Visual Literacy: Colour

Colour
The use of colours in a visual image may represent particular mood or feelings. The symbolic meanings that we attach to particular colours may change according to context. Colour can be described in terms of tone and saturation: Tone is the degree of lightness or darkness of a coloured area (eg. dark tone). Saturation is the degree of purity in a colour (eg. highly saturated). Colour Blue Yellow Red Green Grey Purple Black White Black and white Brown Orange Effect Peace, tranquillity, truth, dignity, power, melancholy, coolness, heaviness. Regarded as being therapeutic. Happiness, cheerfulness. Can denote caution, decay and sickness. Warmth, urgency, passion, heat, blood, excitement, danger and hostility. Used as an accent colour, it can promote expectations and decision-making. Growth, fertility, health, cheerfulness, vegetation, money. Signifies life, new growth, energy and faith. Cool detachment, bleakness and lack of intensity. Wealth, royalty, sophistication, intelligence. Also the colour of passion and love. Death, rebellion, strength and evil. Associated with the supernatural, it can also suggest inner strength and determination, as well as power and formality. Purity, chastity and cleanliness Nostalgia, seriousness, truth and detachment. Credibility, stability and neutrality.

Warmth, strength of personality. Associated with autumn, it also has broad appeal. Kress & Van Leeuwen 2002

Code Colour

Possible function or role of colour Create mood or emotion, attract attention.

How salience might be achieved with colour Use bright, colour or light tone in an otherwise dark or dull image to attract attention to an aspect of the image that is important.

How cohesion might be developed with colour In a series of images, where the seasons or time of day change, the palette or set of colours used in the image will change to indicate the passage of time to the reader. This will help the reader to link events and time in the text and so provide coherence.

Bull & Anstey, Evolving Pedagogies 2010

Kress & Van Leeuwen 2002 & Evolving Pedagogies (Bull & Anstey 2010)