Colour Psychology: What Colours Mean Around the World [INFOGRAPHIC]

Apr 22

How does colour psychology change around the world? This infographic is your handy guide!

As a graphic designer, you have the potential for your work to be seen all over the world! But with this, comes the requirement of an understanding of colour theory and, more specifically, colour psychology.

A while ago, I published an article on how different colours are perceived, and what meanings and emotions would be inferred from them. You see, colours have the power to make us humans feel and intuitively understand things subconsciously.

The issue with the first article is that it’s oriented to Western countries. But the reality is that different colours have different meanings in different parts of the world. In North America, red will be seen as a signifier of danger and adventure. Whereas in Africa, it’s often used to show wealth and visibility.

And because, as a graphic designer, you may be asked to create designs for clients outside of your home country, you should have an understanding of what different colours mean around the world, and how they’ll be interpreted by their viewers.

So in the infographic below, we look at how the most common colours are perceived in North America, Europe, India, Japan, China, and Africa.

Be sure to bookmark the page so you can come back to the colour psychology reference sheet when you need it!

BONUS: Build your graphic design skills with these six project ideas.