Colour colour, which colour do you want?

Remember when we were asked about our favourite colour back in school? We used to very confidently claim that this very colour is the best, also proudly show off the matching stationary, and accessories!

But growing up, the same simple question became something so complicated, there is no ONE answer to it. I thought this could be just me, so I decided to ask my friends, family and... a few strangers.

While some said, their choice of colour depends on the occasion, some had favourite colours for various things–"black when it comes to clothes, red for bags, orange for all my furniture and so on". Some, on the other hand, had very specific colour preferences like powder pink and sarcoline (ooo... so fancy!)

These responses did leave me relieved since, I wasn't the only one but, it also got me wondering what really changed? And most importantly, what makes us like these particular colours?

Colour is what the eyes see when light is reflected off an object.

Beyond this is where things get interesting. When we say, we like a particular colour, we mean the impact it has on us. We associate colours with different things, incidents, or people and that is precisely what makes it unique to each one of us.

The colour Red is usually associated with words like – warning, courage, aggression, rage. But the same red colour might seem very calming to some because of how and, to what we associate it with– mom's soft red saree, Grandma's red sweater, the red swing in the backyard.

So, it's not really what a colour means to everyone, it's more of what the colour means to YOU!

Colour is more of a personal term than a general usage.

Having said that, what about the marketers and advertisers making it a generalised thing?

Associating colour to gender – The age-old, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. This was something that was started off by toy and apparel manufacturers to brand their products and define a range for girls and boys. But it has become more imposing and defining now, than ever!

Colours for emotions – Business tycoons wearing suits and sitting in AC cabins have even come down to dictating what-colour-depicts-what-emotion. Pink has been branded as the colour of love.

Black is considered dark, vengeful, aggressive, cold and empty. As a result of which it is barely used commercially. Black packaging often leads to a mysterious outlook and is often not the preference of the usual consumers.

Other prominent ones being, red and green associated with food, white with cosmetics, blue with apparel and so on.

Now, going back to my question – Colour colour, which colour do YOU want?

I think it's high time, we claim the YOU in that question and not let brands and marketers decide what a colour means to each one of us!