How Colour Sends a Message: Colour Theory and Climate Communication

What is colour theory?

Colour theory is both an art and a science. It explains how humans perceive colour and the messages colours communicate. Colour can impact people and influence their behaviour and emotions.

The way we respond to colour is not always a conscious decision. This is why certain colours can make us feel a certain way. This is not entirely a choice, but an unconscious association between a colour and an emotion. Think about how different colours seem to be associated with different moods. It’s generally accepted that:

• blue = sad
• red = angry
• yellow = happy

Although exactly which colour is associated with which mood is argued and this tends to be different for different people, but there are certainly similarities between how colours can make us feel.

So, how does colour work in the context of exploring and discussing climate change?

Well, in one research paper named ‘The Feeling of Red and Blue—A Constructive Critique of Color Mapping in Visual Climate Change Communication’ dedicated to exploring climate change and colour use, Thomas Nocke and Birgit Schneider defined colour as:

a rational way to structure and encode data visually, and a place where emotions like concern, fear and alarm can connect

In their paper, and as their title suggests, their work focused on the colours red and blue. Perhaps this is because these are two colours which are often used when explaining climate change visually; usually in the context of explaining colder and warmer temperatures. It could be concluded then that the use of these two colours promotes a different emotional response.

To demonstrate this point, in their report, they use the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) colour experiment. IPCC used 6 different colour schemes to display climate data on a map. These were:

1. Red – purple – blue
2. Blue – grey – black
3. Red – orange – yellow
4. Green – purple
5. Purple – green
6. Shades of red

The maps can be seen in the image below:

Before we go into the response these maps received, please take a moment to think about how these images made you feel. Ask yourself, what was your response to them and did you have any immediate reactions to each one? Which one drew your attention first?

The results:

To summarise the table above:

The red map:
Result: This map was rated highest for severity, judgement, and inspiring action in climate change.
Reasoning: As we have discussed, red can promote the idea of danger and panic. Such a connotation would explain why this map ranked so highly in severity.

The black map:
Result: This map was the lowest for severity.
Reasoning: Perhaps this is because black can be hard to gauge and feels a little void of connotations. 

The orange maps:
Result: These ranked highest for identifying different data values, intuitiveness, and highest in scientific accuracy.
Reasoning: Perhaps this could be because orange is a usable colour when it comes to identifying gages; there are lots of colour gradients in between orange and yellow, and they are easy to see. 

The purple map:
Result: This was rated lowest in different data values, and for inspiring policy action.
Reasoning: This one was puzzling – it seemed strange that a colour could invoke such a neutral response but according to Inspired Spaces, which explores the relation between space and colour response. They state that: 

From a colour psychology perspective, purple promotes harmony of the mind and the emotions, contributing to mental balance and stability, peace of mind, a link between the spiritual and the physical worlds, between thought and activity. 

The green map:
Result: This was rated lowest for denoting date values, scientific data, and judgement.
Reasoning: Perhaps this could be because, as Edward O. Wilson explained in his Biophilia Hypothesis, published in 1984, the colour green has a profound effect on us. Wilson hypothesised, that humans have an innate connection with the colour green, a link which traces back to our natural settings, and, because of this history, he proposed that this colour can calm us and promote emotional and mental wellbeing as well as cognitive activity. If you’re unsure about this, just think of how much impact plants can have in a room!

These images all represent the same findings, they have the same backdrop and structure – the only difference is the colour. The colours in these images provoke emotions that send messages telling us how we feel, no matter the data that is being represented. According to Witthaya Hosap, light and colour can activate our emotions, decision making, the subconscious, and influence human equilibrium. Images related to climate change messaging can therefore influence how we feel, and in some cases, how we act. 

This report got us thinking about what happens when we communicate messages about climate change but don’t think about what colours we use. For example, if climate change communications only use colours associated with negative emotions and don’t consider how this will affect the message that is being portrayed.

A summary of our thoughts:

It is important to keep in mind what emotions the colours we use provoke. When trying to inspire people to make positive change and encourage a feeling of empowerment to take action, it is important to consider what colours work best. 

If we communicate climate messaging through colours that provoke danger-bearing emotions, e.g., the colour red, people could experience feelings of dread for the future, which can result in a feeling of helplessness. This response is a method of protecting yourself from negative emotions, feelings, and thoughts. It is, in essence, an avoidance technique. On the other hand, using colours that provoke danger-bearing emotions may instil a sense of urgency and increase engagement. Both are valid responses to the climate crisis but if you want to motivate people through hope rather than dread, then colour use is imperative in making this distinction. 

Art, and the colours we use in communicating climate change related messages can be a tool for supporting a sustainable future by raising awareness; engaging people; promoting social change; and providing an outlet for creativity. By consciously choosing the colours we use in climate messaging, we can help raise awareness, engage people, and promote social change.

How Create the Future tries to inspire hope through colour:

At Create the Future, we have made it our mission to change the conversation around the climate crisis. We believe that we still have the chance to prevent the devastating effects of climate change, but we have to choose to do so. For this reason, Create the Future designed a colour scheme of pastel colours, which promotes feelings of calm, positivity, and hope. We hope that our colours will help people to feel inspired to have creative discussions, collaborations, and solution-focused conversations around climate change. Through this, we hope that more people will become aware of the good and the positive impact they can have on the world around them and feel inspired to make necessary and achievable change.