The power of colour
色彩的魅力
五种颜色：红、黑、蓝、绿、紫。他们给你什么感觉？这对设计师和营销人员来说是一个至关重要的问题。英国时装设计师韦恩·海明威在英国广播公司一档有关色彩心理学的广播节目中探讨了这个话题。你可以往下阅读他的观点摘要。你同意他的观点吗？或者你认为颜色的意义取决于你所生活的文化吗？
Take five colours: red, black, blue, green and purple. How do they make you feel? It's a question of supreme significance to designers and marketers. British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway explored this topic in a BBC radio programme about the psychology of colour. You can read a summary of his ideas below. Do you agree with him? Or do you think the meaning of colour depends on the culture you live in?
当然，红色在中国被认为是吉祥的颜色。但他指出，无论在哪，红色都是一种强有力的颜色，这是经过严肃的科学论证的。研究表明，红色“会提升血压”，并声称由于其波长较长，所以从其他颜色中脱颖而出。海明威说，它看起来就像是“向你走来”，所以在紧急情况和警报信号中很有用，也可以用来传达一般的“紧急情况”。这就是为什么他认为红色的促销海报似乎在向人们大喊：“快，现在就买！”
Red is, of course, considered auspicious in China. But he points out that it's a powerful colour wherever you go, with some serious scientific credentials. Studies have indicated that red "raises blood pressure", and claim that it stands out from other colours thanks to its long wavelength. Hemingway says it appears to be "coming towards you", and so is useful for emergency and alarm signs, and also to for conveying "urgency" in general. That's why he thinks red sale posters seem to yell at us: "Quick, buy it now!"
黑色则有不同的含义。在西方，黑色与死亡有关，但这并没有阻止它成为一种久负盛名的神秘色彩。海明威说这是奢侈品牌的颜色：像“闪亮的黑色豪华轿车”和“设计师手表”通常都是黑色的。他说，“当它被用作品牌的主要颜色时，它是非常强大和复杂的。”
Black has a different sense. In the West it's associated with death, but that hasn't stopped it becoming a prestigious and mysterious colour. Hemingway says it's the colour of luxury brands: things like "glossy black limousines" and "designer watches" are often black. He says it's "very powerful and sophisticated when used as a primary colour in branding."
相比之下，蓝色显得凉爽而宁静。海明威说，这种色彩是我们生活中永恒的存在，是天空和大海的颜色。这让人们将其与可靠关联在一起，它因此成为了“银行和企业”的坚定选择。海明威说，这也是为什么急救人员经常选择这种颜色的原因。例如，蓝色制服可以表示“护士的冷静能力”。
Blue, by contrast, is cool and tranquil. The colour is a constant presence in our lives, says Hemingway, being the colour of the sky and the sea. That gives it an air of reliability, which makes it a firm choice with "banks and corporations". Hemingway says this is also why emergency services often choose the colour. A blue uniform can, for example, indicate "the cool competence of a nurse".
毫无疑问，绿色是自然和环境的颜色。营销人员明白，给产品绿色包装会给人一种环境友好的印象。但精明的消费者也意识到了这一点，现在在盲目接受环保主张之前要三思。海明威还说绿色是成长和运动的颜色：它被用来表示交通灯上的“出发”。
Green is, unsurprisingly, the colour of nature and the environment. Marketers understand that giving a product green packaging creates the impression it is enviromentally friendly. But savvy customers are also aware of this - and now think twice before blindly swallowing environmental claims. Hemingway also says that green is the colour of growth and movement: it's used to indicate 'go' on traffic lights.
最后，我们来谈谈紫色。紫色让人联想到高贵。在过去，紫色染料很昂贵，因为它很难生产，它成为许多西方国家皇室服装选用的颜色。如今，无论是卖巧克力还是香烟，公司仍然使用紫色来使他们的产品看起来更加独特。
Finally, we have purple, which is associated with valuable things. In the past, purple dye was expensive because it was very difficult to produce, and it became the colour worn by royalty in many Western countries. These days, companies still use purple to make their product seem more exclusive, whether they're selling chocolate or cigarettes.
词汇表
市场营销人员
marketer
吉利的
auspicious
凭据，依据
credentials
血压
blood pressure
显眼
to stand out
（光的）波长
wavelength
紧迫性
urgency
尊贵的，庄严的
prestigious
奢侈品牌
luxury brand
有光泽的
glossy
出自著名设计师的
designer
有品味的，高雅的
sophisticated
宁静的
tranquil
一种…的氛围
an air of
能力，水平
competence
（产品）包装
packaging
利于环保的
enviromentally friendly
有头脑的，机智的
savvy
全盘接受
to swallow
高档奢华的
exclusive