Colors in Communication

Do you realise that colors have EVERYTHING to do with COMMUNICATION? Colors are known as the ESSENCE of LIFE in commercials, advertisements and almost everything you come across. It is yet another form of NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION. For hundereds of years, colors have been used by mankind in cosmetics and face-painting. Colors can help CHANGE the way you look. Drawing dark lines and white hair can make you look old, while green make up will make you look ghostly. Without having to mention, BRIGHT colors can never make a face look sad. CLOWNS who do not use verbal communication while performing use face paint to express themselves.

The color of your FOOD is just as important as the way it tastes. Just imagine looking at a purple hamburger or a grey ice-cream. How delicious could that hamburger or ice-cream be? The color of our food often tells us whether or not it will be good to consume. Raw meat that is fresh is usually red. The same way goes for fresh vegetables that are green. Frozen foods often have additional coloring in it so that it will look more ATTRACTIVE to the consumer's eyes. A bright red sauce may look tastier than a brown sauce. Medicines and pills come in a large array of colors so that we can differentiate each of them and they will not look so threatening to consume. Colors also play big roles in FESTIVALS. Have you ever wondered why people wear red during Chinese New Year? In the chinese culture, red symbolises good luck. Therefore, when an elder gives you an 'ang pau' (red packet) during Chinese New Year, he or she is actually wishing you good luck. (Besides giving you the money inside!)

Colors are also used by TREKKERS to mark their journeys in the jungle. This is one of the ways they use to communicate with other trekkers. Colored markings show the trail or the path taken so that the other trekkers do not get lost. Colored LIGHTS are also used to communicate. Ships have lights on the sides of their bodies so that other ships can tell which direction they are coming from. Runways in airports are lit with green, blue, red and yellow lights to direct and tell the pilot where to go. Without these lights, planes will crash everytime they try to land or take off. Another classic example is red, yellow and green lights on the traffic light. Red lights tell us to stop as there will be danger if we do not. Yellow lights warn us to slow down because soon, we will have to stop the car. Of course, every driver loves the green light because it gives us the right of way to breeze down the road.

Here are some other ways that colors are used in communication. RED is often associated with heat and warmth because the cave dwellers who live thousands of years ago, fire meant warmth, cooked food and protection from wild animals. Red is also a royal color. When the Queen of England visits places, a red carpet is rolled out for her to walk on. This is a form of communicating respect.

Pick a random color. Maybe ORANGE? The orange robes of Buddhist monks are a sign of their dedication to the simple way of life. Today, many people working on roads or construction sites wear bright orange jackets to communicate to passersby and traffic to be cautious as they are doing work. In the 1930's and 40's telephone operators said, "Give me an orange" if they wanted a long distance connection!

YELLOW, yellow dirty fellow? Yellow is a color that has some very different meanings. It can be linked to sickness and weakness, or the life giving power of the sun. Yellow is the color of the sun. For the aborigines in Australia, yellow is the color of life, strength and happiness. At the center of the Aborigines' flag is a yellow disc. Beside, a flag called Yellow Jack is flown from a ship to warn others that people on board have a disease. Yellow is also the color of fear and cowardice. In additon, when people were searching for gold to make their fortunes, they were said to have caught the yellow fever. 'Yellow stuff' was a slang term for gold - usually gold that had been stollen!

What about BLUE? Blue is the color of the sky and of water. The Blue Peter is an internationally known flag. It is used as a communication tool among ships. When a ship is ready to sail from a harbour, it will hoist the Blue Peter to warn other ships.

To sum up, colors that we see everyday play a big role in communication although we constantly take them for granted. Life will be hard without colors. Color your life B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

Written by,
Jane Tai