Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (2024)

DesignCarrie CousinsAugust 20, 2012 • 5 minutes READ

We all dream in color. Every design concept and sketch comes with some sort of color association. But what do those colors mean? What associations are we making just with that choice alone?

Greenis strongly associated with nature – green grass, green (or eco) friendly.

Here we take a look at green – meanings, color pairings and sites that are doing it well. While green is most strong associated with nature, it has other meanings as well. Green hues are tied to health, growth, freshness, money and safety. Green, in general, is extremely pleasing to the eye and can increase a person’s sense of restfulness or calm.

Table of Contents hide

Shades of Green

Silverback

Green Infrastructure Inc

dConstruct 2010

Cultural Considerations

Famous Brand Associations

Heineken

Greenpeace

Green Bay Packers

Mountain Dew

Doing It Well

EMOTIONS by Mike

Schneider Garten

Versions

Shades of Green

Silverback

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (1)

Green Infrastructure Inc

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (2)

dConstruct 2010

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (3)

No-Code Email Template Builder

With Postcards Email Builder you can create and edit email templates online without any coding skills! Includes more than 100 components to help you create custom emails templates faster than ever before.

Free Email BuilderFree Email Templates

Green is one of the most natural, and neutral, colors you can use in a design project. The color has very negative associations (unless it takes on a yellowish tone) and is appealing to the eye because of its wavelength on the light spectrum.

Green is used by companies looking to form a visual bond with nature, to promote wellness or health or safety, military applications and money and finance. While the color is often linked to stability, it can be associated with inexperience. (Think of the terms “being green” or “greenhorn.”)

The darkest shades of green tend to have masculine associations, whereas lighter, most pastel tones are linked to feminine qualities. But you must be careful when using multiple shades of green, a fairly high number of men claim red/green colorblindness and may have trouble distinguishing different hues.

Dark green: Darker shades of green are most-commonly associated with money, especially in the United States where currency is printed on green paper. The tie to money has led dark green to also connect to greed, envy and ambition.

Bright green: The brightest green hues are hopeful and safe. The color also represents stability and endurance though it’s connection to nature. Bright greens are often seen as the color for plants and in marketing for eco-friendly packaging and products.

Yellow-green: The more yellowish green the hue, the less positive the associations tend to be. Yellow-greens are often thought to represent illness or discord. Others tie to shade to jealousy.

Olive green: Olive greens are also representative of nature. The color also represents peace (think about the phrase “extend an olive branch”). Here you get dual representations – olive branches are a naturally-growing plant containing a color that is linked to peace.

Cultural Considerations

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (4)

Low-Code Website Builders

With Startup App and Slides App you can build unlimited websites using the online website editor which includes ready-made designed and coded elements, templates and themes.

Try Startup App Try Slides AppOther Products

While green is often linked to money in the United States, it is also linked to advancement. Traffic lights turn green, for example, when it is time to get moving again and projects that are approved are “green lighted.”

In England, the color is associated with the tale of Robin Hood and is considered heroic.

Green has spiritual meanings in Islamic and Japanese cultures. In Islam, it is a sacred color and sign of respect; in Japan, it is the color of eternal life.

On the other hand, in North Africa green represents corruption.

Color Wheel and Pairing

Green is a secondary coloron the color wheel, meaning it is made by combining two primary colors. Green is formed by mixing yellow and blue. Even more shades can be created with the additions of white or black.

You can use the color wheel to create color schemes of multiple hues that can create a sense of harmony or chaos. Create a scheme using three side-by-side colors for an analogous scheme – yellow-green, green and aqua. A complementary scheme pairs green and magenta or fuchsia (opposites on the wheel), while natural schemes can match green, yellow and blue because each color appears in nature.

Famous Brand Associations

Kermit the Frog helped make the color famous in the song “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” But some brands have proven just the opposite.

Many famous brands are linked to the color through a variety of imagery and their logos – beer brands Heineken and Rolling Rock, tax preparer H&R Block, the Greenpeace ecological group, The Masters golf tournament and the Green Bay Packers of the NFL all rely on the color.

Other well-known associations with green include national militaries (many of the uniforms are green), the Green Party political group and even the nation of Libya, which has a solid green national flag.

Heineken

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (5)

Greenpeace

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (6)

Green Bay Packers

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (7)

Mountain Dew

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (8)

Doing It Well

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (9)

Daguia: The background screams mint pie and is emphasized by the single leaf on top. It almost feels healthy and indulgent.

EMOTIONS by Mike

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (10)

Emotions by Mike: The green shading on this site just makes it inviting. The colors are fun, fresh and make you want to find out more about Mike’s work.

Schneider Garten

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (11)

Schneider: The green leaves on the neutral backdrop are a perfect fit with the garden imagery on this site. The designer is putting a simple focus on nature.

Versions

Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (12)

Versions: Here green is used with blue and yellow to create a very natural color scheme.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our top stories.
Going Green: Color Connects with Nature - Designmodo (2024)

FAQs

What is the color green associated with nature? ›

Green is associated with nature since it is the color of chlorophyll, a pigment in plants. Because of this connection, green is used for environmental activism — products and actions that protect the environment are “green,” and people with a talent for growing plants have a “green thumb.”

How is the color green related to the environment? ›

Green is the color most commonly associated in Europe and the United States with nature, vivacity and life. It is the color of many environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace, and of the Green Parties in Europe. Many cities have designated a garden or park as a green space, and use green trash bins and containers.

What colors associate with nature? ›

Some popular colors and themes commonly found in a natural color palette include: Earthy Browns and Tans: Representing the earth and soil, shades of brown and tan create a warm and grounding feel in designs. Soft Greens: Inspired by lush foliage and plants, soft greens evoke a sense of nature and tranquility.

What does the color green mean spiritually? ›

In spiritual terms, the color green implies beginnings, new growth, vibrant health, and other ideas connected with life, rebirth, and renewal. If you're noticing green in your environment or dreams, you might be discovering new aspects of yourself, beginning a new phase of life, or undergoing a renewal.

What does green color symbolize? ›

Green, being the color of nature, represents growth, harmony, fertility, and freshness. It is the most restful and relaxing color to the eye optically due to its spectral wavelength.

What color does green represent emotionally? ›

Green evokes a feeling of abundance and is associated with refreshment and peace, rest and security. Green helps people feel rested and secure.

How does going green help the environment? ›

The prioritization of going green results in the reduction of air pollutants and environmental toxins, which means cleaner air for breathing. The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed a study that showed that air pollution causes approximately 2 million premature deaths every year throughout the world.

What is the theory of the color green? ›

Green (Secondary Color) #

It can represent new beginnings and growth. It also signifies renewal and abundance. Alternatively, green can also represent envy or jealousy, and a lack of experience. Green has many of the same calming attributes that blue has, but it also incorporates some of the energy of yellow.

What is green design in Environment? ›

Sustainable design or green design, is the process of considering and minimizing environmental impact when developing products. Companies that choose to implement green design principles can find many ways to reduce waste, reuse resources, and recycle products and materials.

What are the 5 colors of nature? ›

Red, yellow-orange, green, blue-purple and white are the 5 identifying colors, determined by a variety of different natural pigments. Let's find out together how to classify the colors and their characteristics.

What colors remind you of nature? ›

Warm Brown and Green Color Scheme

Putty gray and creamy white supply cooler counterpoints to the brown, while yellow, citron, and leafy green bring warmth. The earth-tone inspired-by-nature color palette evokes images of sunbeams, tropical blooms, and verdant growth.

What is the color close to nature? ›

Nature's warm color palettes, that many people enjoy, are the hues gathered from a sunrise or sunset. Oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows would be ideal choices for a warm nature-inspired color palette. You can also think of a summer palette of beachy sand tones, even warmer blues like a teal or watery green.

Why is the color green always associated with nature? ›

Green is the color most associated with nature because this color is the most common color in the natural world, such as green trees, green plants, green grass, and many others. Thus, the same color is also associated with a blissful life, freshness, and energy that comes from the nature.

What is green spirituality? ›

Ecospirituality has been defined as "a manifestation of the spiritual connection between human beings and the environment." The new millennium and the modern ecological crisis has created a need for environmentally based religion and spirituality.

Why is green a holy color? ›

Considered a sacred color in Islam, associated with “khidr” or landscapes of greenery, the color is indicative of the heavens. In fact, the Muslim faith believes that the people in paradise are dressed in all green. It is the most common color used in mosques, creating a sense of connection to the surrounding nature.

What shade of green is nature? ›

If you are looking for colors that symbolize nature, freshness, and creativity then lime green is the perfect color for you.

What color does forest green represent? ›

Forest green shows all kinds of growth.

Forest green also evokes thoughts of growth. The color forest green represents prosperity and progress in the figurative sense of growth, too.

What is the natural green color? ›

Plants, full of chlorophyll, are the natural choice for making food green (or being green food) but they are used in a lot of different ways and produce a wide spectrum of greenery.

What does it mean to be green nature? ›

These are: Know how your activities impact the environment (for example, assess your environmental or carbon footprint); Reduce pollution; Reduce resource and energy use; Consume sustainably and reduce or even eliminate waste.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Tish Haag

Last Updated:

Views: 6234

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (67 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tish Haag

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 30256 Tara Expressway, Kutchburgh, VT 92892-0078

Phone: +4215847628708

Job: Internal Consulting Engineer

Hobby: Roller skating, Roller skating, Kayaking, Flying, Graffiti, Ghost hunting, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.