'How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun.'
— Vincent Van Gogh
The colour for June is Aspen Gold. Aspen Gold is an energising and stimulating colour that increases mental agility and health. Yellow is the brightest colour of the visible spectrum, and it is the most noticeable of all colours by the human eye.
Yellow, the colour of sunshine, hope, and happiness, has conflicting associations. On one hand yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honour, loyalty, and joy, but on the other, it represents cowardice and deceit. A dull or dingy yellow may represent caution, sickness, and jealousy.
Studies show that the meaning of the colour yellow can be warmth, cheerfulness, increased mental activity, increased muscle energy. The colour yellow helps activate the memory, encourage communication, enhance vision, build confidence, and stimulate the nervous system.
Have you ever seen a picture of a bright yellow light bulb or someone’s head while they are thinking and an idea comes to them? Yellow helps unclog our thinking processes. While yellow helps us become more analytical, it can also help us find solutions through creativity. It does this by helping us to create different patterns of thought.
Bright yellow is an attention getting colour, and when used in combination with black, is creates one of the easiest colour combinations to read and see from long distances. This is why school buses, taxi cabs, and traffic signs are painted yellow and black. It’s enthusiasm and enlightenment, and yellow is – in practical terms – the opposite of dark and dull.
The colour yellow is a spontaneous and unstable colour. It is often associated with food and is highly used in children’s products and marketing advertisements aimed at children.
The positive qualities of yellow can also lead to abrasion when it is used too dramatically. While it can be attention grabbing, it can also lead to agitation in the observer. Though it appears warm and bright, yellow can lead to visual fatigue.
If yellow is overused, it can have a disturbing effect. For example, it is a proven fact that babies cry more in rooms painted yellow. Too much yellow causes loss of focus and makes it hard to complete a task. Too much yellow also can cause people to become critical and demanding. Too little yellow causes feelings of isolation and fear, insecurity, and low self-esteem. A lack of yellow can cause one to become rigid, cunning, possessive, or defensive.
Other meanings associated with the colour yellow:
Traditionally, yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited for their men to come home from war. Today, yellow ribbons are still used to welcome homes loved ones.
Calling someone “yellow” or “yellow-bellied” is the same as calling them a coward.
The term “mellow yellow” stands for laid and relaxation.
The phrase “yellow journalism” is in reference to bad or irresponsible reporting.
Additional words that represent different shades, tints, and values of the colour yellow: Lemon, yellow ocher, golden, saffron, cream, mustard, mellow yellow.
Fashion designers such as from Rachel Comey, Fendi, Jil Sander to JW Anderson are strongly featuring this shade in their designs and the options were endless: a parade of desirable yellow dresses, coats, and skirts, worn also by models whose skin tones wouldn't necessary have the 'conventional' undertone for this specific colour which makes it a lot more interesting and unique.
Yellow certainly isn’t as easy to incorporate into your wardrobe as blue or red. And it definitely calls attention to itself, which might not be what you’re going for. But it truly looks incredible on all skin tones, if you choose the right shade.
Regarding the interior design, yellow it's used to give a bright and optimistic vibe to a room. Effects of yellow colour varies with its nuances. A pale yellow applied on walls or ceiling can bring a little sunshine in your home, while a darker yellow you may be damper after a while.
The best rooms in which to use yellow are hallways as these are usually dark and yellow is a welcoming colour and also in the breakfast room or the kitchen to help create a sunny, happy way to start the day.
If you don’t want to use it on the walls, you can use its psychological effects in other ways. For example, yellow is great for standing things out. You can use smaller amounts of yellow accessories, flowers or pictures.
Pairing colours together can be trend led which I believe is happening with the pairing of grey. Depending on the strength of the yellow perhaps grey is being used to tone the yellow down.
Yellow and its tonal white (cream, white, ivory, oyster) looks fresh, lively, happy. We’ll be seeing a lot of it during Spring. Don't forget that no matter what the trends are, what is truly important is to find what matches your own style and use it accordingly.