Symbolism – Yellow

To continue the spirit of symbolism, I bring you the color yellow! Yellow is one of those beautifully bright colors that can bring a smile or sting your eyes. Yellow is a very versatile color that can indicate anything from joy, creativity, optimism, caution and illness. Yellow, like the other two warm colors of the rainbow, creates warmth and grabs your attention. Yellow, like red, is used in traffic because it can grab a driver’s attention. Yellow lights to warn for stops, yellow signs to warn for hazards and upcoming changes in the road.

The bright side:

• Yellow happy, creative and stimulating.

I’m sure I don’t need to go in depth as to why yellow indicates happiness, so we’ll go straight into creativity. Yellow gets the energy going for both your mind and your body, which in turn gets the juices going. Not very fancy, but it’s true. Yellow is optimistic and can represent youth, which is why wearing yellow and having blonde hair (to a certain extent!) can make you look younger. This color creates alertness and clarity. A yellow piece of paper catches your attention much more than any other color. Because it indicates youth, be careful when using it with older people. Also, it’s been proven that men dislike yellow more than women, so be careful with that, too!

The dark side:

• Yellow can indicate warning, decay, anxiety, and deceit.

With all of its good points, yellow definitely has its low points. Yellow is the color of warnings, like red again, but in a more cautionary manner than in a stopping manner. Too much yellow, like orange, creates anxiety. Babies put into a yellow room are more prone to crying than when in rooms of other colors. Dirty yellows show decay, illness (like jaundice) and deceit.

Different yellows can mean different things, too:

• Pale yellow indicates softness and a pure friendliness
• Light yellow shows intellect, freshness and joy
• Dark (dingy) yellow shows decay, sickness and sometimes jealousy.
• Yellow-orange (or Gold) relates to prestige, illumination, wealth and wisdom.
• Yellow-green is associated with deceit and disorientation. It can also show cowardice.

Yellow! It’s a bright, refreshing color that can bring attention to you–or your characters. Whether it be blonde hair, a yellow dress, a yellow tie, who knows, even a yellow car! A little bit goes a long way with this color. This color would love to be your friend if you give it a chance. (I promise it’s nice–for the most part.)