Color is used symbolically when it is used to form or reinforce an interpretation for the viewer based on what the color might "mean".

This is a partial list of some affective responses that might be attributed to some colors. There are many other factors that can influence what meaning or symbolic effect a color might have.

Red--The color of blood, passion, and aggression. A symbol of war and pestilence, red is also a warm hue associated with action, strength, zealousness, and religion. Women are attracted to red though men prefer blue. Together with yellow, it seems hypnotic. Red attracts attention and is used for this purpose in traffic signs, red-pencil corrections, and clothing accessories. Because it is so strong, it is not often used for broad, unrelieved expanses. Light pink is feminine, rosy or healthy. Darker, vivid pink is tacky and cheap today, tomorrow?

Orange--A very warm color with energy and force as attributes. It is the color of a hot fire--glowing embers are red. suggestive of good times and joy, it is also the color of knowledge and civilization. peachy-hued oranges are fruity and juicy, but yellow-hued oranges are golden and rich, a symbol of wealth.

Yellow--The color of sunshine, bright and cheerful; of radiant energy and light; also, of jaundice, cowardice, and caution. Unclear of impure mixtures, especially those containing black (greenish) suggest repulsion, ill health, and decay.

Green--The symbol of growth, renewal, and the rebirth of plant life (sometimes all life) on earth; an expression of fertility, freshness, youth as well as inexperience. It is the color of paper money. Some mixtures suggest envy, jealousy, guilt, disease, or terror. Green light is otherworldly because we experience almost no natural green light.

Violet--(Purple) The color of increasing distance and space (aerial perspective), it varies wildly in hue, being perceived as warm or cool relative to the colors adjacent to it. Purple is associated with fantasy and mysticism. Deep purple is a symbol of royalty. Other mixtures evoke nostalgia. When impure, pale and grayish, violets also suggest depression, loneliness, aging, disease and death.

Blue--The symbol for peace. This is a hue that is in control, restful, serene; psychologically and physiologically calming. It is "transparent." The accepted symbol for fidelity, sobriety, and aloofness; in other contexts, blue indicates discomfort; cold, wet, and fear. Dark blue is conservative, sober, reliable and dependable; sky blue is celestial.

Brown--the color of soil, brown is earthy, cosy or comfortable, and the fertile more often than dirty and dull. The hue suggests the stability and permanence of the earth. It possesses the familiarity and worth of wood. Like gray, brown is usually. Considered to be a neutral color but of a warmer sensibility. It seems to be a balm for depression. Except for Terre Verte, most other earth colors have similar connotations.

Black--The absence of visible light, it represents a void or hole in the visual field, annihilation, as well as a sense of mystery, the powers of darkness, evil, and fear. But under other circumstances, it can be warm, engulfing, sheltering, comforting, and secure. Black is associated with depression, sorrow, gloom, and death in this country; yet it possesses a unique ability to lend force and great power to any figure.

White--Suggests death, fear, monotony, pallidness, and impenetrable cold as well as its more common associations with light, purity, and truth. It is hospital cleanliness, the sign of a truce (white flag), a cover-up (whitewash), uselessness (white elephant), and deception (white lie). We turn white with fear, are white-lipped with rage, or sear in white heat. White shapes are perceptually viewed as figures and advance but black shapes tend to be seen as holes and recede.

Gray--Is not perceived as being composed of colors, but as a noncolor. A kind of detachment or lack of commitment is reflected in this attitude. Gray is associated with cloudy days, the blahs; though it may be restful for short periods, long exposure is depressing because our senses are deprived of sufficient stimulation.