The Color of Ideas
Choose one to three colors from the color associations chart. Note the different meanings. Create a character or place associated with each color. Profile the character(s) or setting(s), or write a scene about them.
Color theory suggests that colors evoke emotion and meaning. This is why many restaurants use yellow and red in their logos: Those colors are proven to make people hungry. Dark blues are often seen on banks logos and institutional crests because they evoke trust and authority. And, of course, colors are used to evoke motion in fine art as well.
Weekly Writing Prompt: The Color of Ideas
Choose one to three colors from the color associations chart below. Note the different meanings. (Note: These are typical North American color associations and may vary in different cultures.) Create a character or place associated with each color. Profile the character(s) or setting(s), or write a scene about them.
Post your response in 500 words or fewer in the comments below.
Apply This Writing Prompt to Future Projects: Consider how you can apply color meanings to scenes, settings and tone in your work. What does it mean to your readers if your story is set in a landscape full of greens or yellows? How can you evoke these colors without repeating the names of the colors over and over again?
Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters and the former Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest. Her eight years of experience in digital and print content direction include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter.
