Last week, I wrote about the Semiotic Animal and the "Dichotomy of Life," but I wrongly assumed everybody would be familiar with the concept of semiotics.
So here is a definition:
se·mi·ot·ics ˌsemēˈädiks/
noun: The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
Based on that definition, we can assume that semiotics is everywhere. Embedded in ourselves and in the way we communicate with others. However, we often forget that signs and symbols are culture dependent. This is why this week I have decided to talk about the semiotics of color. Yes! Color. What do you think of when you see the pretty colors of the rainbow? How does the color red make you feel? In some people, the color red evokes feelings of passion, in other people, it evokes feelings of anger.
The way in which we give colors a particular meaning depends vastly on our cultural background. For example, the most common colors have a standard social precept in which specific hues might stand for a general mood or idea... or so we think. These meanings don't always transcend the boundary of the society that has constructed the meaning. When we look at colors, their meaning can have very different cultural connotations. For instance, the color black in western societies stands for death (among other meanings). However, in some eastern cultures, it is the color white that symbolizes death.
Cultural Color Meanings of White
Western: brides and weddings, angels, hospitals, doctors, peace - the white dove purity and cleanliness.
Eastern: death, mourning, funerals, and sadness.
China: death and mourning, virginity and purity, humility
age, and misfortune.
India: unhappiness, symbol of sorrow in the death of the family member
traditionally the only color a widow is allowed to wear funerals peace and purity.
Japan: White carnation symbolizes death.
Thailand: white elephants are considered auspicious, white symbolizes purity in Buddhism.
Korea: purity, innocence, morality, birth and death.
Middle East: purity and mourning.
Cultural Color Meanings of Black
Western: power, control, intimidation, funerals, death, mourning, rebellion.
Eastern: wealth, health, and prosperity
China: color for young boys
India: evil, negativity, darkness, lack of appeal, anger, and apathy, used to ward off evil
Japan: the color of mystery and the night may be associated with feminine energy - either evil and a threat or provocative and alluring
Thailand: unhappiness, bad luck, evil.
Judaism: unhappiness, bad luck, evil.
Middle East: evil and mystery
Africa: Age and wisdom
Australian Aborigines: ceremonial color commonly used in their artworks
Understanding the relationship between culture and color meaning can be of great use not only for scholars of psychology but for advertisers and marketers alike. Also recognizing our own sets of color meanings, and the way in which we interact with color on a daily basis can be key to understand the way in which people perceive us and our personalities.
Do you live your life in color?
