COLOR PSYCHOLOGY IN CLOTHING

Topic: Color Psychology

Organization: Topical
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience that the color of clothes they wear can affect how
others see them.

I. INTRODUCTION
A. Attention getter: Do any of you have a color that you specifically like to wear?
Usually you describe this preference by saying something along the lines of, “I
like to wear blue, it’s my color.” or, “Green really accentuates my eyes” or
something along those lines.
B. Relevance: We all seem to own and wear colors that make us feel a certain way,
but how do those colors affect how others perceive us?
C. Credibility statement: As an advertising major, I’m required to know the
importance of images and how the colors used in those said images reflect in the
minds of the viewer. Of course, I’m still learning, but I feel like every person
going into their professional life should know how clothes can influence people’s
opinions of each other.
D. Central idea: Today, I will tell you about Color Psychology, and why it’s
important to dress according to your situation.
E. Initial preview: We will cover this by identifying what exactly Color Psychology
is, how TV shows use it, and how the colors you wear impact your mood and
performance, and professional life.

Transition to 1st main point: First, let’s identify what Color Psychology (CP) actually is.

II. BODY
A. In an article by graphics company Digital Skratch, CP is defined as “the study of
hues as a determinant of human behavior.” (DigitalSkratch, 2017) Different colors
carry different emotions, but...
B. Before we can dive into how CP affects our clothes selection, we have to
understand its history.
1. In the book, “Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on
Psychological Functioning in Humans,” it’s said that CP has been used as
early as 1810, scholars like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe have been
experimenting with the influence of colors on emotional experience. In his
book, “Theory of Colors,” he categorizes colors as plus and minus colors,
the plus being red, orange, and yellow, while minus is blue and purple.
This started the basic color wheel that shows warm and cool colors. Plus
 colors equal positive and happy feelings, while minus colors equal anxiety
and sadness (Elliot & Maier, 2014).

Transition to 2nd main point: Since the start of the study of CP on emotions in 1810, the
exploitation of colors in media have continuously evolved. Media, specifically TV shows, can
use them in their choice of wardrobes to catch your eye.

A. A lot of TV shows dress their characters for a specific color scheme, the most
noticeable of these shows would be Breaking Bad. By the way, there are going to
be a few mild spoilers, but not anything past the first few episodes.
1. So, who has seen Breaking Bad? Have you noticed the color schemes that
they present in the show?
a. In an interview with Kathleen Detoro, the costume designer, she
says that Breaking Bad was her, “ugly show,” but that doesn’t
mean that thought wasn’t put into it (Penson, 2013).
b. Walter is always seen wearing green, his wife Skyler is always
wearing blue, and his partner in crime, Jesse, is always wearing
yellow. Because these two people are the constant moving forces
in Walter’s life, their color schemes mix together to form green.
c. When Walt is diagnosed with cancer, he results to wearing browns
and khakis, accurately representing how dull, boring, and weak he
is while going through chemotherapy.

Transition to 3rd main point: Speaking of how Walt’s brown wardrobe shows how drab and
boring he was, the colors you, as students, wear can impact your mood and performance in
school, as well as your professional work life.

A. Expression your personality through your wardrobe is extremely important, but

making sure that the colors you wear are relevant to your emotions is another
story altogether. Specific colors can subconsciously make the wearer feel
different emotions. I’ll go through the effects of primary colors on emotions, as
provided by VeryWell’s article on CP (Katz, 2017).
1. Red can symbolize love, warmth, and comfort, as well as confidence, and
intimidation. It’s great color for athletics, as it’s energetic and exciting.
2. Blue can symbolize calmness and serenity, and although it’s the most calm
of the colors, studies have shown that work gets done faster in a blue
room. Blue focuses the mind and promotes productivity.
3. Yellow can be cheerful, but due to it’s bright nature, can also elicit anger
and aggression. It is the most fatiguing to the eye, and so yellow is usually
worn when someone is feeling happy, or they want to be noticed.
 B. Empowered by Color, a website created by Judy Scott-Kemmis, co-author of
“The Colour of Sex,” describes the three main steps to choosing the right
wardrobe for dressing professionally (Scott-Kimmis, 2013).
1. How do I feel today?
a. Dress to your instinct, your confidence will rub off to others.
2. Do I wish to impress men, women, a specific socio-economic group, age
group, etc.
a. Men prefer warm tones, reds, oranges, and yellows. Women prefer
blues, greens, and pinks, and most groups and genders all like dark
blues.
3. What message do I wish to get across to my client?
a. Blues establish trust and security.
b. Red can be assertive but also intimidating, not great for an
interview.
c. Green shows dependability and friendliness.
d. Black and White show neutrality.

III. CONCLUSION
A. Transition to Conclusion: So, as you can see,
B. Restate central idea: Understanding CP is important, not only to understand how
color is used in the world, but how color can affect your life.
C. Final summary: Today, we discussed what exactly Color Psychology is, how TV
shows use it, and how the colors you wear impact your mood, performance, and
professional life.
D. Memorable closing: The clothes we wear daily are the beacons that describe us
as human beings. The colors we wear show our personality and mood, so make
sure that the color you’re showing represents the person you want to be.
 References

DigitalSkratch. (2017). Color Psychology: What Do Colors Mean and Represent? Retrieved
from http://digitalskratch.com/color-psychology/

Elliot, A. & Maier, M. (2014). Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on Psychological
Functioning in Humans. Annual Reviews. Retrieved from
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115035

Katz, D. (2017). Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel? VeryWell. Retrieved from
https://www.verywell.com/color-psychology-2795824

Pinson, L. (2013). ‘Breaking Bad’ and Colors. Retrieved from

http://stylecaster.com/breaking-bad-colors-theory/

Scott-Kimmis, J. (2013). Business Clothing. Empowered By Color. Retrieved from

http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/business-clothing.html