bank on it.

And now, it’s time for me to answer the question I mentioned at the beginning of this post – why I used the shades of green as the accents for this website?

Well,

1. First of all, most of my galleries are filled with photography & illustration work which is inspired by Nature, and I would like Lensdepictions to be known & remembered for that association. So, Green was a very natural choice.

2. Secondly, the color is something I feel very comfortable dwelling in. I just feel very restful & safe when I have this color around.

3. And lastly, the most important reason –

Lensdepictions caters to creative people, and any form of creativity is about positivity & growth. And which color can signify this idea more?

Green!

You see, grass grows, leaves grow, trees grow… :)

And I wanted special visitors and readers like you to feel that sense of positivity with this calming environment, while you are here.

So, did you? Please let me know by commenting below!

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