The Meaning of Color

Are color codes for decorative purposes, is it a retail scheme to sell holiday swag or is there a deeper meaning? For safety codes, red means stop, green means go; in branding, color is used for retail companies (Target uses red) to sports teams (green for the New York Jets). Even holidays are color coded, including today's holiday, St. Patrick's Day. Green is everywhere today in honor of the Irish holiday...ever wonder why?

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Green has been associated with Ireland for a long time. In the mid-17th century, much of Ireland briefly succeeded in forming a confederacy against English rule and used a flag bearing a gold harp on a field of green, based on the flag of the Province of Leinster which includes Dublin and much of the more populated East Coast. Subsequent attempts at revolt continued to use green symbolism to promote Irish nationalism. The color green was an important symbol of pride for the home country of the Irish immigrants as they entered the U.S., ultimately bonding the color to their public holiday.

At CAMA, we tend to use the full spectrum when creating color schemes as we often consider our client's symbolism and couple it with the understanding that color has a significant impact on human behavior. The color schemes are then combined with our biophilic principles to incorporate nature, like Ireland's green shamrock. 

Brigham & Women's Garden Cafe. Photo Courtesy Klopfer Martin Design Group