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Visual Analysis Essay

Visual Analysis Essay - A Writing Guide with Format & Sample

14 min read

What is a Visual Analysis Essay

A visual analysis essay basically requires you to provide a detailed description of a specific visual work of art. It is a type of analytical essay that deals with imagery and visual art instead of texts.

The subject of a visual analysis essay could be an image, painting, photograph, or any visual medium.

In this type of essay, you need to describe the artwork and analyze its elements in detail. That is, how different elements and features fit together to make the whole work stand out. In this sense, you need to use a mixture of descriptive writing and analytical language.

To write a good visual analysis essay, you need to know the basic visual elements and principles of design. Let’s learn about these concepts first before diving into the writing steps.

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Visual Elements for a Visual Analysis Essay

Writing a visual analysis essay involves analyzing the visual elements of a piece of art. These elements form the basis of the features and characteristics of an image.

Below you can find the common visual elements of a visual analysis essay.

Principles of Design in a Visual Analysis Essay

In addition to visual elements, you must also consider the principles of design for writing a great visual analysis essay. These principles help you identify and explain the characteristics of the image.

How to Write a Visual Analysis Essay - 7 Simple Steps

Now that you have an idea about visual elements and principles, you are now ready to proceed.

Here are the steps that you need to follow for writing a visual analysis essay. Let’s discuss them in detail.

Step 1 - Gather General Information About the Artwork

Once you have a specific artwork or image, here is how to start a visual analysis essay. You need to ask some basic questions about the work and jot down your ideas.

This pre-writing step is for brainstorming ideas. Ask these questions to begin:

Who and what does the artwork represent?
Who is the author of the piece?
Who did the artist create the work for? Who is the intended audience?
When and where was the work created? What is its historical context?
Where was this work displayed for the first time?
Identify which medium, materials, and techniques were used to create the image?

Step 2 - Note Down the Characteristics of the Artwork

The next thing that you need to do is identify what the image depicts. Moreover, you need to identify and describe the visual art elements and design principles used in the work.

Here’s what you need to note:

The subject matter and its representation.
Colors, shapes, and lines used in the composition.
The balance, proportion, and harmony within the artwork.
Any symbolism or metaphors present.

By pointing out such characteristics, you set the stage for a nuanced analysis in your essay.

Step 3 - Visual Analysis Essay Outline

Once you have gathered your main points by carefully studying the image, you should now organize them in an outline.

Here is how you make an outline for your visual analysis essay:

Step 4- Write the Introduction

This is the first paragraph of a visual analysis essay in which you need to provide some background information on the topic. After grabbing the readers’ attention with an interesting fact, briefly provide information on the following points.

Talk briefly about the painting and its artist or creator.
Provide a brief description of the painting and give historical context
Add an interesting fact about the artist or the painting.

The introduction should end with a thesis statement. The visual analysis essay thesis states the analysis points on the artwork that you aim to discuss in your essay.

Step 5 - Provide Detailed Description, Analysis, and Interpretation

In the body section, you need to explore the artwork in detail. In the first body paragraph, simply describe the features and characteristics of the work. For instance, talk about the technique being used, shape, color, and other aspects to support your thesis.

In the next paragraphs, you can go into the analysis and interpretation of these elements and the work as a whole. Present all the details logically and discuss the relationship between the objects. Talk about the meaning, significance, and impact of the work.

Step 6 - Writing a Conclusion

Once you have completed the body section, move to the conclusion paragraph. This is the last paragraph of the essay that should be strong and well-written to create a sense of closure.

Here’s how you can do it

Revisit the main insights gained through the analysis, summarizing the key visual elements and principles discussed.
Emphasize the significance of cultural or historical context in interpreting the visual narrative.
Tie together the threads of your analysis to reinforce your thesis or main argument.
End with a memorable statement and encourage readers to carry the lessons learned from the analysis into their own encounters with art.

Step 7 - Edit & Revise Your Essay

Here’s how to end your visual analysis essay: edit and revise your first draft until it becomes the perfect version. Consider these steps for an excellent revision:

Review for Clarity: Ensure your ideas flow logically. Clarify any ambiguous or unclear statements to enhance the overall readability of your essay.
Trim Unnecessary Details: Trim excess information that doesn't directly contribute to your main points. Keep your analysis focused and concise.
Check Consistency: Verify that your writing style remains consistent throughout the essay. Maintain a balance between formal language and engaging expression.
Fine-Tune Transitions: Ensure smooth transitions between different sections of your essay. Transitions help guide your reader through the analysis, making the journey more enjoyable and comprehensible.
Proofread for Errors: Carefully proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. A polished essay enhances your credibility and the overall professionalism of your work.

With these basic steps, you can craft an amazing visual analysis essay. Read on for some useful tips for analyzing different kinds of visual subjects.

Tips on How to Analyze a Photograph

Painting and photograph analysis are very similar. There are three ways in which photo visual analysis is conducted: description, reflection, and formal analysis.

Although the historical study may be used, it is not necessary.

Description - It implies examining the picture carefully and considering all of the details. The description should be neutral, focusing on simple facts without expressing a personal viewpoint.
Reflection - For the next stage, consider the emotions that the picture stirs in you. Every viewer will have a distinct viewpoint and feelings about the piece. Knowing some historical background might be useful when formulating an educated response.
Formal analysis - Consider the visual components and concepts. How are they shown in the photo?
Historical analysis - For a contextual analysis, keep an eye on the photo's surroundings. Make sure you comprehend the surrounding environment in which the photograph was taken. What era was this image shot during?

Tips on How to Analyze a Sculpture

A sculpture, unlike a painting or photograph, requires a different approach to visual analysis. It still depends on visible components and principles, however it does so in a slightly different way.

When you're writing about sculptures, keep the following in mind:

Medium, size, and technique - What kind of material is it? Is it carved in a negative or positive method?
Color and lightning - Describe the hue of the sculpture, whether it is painted. Was the sculptor concerned with the illumination when creating the work?
Human body and scale - Consider how a human body is portrayed in the piece. Also, assess the sculpture's size compared to that of the viewer.
Function - What was the sculpture's main aim? You could speak about whether it represented a religious conviction or honored someone, for example.
Composition - Examine the placement of the piece and determine whether there is a focal point.

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Visual Analysis Essay on Advertisement

In advertisements, visuals are used to pique interest or persuade the public that what is being advertised is needed. The goal of a visual argument is to generate attention and intrigue. Images are utilized in advertisements to transmit information and interact with the audience.

When conducting a visual analysis of an ad, keep the following in mind:

Textual Elements
Illustrations
Composition

This all has an impact on how people perceive information and how they react to it.

When you analyze the visuals of an ad, you're performing a rhetorical analysis. The study of images and extracting information from them is known as visual rhetoric. It aids in the comprehension of typography, imagery, and the structure of elements on the page.

How to Write a Visual Analysis Paper on an Advertisement

Visual components in advertising are important. It aids in the persuasion of the audience.

Always keep the rhetorical situation in mind while analyzing visual arguments. The following are some key elements to consider:

Audience - Who is the advertisement meant to attract?
Purpose - What message does the photo try to get across to the audience?
Design - What kind of visualizations are included? Are the visuals clear and easy to follow? Are there any patterns or repetitions in the design?
Strategies - Is there any humor, celebrities, or cultural allusions in the graphic's message?
Medium - Is the photograph surrounded by text? Is there any text within the picture? How does it interact with the picture to produce an intended effect if there is any?
Context - What are the characters in an ad? Where are they positioned?
Subtext - Consider the meaning of the picture's words. What are they trying to say?

Visual Rhetorical Analysis Essay Examples

Here are some visual analysis essay samples that you can read to understand this type of essay better.

Art history Visual Analysis Essay Example

Political Cartoon Visual Analysis Essay

Rhetorical and Visual Analysis Essay Sample

Mona Lisa Visual Analysis Essay

Visual Analysis Essay Topics

Here are some top visual analysis essay topics that you can choose from and begin the writing process.

Make a review of your favorite Hollywood production and discuss the visual arts involved.
Write about the use of color and action in TV commercials.
Discuss how the brand name is displayed in digital media campaigns.
Discuss different types of visual appeals used in web ads.
What is the special about Cleo Award-winning ads?
The Use of Light and Shadow in Caravaggio's "The Calling of Saint Matthew"
The Symbolism of Colors in Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night"
What is the importance of art and culture in our life?
How has art changed over the last 50 years?
The use of colors in marketing and advertising.

To conclude,

From gathering information about the artwork to crafting a compelling analysis, we've navigated the essential steps you need for a visual analysis essay. Moreover, with the specific tips and examples, you have everything you need to get started.

So dive into the writing process with confidence and return to this blog whenever you need help on any step!

However, if you have gone through the whole article and are still unsure how to start your essay, we can help you.

Our professional essay writers at MyPerfectWords.com can help you with your visual analysis essay assignment. Contact us with your order details, and we will get it done for you.

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I ask students to look for the main idea in the introduction and in each body paragraph. If it is there, we swipe it pink. If it no pink appears in a given paragraph, that tells the student she needs to insert the main idea somewhere in that paragraph. If a supporting idea is stated in a body paragraph, and it is swiped in blue, for example, we look for a blue swipe in the introduction. If it is not there, we insert it. We look for a pink swipe in the conclusion, and a rainbow of other colors corresponding to the supporting ideas used in the body.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, personal background essay examples.

Hey everyone! I'm working on my college applications, and part of it requires a personal background essay. I'm a little stuck, so if you guys could share some examples or tips, that'd be great! Please help me out, thanks!

Hello! It's understandable that writing a personal background essay can be challenging. Here are some tips to get you started and an example of how you might approach this essay:

1. Reflect on what makes your background unique. Consider your family's history, culture, traditions, values, and how these have shaped your experiences.

2. Delve into the details. Discuss specific experiences, anecdotes, or events that have had a significant impact on your life and highlight the lessons you've gained from your background.

3. Be authentic. Write from the heart and let your personality shine through. This essay is your opportunity to help the admissions officers get to know you beyond your stats and accomplishments.

4. Avoid clichés. Personal background essays are quite common, so if you're writing about a widely-covered topic (moving, learning a new language, etc.), try to find a unique angle or aspect that will set your essay apart.

Growing up in a multigenerational household, I've had the rare privilege of experiencing diverse perspectives on life from my grandparents, parents, and siblings. My grandparents, who emigrated from Vietnam, taught me the importance of staying true to our cultural heritage and maintaining strong connections with family. Daily rituals like preparing and enjoying traditional Vietnamese meals, participating in Lunar New Year celebrations, and listening to stories about my grandparents' journey to the United States helped me appreciate the strength and resilience of my ancestors.

However, this cultural pride was not always something I cherished. As a child, I was bullied for my Banh Khot and Banh Mi lunches, and I'd often ask my parents to pack more generic-looking sandwiches to avoid feeling like an outsider at school. It wasn't until my grandmother shared her own story of assimilation and how she strived to maintain her cultural identity in a new country that I realized the value of embracing my heritage. Inspired by her courage, I decided to educate my peers about Vietnamese traditions and founded a cultural exchange club at school. Together, we explored our heritages, organizing potlucks, cultural presentations, and language exchange sessions.

Through this experience, I've learned that embracing who I am and the unique background I come from has made me a stronger person. My personal background has taught me to be open to learning about other cultures, which I look forward to bringing to my future college community.

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Example of a great essay | Explanations, tips & tricks

Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

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Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://doi.org/10.1001/archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2009/05/blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

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background-color

Formal syntax

The background-color CSS property sets the background color of an element, either through a color value or the keyword transparent .

The background-color property is specified as a single "><color> value.

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Front Psychol

Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work

In the past decade there has been increased interest in research on color and psychological functioning. Important advances have been made in theoretical work and empirical work, but there are also important weaknesses in both areas that must be addressed for the literature to continue to develop apace. In this article, I provide brief theoretical and empirical reviews of research in this area, in each instance beginning with a historical background and recent advancements, and proceeding to an evaluation focused on weaknesses that provide guidelines for future research. I conclude by reiterating that the literature on color and psychological functioning is at a nascent stage of development, and by recommending patience and prudence regarding conclusions about theory, findings, and real-world application.

The past decade has seen enhanced interest in research in the area of color and psychological functioning. Progress has been made on both theoretical and empirical fronts, but there are also weaknesses on both of these fronts that must be attended to for this research area to continue to make progress. In the following, I briefly review both advances and weaknesses in the literature on color and psychological functioning.

Theoretical Work

Background and recent developments.

Color has fascinated scholars for millennia ( Sloane, 1991 ; Gage, 1993 ). Theorizing on color and psychological functioning has been present since Goethe (1810) penned his Theory of Colors , in which he linked color categories (e.g., the “plus” colors of yellow, red–yellow, yellow–red) to emotional responding (e.g., warmth, excitement). Goldstein (1942) expanded on Goethe’s intuitions, positing that certain colors (e.g., red, yellow) produce systematic physiological reactions manifest in emotional experience (e.g., negative arousal), cognitive orientation (e.g., outward focus), and overt action (e.g., forceful behavior). Subsequent theorizing derived from Goldstein’s ideas has focused on wavelength, positing that longer wavelength colors feel arousing or warm, whereas shorter wavelength colors feel relaxing or cool ( Nakashian, 1964 ; Crowley, 1993 ). Other conceptual statements about color and psychological functioning have focused on general associations that people have to colors and their corresponding influence on downstream affect, cognition, and behavior (e.g., black is associated with aggression and elicits aggressive behavior; Frank and Gilovich, 1988 ; Soldat et al., 1997 ). Finally, much writing on color and psychological functioning has been completely atheoretical, focused exclusively on finding answers to applied questions (e.g., “What wall color facilitates worker alertness and productivity?”). The aforementioned theories and conceptual statements continue to motivate research on color and psychological functioning. However, several other promising theoretical frameworks have also emerged in the past decade, and I review these frameworks in the following.

Hill and Barton (2005) noted that in many non-human animals, including primate species, dominance in aggressive encounters (i.e., superior physical condition) is signaled by the bright red of oxygenated blood visible on highly vascularized bare skin. Artificial red (e.g., on leg bands) has likewise been shown to signal dominance in non-human animals, mimicking the natural physiological process ( Cuthill et al., 1997 ). In humans in aggressive encounters, a testosterone surge produces visible reddening on the face and fear leads to pallor ( Drummond and Quay, 2001 ; Levenson, 2003 ). Hill and Barton (2005) posited that the parallel between humans and non-humans present at the physiological level may extend to artificial stimuli, such that wearing red in sport contests may convey dominance and lead to a competitive advantage.

Other theorists have also utilized a comparative approach in positing links between skin coloration and the evaluation of conspecifics. Changizi et al. (2006) and Changizi (2009) contend that trichromatic vision evolved to enable primates, including humans, to detect subtle changes in blood flow beneath the skin that carry important information about the emotional state of the conspecific. Increased red can convey anger, embarrassment, or sexual arousal, whereas increased bluish or greenish tint can convey illness or poor physiological condition. Thus, visual sensitivity to these color modulations facilitates various forms of social interaction. In similar fashion, Stephen et al. (2009) and Stephen and McKeegan (2010) propose that perceivers use information about skin coloration (perhaps particularly from the face, Tan and Stephen, 2012 ) to make inferences about the attractiveness, health, and dominance of conspecifics. Redness (from blood oxygenization) and yellowness (from carotenoids) are both seen as facilitating positive judgments. Fink et al. (2006) and Fink and Matts (2007) posit that the homogeneity of skin coloration is an important factor in evaluating the age, attractiveness, and health of faces.

Elliot and Maier (2012) have proposed color-in-context theory, which draws on social learning, as well as biology. Some responses to color stimuli are presumed to be solely due to the repeated pairing of color and particular concepts, messages, and experiences. Others, however, are presumed to represent a biologically engrained predisposition that is reinforced and shaped by social learning. Through this social learning, color associations can be extended beyond natural bodily processes (e.g., blood flow modulations) to objects in close proximity to the body (e.g., clothes, accessories). Thus, for example, red may not only increase attractiveness evaluations when viewed on the face, but also when viewed on a shirt or dress. As implied by the name of the theory, the physical and psychological context in which color is perceived is thought to influence its meaning and, accordingly, responses to it. Thus, blue on a ribbon is positive (indicating first place), but blue on a piece of meat is negative (indicating rotten), and a red shirt may enhance the attractiveness of a potential mate (red = sex/romance), but not of a person evaluating one’s competence (red = failure/danger).

Meier and Robinson (2005) and Meier (in press ) have posited a conceptual metaphor theory of color. From this perspective, people talk and think about abstract concepts in concrete terms grounded in perceptual experience (i.e., they use metaphors) to help them understand and navigate their social world ( Lakoff and Johnson, 1999 ). Thus, anger entails reddening of the face, so anger is metaphorically described as “seeing red,” and positive emotions and experiences are often depicted in terms of lightness (rather than darkness), so lightness is metaphorically linked to good (“seeing the light”) rather than bad (“in the dark”). These metaphoric associations are presumed to have implications for important outcomes such as morality judgments (e.g., white things are viewed as pure) and stereotyping (e.g., dark faces are viewed more negatively).

For many years it has been known that light directly influences physiology and increases arousal (see Cajochen, 2007 , for a review), but recently theorists have posited that such effects are wavelength dependent. Blue light, in particular, is posited to activate the melanopsin photoreceptor system which, in turn, activates the brain structures involved in sub-cortical arousal and higher-order attentional processing ( Cajochen et al., 2005 ; Lockley et al., 2006 ). As such, exposure to blue light is expected to facilitate alertness and enhance performance on tasks requiring sustained attention.

Evaluation and Recommendations

Drawing on recent theorizing in evolutionary psychology, emotion science, retinal physiology, person perception, and social cognition, the aforementioned conceptualizations represent important advances to the literature on color and psychological functioning. Nevertheless, theory in this area remains at a nascent level of development, and the following weaknesses may be identified.

First, the focus of theoretical work in this area is either extremely specific or extremely general. A precise conceptual proposition such as red signals dominance and leads to competitive advantage in sports ( Hill and Barton, 2005 ) is valuable in that it can be directly translated into a clear, testable hypothesis; however, it is not clear how this specific hypothesis connects to a broader understanding of color–performance relations in achievement settings more generally. On the other end of the spectrum, a general conceptualization such as color-in-context theory ( Elliot and Maier, 2012 ) is valuable in that it offers several widely applicable premises; however, these premises are only vaguely suggestive of precise hypotheses in specific contexts. What is needed are mid-level theoretical frameworks that comprehensively, yet precisely explain and predict links between color and psychological functioning in specific contexts (for emerging developments, see Pazda and Greitemeyer, in press ; Spence, in press ; Stephen and Perrett, in press ).

Second, the extant theoretical work is limited in scope in terms of range of hues, range of color properties, and direction of influence. Most theorizing has focused on one hue, red, which is understandable given its prominence in nature, on the body, and in society ( Changizi, 2009 ; Elliot and Maier, 2014 ); however, other hues also carry important associations that undoubtedly have downstream effects (e.g., blue: Labrecque and Milne, 2012 ; green: Akers et al., 2012 ). Color has three basic properties: hue, lightness, and chroma ( Fairchild, 2013 ). Variation in any or all of these properties could influence downstream affect, cognition, or behavior, yet only hue is considered in most theorizing (most likely because experientially, it is the most salient color property). Lightness and chroma also undoubtedly have implications for psychological functioning (e.g., lightness: Kareklas et al., 2014 ; chroma: Lee et al., 2013 ); lightness has received some attention within conceptual metaphor theory ( Meier, in press ; see also Prado-León and Rosales-Cinco, 2011 ), but chroma has been almost entirely overlooked, as has the issue of combinations of hue, lightness, and chroma. Finally, most theorizing has focused on color as an independent variable rather than a dependent variable; however, it is also likely that many situational and intrapersonal factors influence color perception (e.g., situational: Bubl et al., 2009 ; intrapersonal: Fetterman et al., 2015 ).

Third, theorizing to date has focused primarily on main effects, with only a modicum of attention allocated to the important issue of moderation. As research literatures develop and mature, they progress from a sole focus on “is” questions (“Does X influence Y?”) to additionally considering “when” questions (“Under what conditions does X influence Y and under what conditions does X not influence Y?”). These “second generation” questions ( Zanna and Fazio, 1982 , p. 283) can seem less exciting and even deflating in that they posit boundary conditions that constrain the generalizability of an effect. Nevertheless, this step is invaluable in that it adds conceptual precision and clarity, and begins to address the issue of real-world applicability. All color effects undoubtedly depend on certain conditions – culture, gender, age, type of task, variant of color, etc. – and acquiring an understanding of these conditions will represent an important marker of maturity for this literature (for movement in this direction, see Schwarz and Singer, 2013 ; Tracy and Beall, 2014 ; Bertrams et al., 2015 ; Buechner et al., in press ; Young, in press ). Another, more succinct, way to state this third weakness is that theorizing in this area needs to take context, in all its forms, more seriously.

Empirical Work

Empirical work on color and psychological functioning dates back to the late 19th century ( Féré, 1887 ; see Pressey, 1921 , for a review). A consistent feature of this work, from its inception to the past decade, is that it has been fraught with major methodological problems that have precluded rigorous testing and clear interpretation ( O’Connor, 2011 ). One problem has been a failure to attend to rudimentary scientific procedures such as experimenter blindness to condition, identifying, and excluding color deficient participants, and standardizing the duration of color presentation or exposure. Another problem has been a failure to specify and control for color at the spectral level in manipulations. Without such specification, it is impossible to know what precise combination of color properties was investigated, and without such control, the confounding of focal and non-focal color properties is inevitable ( Whitfield and Wiltshire, 1990 ; Valdez and Mehrabian, 1994 ). Yet another problem has been the use of underpowered samples. This problem, shared across scientific disciplines ( Maxwell, 2004 ), can lead to Type I errors, Type II errors, and inflated effect sizes ( Fraley and Vazire, 2014 ; Murayama et al., 2014 ). Together, these methodological problems have greatly hampered progress in this area.

Although some of the aforementioned problems remain (see “Evaluation and Recommendations” below), others have been rectified in recent work. This, coupled with advances in theory development, has led to a surge in empirical activity. In the following, I review the diverse areas in which color work has been conducted in the past decade, and the findings that have emerged. Space considerations require me to constrain this review to a brief mention of central findings within each area. I focus on findings with humans (for reviews of research with non-human animals, see Higham and Winters, in press ; Setchell, in press ) that have been obtained in multiple (at least five) independent labs. Table Table1 1 provides a summary, as well as representative examples and specific references.

Research on color and psychological functioning.

In research on color and selective attention, red stimuli have been shown to receive an attentional advantage (see Folk, in press , for a review). Research on color and alertness has shown that blue light increases subjective alertness and performance on attention-based tasks (see Chellappa et al., 2011 , for a review). Studies on color and athletic performance have linked wearing red to better performance and perceived performance in sport competitions and tasks (see Maier et al., in press , for a review). In research on color and intellectual performance, viewing red prior to a challenging cognitive task has been shown to undermine performance (see Shi et al., 2015 , for a review). Research focused on color and aggressiveness/dominance evaluation has shown that viewing red on self or other increases appraisals of aggressiveness and dominance (see Krenn, 2014 , for a review). Empirical work on color and avoidance motivation has linked viewing red in achievement contexts to increased caution and avoidance (see Elliot and Maier, 2014 , for a review). In research on color and attraction, viewing red on or near a female has been shown to enhance attraction in heterosexual males (see Pazda and Greitemeyer, in press , for a review). Research on color and store/company evaluation has shown that blue on stores/logos increases quality and trustworthiness appraisals (see Labrecque and Milne, 2012 , for a review). Finally, empirical work on color and eating/drinking has shown that red influences food and beverage perception and consumption (see Spence, in press , for a review).

The aforementioned findings represent important contributions to the literature on color and psychological functioning, and highlight the multidisciplinary nature of research in this area. Nevertheless, much like the extant theoretical work, the extant empirical work remains at a nascent level of development, due, in part, to the following weaknesses.

First, although in some research in this area color properties are controlled for at the spectral level, in most research it (still) is not. Color control is typically done improperly at the device (rather than the spectral) level, is impossible to implement (e.g., in web-based platform studies), or is ignored altogether. Color control is admittedly difficult, as it requires technical equipment for color assessment and presentation, as well as the expertise to use it. Nevertheless, careful color control is essential if systematic scientific work is to be conducted in this area. Findings from uncontrolled research can be informative in initial explorations of color hypotheses, but such work is inherently fraught with interpretational ambiguity ( Whitfield and Wiltshire, 1990 ; Elliot and Maier, 2014 ) that must be subsequently addressed.

Second, color perception is not only a function of lightness, chroma, and hue, but also of factors such as viewing distance and angle, amount and type of ambient light, and presence of other colors in the immediate background and general environmental surround ( Hunt and Pointer, 2011 ; Brainard and Radonjić, 2014 ; Fairchild, 2015 ). In basic color science research (e.g., on color physics, color physiology, color appearance modeling, etcetera; see Gegenfurtner and Ennis, in press ; Johnson, in press ; Stockman and Brainard, in press ), these factors are carefully specified and controlled for in order to establish standardized participant viewing conditions. These factors have been largely ignored and allowed to vary in research on color and psychological functioning, with unknown consequences. An important next step for research in this area is to move to incorporate these more rigorous standardization procedures widely utilized by basic color scientists. With regard to both this and the aforementioned weakness, it should be acknowledged that exact and complete control is not actually possible in color research, given the multitude of factors that influence color perception ( Committee on Colorimetry of the Optical Society of America, 1953 ) and our current level of knowledge about and ability to control them ( Fairchild, 2015 ). As such, the standard that must be embraced and used as a guideline in this work is to control color properties and viewing conditions to the extent possible given current technology, and to keep up with advances in the field that will increasingly afford more precise and efficient color management.

Third, although in some research in this area, large, fully powered samples are used, much of the research remains underpowered. This is a problem in general, but it is particularly a problem when the initial demonstration of an effect is underpowered (e.g., Elliot and Niesta, 2008 ), because initial work is often used as a guide for determining sample size in subsequent work (both heuristically and via power analysis). Underpowered samples commonly produce overestimated effect size estimates ( Ioannidis, 2008 ), and basing subsequent sample sizes on such estimates simply perpetuates the problem. Small sample sizes can also lead researchers to prematurely conclude that a hypothesis is disconfirmed, overlooking a potentially important advance ( Murayama et al., 2014 ). Findings from small sampled studies should be considered preliminary; running large sampled studies with carefully controlled color stimuli is essential if a robust scientific literature is to be developed. Furthermore, as the “evidentiary value movement” ( Finkel et al., 2015 ) makes inroads in the empirical sciences, color scientists would do well to be at the leading edge of implementing such rigorous practices as publically archiving research materials and data, designating exploratory from confirmatory analyses, supplementing or even replacing significant testing with “new statistics” ( Cumming, 2014 ), and even preregistering research protocols and analyses (see Finkel et al., 2015 , for an overview).

In both reviewing advances in and identifying weaknesses of the literature on color and psychological functioning, it is important to bear in mind that the existing theoretical and empirical work is at an early stage of development. It is premature to offer any bold theoretical statements, definitive empirical pronouncements, or impassioned calls for application; rather, it is best to be patient and to humbly acknowledge that color psychology is a uniquely complex area of inquiry ( Kuehni, 2012 ; Fairchild, 2013 ) that is only beginning to come into its own. Findings from color research can be provocative and media friendly, and the public (and the field as well) can be tempted to reach conclusions before the science is fully in place. There is considerable promise in research on color and psychological functioning, but considerably more theoretical and empirical work needs to be done before the full extent of this promise can be discerned and, hopefully, fulfilled.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Essays About Colors: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Color allows us to see the world in all its natural beauty. If you are writing essays about colors, you can start by reading some essay examples.

Almost everyone has gotten a glimpse of the wonders of colors, but what are they? To be precise, color is scientifically defined as “ the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them .” When light shines on objects, it reflects, producing different shades of light and allowing us to see and differentiate colors.

Colors are powerful tools that can make or break how we view things. They are essential factors in inspiring the solitude of a small forest, the intimidation that a volcano provokes, and the sheer mystery of the deep ocean. They help us know when to “stop” and “go” on the road and which plants and animals are toxic. Most cannot imagine a world without color because of its near-essential role in our lives.

To start writing essays about colors, look at some of our top essay examples below.

1. An Essay on Color by Melih Mert

2. the wonder of nature’s colors by kelly johnson, 3. the power of color by kerry nash.

4. World without colour by Ella Gray
5. The Meaning Behind the Many Colors of India’s Holi Festival by Victoria Finlay

1. Favorite Colors

2. colour blindness: what is it and how does it affect people, 3. how does color impact perception, 4. the use of color in culture and religion, 5. art and colors.

“Each color conceals a story. Some virtuous and sensitive eyes see the truth through them, while others see rage, anger, and all the evils dictated by the alter ego. Colors carry such feelings as anger and hope, and symbolize such concepts as sinfulness and innocence. They are abused or sacrificed, and widely preferred or despised.”

This essay gives readers a brief overview of color, starting with a basic definition. Next, Mert discusses human responses to colors, the meaning of colors in different cultures, and the use of colors in different religions, governments, and organizations. To an extent, different colors evoke different emotions and qualities and can be used to control people’s perceptions.

“Mother Nature’s palette is one of the most magical because it is perfectly suited to every circumstance. It is beautifully ever-changing, with the seasons, time of day, and geographic region. A bright yellow flower signals insects to come pollinate, while a bright red flower attracts hummingbirds. A blue sky tells us no need for an umbrella, while green grass tempts us to remove our shoes and enjoy the cool softness. The mysterious power of color affects every aspect of this bio-diverse world.”

Johnson opens a children’s outdoor activity tutorial with this essay, in which she discusses how colors contribute to nature’s beauty. Color affects our mood, so it is no surprise that nature’s bright, satisfying color palette is perfect for kids to enjoy. She also briefly explains the importance of introducing children to color- it sparks creativity and increases their awareness.

“In conclusion, color is life and as matter of fact, it is everything. It determines the mood anyone could have within those inner rooms. Therefore, it is imperative that while trying to set up either of your living room, bedroom, kitchen or dining room, the right color combinations are used. These will not only make those rooms attractive, but also determine the level of productivity that could occur there.”

In Nash’s essay, she elaborates on the importance of color choice, particularly in interior design. Specific colors make a room feel more spacious, relaxing, and luxurious, and different colors work well for different rooms. Nash suggests some color combinations and their supposed effects on humans and reminds us that color choices can “make or break” a house.

4. World without colour by Ella Gray

“We’d lose all sight for which was which, basically normal organisms wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from one thing to another resulting in chaos. Emotionally and Mentally: Our world would seem depressing and very dark and disturbing. Some would enjoy this, while others would not because a world without colors means a world with no life. We basically need colors to help us get through the day and without them…life would be sad.”

Gray speculates on what the world would be like if we could not see colors- we would not be able to distinguish objects from one another as well. She also gives several examples of the beauty of color, including in landscapes, animals, cosmetics, and clothing. Her essay reveals how we take our ability to see color for granted, as we do not realize how depressing a world without color would be.

5. The Meaning Behind the Many Colors of India’s Holi Festival by Victoria Finlay

“You might say something similar about how colors work in India. On the surface, they provide pleasure as well as useful signals of tradition and ritual. But if we’re attentive, colors in India also remind us of that which is easy to forget: the evasive nature of matter, and of our own special relationship with light, whatever that light may be.”

In her essay, Finlay reflects on the Indian festival of Holi and its prominent use of color. She describes the beauty she encounters as she watches the festival and explains the religious context of the festival. She explains the different colors used, such as yellow, blue, and indigo, and their meanings in Indian culture. Colors are significant in Indian culture and remind us of light, whether actual light or the “light” of the divine entities the Indians honor.

Writing Prompts On Essays about Colors

Plain and simple, you can write your essay about your favorite color. Explain why it is your favorite, what it means to you, and how you feel when you see it- perhaps you associate it with specific memories or people. Your essay should include personal anecdotes based on your own opinion.

Color blindness is a phenomenon in which people have difficulty telling the difference between specific colors. Do some research on the topic and discuss the impacts that color blindness has on people. If you are color blind, reflect on how you see color, but if you are not, you must base your essay on the online experiences of color blind people.

From room interiors to clothing to animals, color can make a striking difference in the way we perceive things. Think of examples in which something’s color impacts your impressions of it, and explain how other colors or combinations may change your perception. You can give either one example or multiple, but be sure to explain it in sufficient detail.

For your essay, write about a cultural or religious tradition involving color. It can be an art form, festival, ritual, or anything else you can find, including Holi, the festival discussed in Finlay’s essay. Write about the cultural significance of colors in this tradition; you can also include a brief reflection on the tradition and colors.

Similarly, you can write about the impact color has on a work of art. Choose a painting, photograph, film, or anything else, and analyze the color choices. Write about the role color plays in work- explain its effect on the viewers and how it could make them feel.

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining “what is persuasive writing ?”

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Add, change, or delete the background color in Word

To add some extra visual interest to your document, add a background color using the Page Color button. You can also add a watermark .

Add or change the background color

Go to Design > Page Color .

Choose the color you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors .

If you don't see the color you want, select More Colors , and then choose a color from the Colors box.

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Patterns and textures are repeated (or “tiled”) to fill the entire page. If you save your document as a webpage, the textures are saved as JPEG files, and the patterns and gradients are saved as PNG files.

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Choose the picture icon to select a color from a file

Go to Design > Page Color

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CSS Reference

Css properties, css background-color property.

Set the background color for a page:

More "Try it Yourself" examples below.

Definition and Usage

The background-color property sets the background color of an element.

The background of an element is the total size of the element, including padding and border (but not the margin).

Tip: Use a background color and a text color that makes the text easy to read.

Show demo ❯

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Property Values

More examples.

Specify the background color with a HEX value:

Specify the background color with an RGB value:

Specify the background color with an RGBA value:

Specify the background color with a HSL value:

Specify the background color with a HSLA value:

Set background colors for different elements:

CSS tutorial: CSS Background

HTML DOM reference: backgroundColor property

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What is a Background in an Essay: Introducing Information

Writing A Background in an Essay

Background in an essay refers to material provided in a nonfiction essay or work that explains the context of the issue you will explore in the essay.

This information is connected to the hook or opening statement, and then to the thesis statement, which you will write last at the end of the introduction.

What is Background Information in an Essay

The background information is the supporting points you employ to demonstrate your argument or viewpoint. It is the grounds on which you base your point of view to prove your argument. background information is found in the introduction, just after the opening statement or the hook.

The amount and type of background material depend on the goal and topic of your essay.

You may need to provide definitions or an overview of the problem you discuss in the essay.

The background information in an essay will depend on the topic.

The background information in an essay on a scientific test may include test parameters, test objectives, test site conditions, sample kinds, sample size, and other background material.

If your essay is about COVID 19, your background information may touch on diverse points. These may include what kind of virus it is, its origins, and how many countries it has affected.

It may also include how many people have contracted it, and how it is transmitted from one person to another, among other things.

How to Write Background Information in an Essay

The key to writing background information in an essay is to master the art of the introduction. Grabbing the reader’s attention at the beginning allows you to include the information they need to comprehend your work.

The first paragraph/section of an essay is the introduction, and it is critical to creating an excellent paper. The introduction helps you begin the essay by grabbing the reader’s attention.

Then, you provide background information plus map out the core topic, direction, and objective of your essay.

Usually, an excellent introduction starts with a discussion around the essay’s topic. After that, you move on to the specific ideas you will explore in the body.

How do you write the introduction and include background information in an essay?

Use an effective hook to make a solid first impression. This piques the curiosity and attention of readers, encouraging them to keep reading.

Provide background information about the main topic of the essay. It establishes a general framework for the paper by providing readers with the information they require before reading it.

It should start with broad concepts and then narrow down to the thesis (a single-focused idea).

Conclude with a concise thesis statement that indicates your motivation for writing, expresses the main idea/argument, and gives the body of the work a direction or outline.

The hook is the tool that captures attention and makes the readers want to keep reading. You can shape it as a question, an interesting fact or statistic, a quotation, or a story.

You can also use any other intriguing idea that piques readers’ curiosity and encourages them to continue reading.

Regardless of which option you choose, ensure the hook links to the essay’s topic in some way.

The background information sets the stage for the essay by offering a high-level summary of the topic. It introduces the broad topic(s) and eases the reader into the subject with general information.

Also, it may comprise concepts, facts, history, definitions, and other material that helps comprehend the specific information offered in the body.

It is critical to understand your audience and evaluate what readers may or may not know about the topic to provide relevant background information.

Besides, it enables you to offer readers the information they require before continuing to read the essay. So, presenting background information in the introduction acts as a link that connects the reader to the issue.

The length and depth of this bridge depend on how much information you believe the reader will need to comprehend the topic and realize why the difficulties you are looking at are essential.

Your thesis statement highlights the key idea or main argument and your motivation for writing the essay. You can also use it to outline the supporting ideas you explore in the body. It is usually the final sentence of the introduction.

Examples of Background Information in an Essay

1.”gettysburg address” abraham lincoln.

The hook in Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” was that the founding fathers believed that all men are created equal. Then he gave some background on the current state of the Civil War:

Now we are in the midst of a major civil war, which will determine whether that nation or any other nation so conceived and dedicated, can last for a long time.

And we have met on one of the war’s most important battlegrounds.

We’ve decided to devote a piece of the field as the last resting place for those who gave their life here so that this country could live. It is entirely appropriate for us to do so.

2. “Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion

Notice how the introduction hooks your attention and then swiftly offers you some background information about Joan Didion’s life in this personal essay by Joan Didion:

The origins of things are easy to perceive, but the endings are more difficult to see. I can pinpoint when New York began for me now, with a clarity that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

But I can’t pinpoint when it ended or cut through the ambiguities and second starts and broken resolves to the precise point on the page where the heroine is no longer as optimistic as she once was.

I was twenty when I first saw New York. It was summer, and I got off a DC-7 at the old Idlewild temporary terminal in a new dress.

It had seemed very smart in Sacramento but had already seemed less smart, even in the old Idle wild temporary terminal.

The warm air smelled of mildew, and some instinct, programmed by all the movies I’d ever seen and all the songs I’d ever heard sung and all the stories I’d ever read about New York.

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Essay on Colours

Students are often asked to write an essay on Colours in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Colours

Introduction.

Colours are everywhere! They are a vital part of our world, adding beauty and diversity. They can evoke different emotions and even influence our decisions.

Importance of Colours

Colours play a big role in our daily lives. Green signals go, red means stop, and yellow tells us to be cautious. They can also affect our mood. Bright colours like yellow and orange can make us feel happy, while darker colours like blue or grey might make us feel sad.

Colours in Nature

Nature is full of colours. The blue sky, green trees, colourful birds and flowers are all examples. These colours are not just for show, they have a purpose. For example, bright colours in flowers attract bees for pollination.

In conclusion, colours are more than just visual elements. They have meanings and purposes that can affect our lives in many ways. So, the next time you see a colour, think about what it might mean!

Also check:

Speech on Colours

250 Words Essay on Colours

The significance of colours.

Colours play an integral role in our daily lives, often going unnoticed yet significantly influencing our emotions and behavior. They can evoke feelings of joy, sadness, calmness, or intensity, subtly shaping our perceptions and interactions with the world.

The Psychology of Colours

Psychologically, colours can profoundly impact our mental state. For instance, blue is often associated with tranquillity and calmness, while red can trigger feelings of passion or urgency. Green is linked to nature and renewal, promoting a sense of peace and relaxation. These associations are not merely cultural constructs but have biological underpinnings, as our ancestors evolved to respond to different colours in specific ways, a trait that has been passed down through generations.

Colours in Communication and Marketing

In communication and marketing, colours are strategically used to influence consumer behavior. Brands meticulously choose their colour schemes to evoke certain emotions in their target audience. For example, fast-food chains often use red and yellow, colours that stimulate appetite and convey speed and efficiency.

Colours in Art and Culture

In art and culture, colours are a powerful medium of expression. Artists utilize colour symbolism to convey deeper meanings in their work, while different cultures attach unique significances to various colours, reflecting their historical and societal contexts.

In conclusion, colours are more than mere visual stimuli. They are a subtle, yet powerful, form of non-verbal communication, influencing our emotions, behaviors, and perceptions. Understanding their significance can enhance our appreciation of the world around us and our place within it.

500 Words Essay on Colours

Colours, a ubiquitous yet often overlooked aspect of our everyday lives, are more than just aesthetic elements. They are a powerful form of communication that can influence our emotions, perceptions, and actions. As a profound language, colours play a pivotal role in diverse fields, from art and design to psychology and marketing.

The Science of Colours

At the most basic level, colours are a perception. They originate from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. The human eye perceives light within the wavelength range of approximately 390 to 700 nanometres, which corresponds to the colour spectrum from violet to red.

However, the science of colours extends beyond mere physical interactions. The concept of colour constancy, for instance, demonstrates how our brain compensates for changes in lighting to perceive colours consistently in different conditions. This is why a red apple appears red to us, whether in the morning’s soft light or under an afternoon’s harsh sun.

Psychological Impact of Colours

Colours can significantly influence human psychology. Psychologists have long studied the impact of colours on mood, feelings, and behaviour. For example, red is often associated with energy, passion, and urgency, while blue tends to evoke feelings of calmness, stability, and trust.

This psychological impact of colours has practical implications in fields like marketing and branding. Businesses carefully select their brand colours to evoke specific consumer emotions and perceptions about their products or services. For instance, many fast-food chains use red in their logos to stimulate appetite and create a sense of urgency.

Colours in Art and Design

In art and design, colours are fundamental tools for conveying meaning and evoking emotions. Artists and designers use colour theory—a framework that involves the mixing of colours and the visual effects of specific colour combinations—to create harmony in their works. The use of complementary or contrasting colours can bring a piece of art or design to life, creating visual interest and influencing the viewer’s emotional response.

Colours and Culture

Colours also hold significant cultural meanings and associations. They can symbolize various concepts and sentiments across different cultures. For example, while white is often associated with purity and innocence in Western cultures, it symbolizes mourning and death in many Eastern cultures. Understanding these cultural colour connotations is crucial, especially in our increasingly globalized world.

In conclusion, colours are a fascinating phenomenon that offer insights into the workings of our world, from the intricate processes in our brains to the cultural fabric of our societies. As we continue to explore and understand the complexities of colours, we can harness their power more effectively in various fields, from art and design to marketing and psychology. The study of colours is indeed a colourful journey, one that illuminates the vibrant tapestry of human perception and experience.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Colour Discrimination
Essay on Clock
Essay on If I Become a Chief Minister

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

The 40 Best Colorful Website Themes

Updated: July 12, 2023

Published: April 17, 2023

When you choose your website template , you'll want to think beyond the layout and consider color. Different color combinations can evoke different feelings in your visitors. Plus, your website's colors will also play an important role in your branding .

Now that you know the importance of color, it’s time to create a colorful website theme to enhance your user experience. But where to start?

To help you get some inspiration and pick the right color themes for your website, we've collected 40+ different real-world examples. For each color theme, we'll share the exact color codes in that design, along with some thoughts on why that scheme works well.

The Best Color Website Themes

If you want even more inspiration, you can browse the full collection of website themes and templates for the HubSpot CMS .

1. Blue, Orange, and White: Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a popular web performance and security company. The Cloudflare website uses white and dark blue for its main background colors, while accenting important elements and CTAs in bright orange.

What we like : The dark blue promotes a sense of calm, which is important as Cloudflare's customers deal with security issues, such as DDoS attacks. At the same time, the bright orange accents can draw attention to key elements, which Cloudflare uses to highlight its main CTA buttons.

Primary colors : Blue (#173682), Orange (#F6811F), White (#FFFFFF)

2. Green, Black, and Light Yellow: Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo is a popular music festival held in Manchester, Tennessee. To match the feel of the festival, the Bonnaroo website mixes earthy tones like green and light yellow. In addition to that earthy feel, Bonnaroo's website also incorporates a mix of brighter colors to add a feeling of psychedelia.

What we like : Overall, this site is a great example of how your website can use colors to reinforce your branding and create a certain "feeling" in visitors.

Primary colors : Green (#79C131), Black (#161616), Light Yellow (#EDE1AC)

3. Orange, Black, and White: HubSpot

HubSpot is the website you're reading right now, home of the free HubSpot CRM and lots of tools to help businesses improve their marketing, sales, service, and more.

The HubSpot website uses classic white and black schemes in many areas, but with the addition of orange to add some energy and make everything pop. Adding these types of colorful accents to an otherwise classic color scheme can be a great way to help your website stand out.

What we like : The site uses orange for CTAs to help them stand out against a white background, which can drive action and improve conversions . Additionally, a high-contrast option switches the orange CTAs to purple (#350DFF).

Primary colors : Orange (#FA5B35), Black (#2E475D), White (#FFFFFF)

4. Purple, Soft Gray, and White: Astra

Astra is a popular WordPress theme that uses an eye-catching purple and white color theme to help it stand out. Purple also has a feeling of royalty, which adds a premium feel to the theme's website.

What we like : Purple evokes a feeling of royalty, which is great when you want to add a premium feel to your website. The use of white and soft gray adds a feeling of space and airiness.

Primary colors : Purple (#5C2FDE), Soft Gray (#F7F6FC), White (#FFFFFF)

5. Color Gradients, Purple, and Teal: Stripe

Stripe has a unique color theme for its site in that it doesn't pick a single set of colors to use. Instead, Stripe uses an ever-changing series of color gradients across most of its site. If you're searching for colorful website themes, it doesn't get much more colorful than Stripe.

It does have some primary colors, such as purple and teal. But in general, you can expect different shades of colors as you move around the site.

Overall, Stripe is a great example of how you can get creative with website color themes, even if you're in a "boring" industry like payment processing .

What we like : Stripe offers a good example of how you can get creative with the colors you use on your site.

6. Black, Teal, and Red: TikTok

TikTok has a fairly unique website color theme, opting for a mix of black, teal, and red.

This color scheme starts with the logo, which uses all three colors. However, TikTok keeps this same theme across the site, using red for CTA buttons and teal for smaller interface details, such as blue checkmarks.

What we like : The website color theme matches the distinctive TikTok logo.

Primary colors : Black (#000000), Teal (#36D5EC), Red (#FA2C55)

7. Black and White: Uber

When it comes to website color themes, it doesn't get much more classic than black and white. One great example of this straightforward color theme is Uber , which uses this classic black-and-white look across both its website and apps.

Black and white color schemes are great for creating a feeling of luxury and timelessness, which is why many luxury brands rely on this color scheme.

While Uber might no longer lean into luxury to the same extent, it did start as the more premium "black car" service, so the feeling certainly fits.

What we like : High-contrast themes ensure people have no problem consuming information on your site.

Primary colors : White (#FFFFFF), Black (#000000)

8. Teal, Orange, and White: Rocket.net

Rocket.net is a popular managed WordPress host . It uses a color scheme similar to Cloudflare, which makes sense because Rocket.net integrates it into its network. But at the same time, it does things differently, opting for a lighter teal blue instead of Cloudflare's dark blue.

It also incorporates some light yellows and dark grays on different pages, which helps to break up the page.

What we like : By using so much white space, the teal and orange colors really grab users' attention.

Primary colors : Teal (#3AABCC), Orange (#FA8E18), White (#FFFFFF)

9. Light Yellow, Light Pink, and Magenta: Toggl

Toggl is a SaaS tool that offers productivity-focused tools for time tracking , project planning, and skills-based employee hiring. It uses a fairly unique color scheme of light yellow, light pink, and dark magenta.

Toggl also slightly changes the color palette based on the specific Toggl product: Toggl Track, Toggl Plan, and Toggl Hire.

What we like : Toggl uses slight color variations to differentiate between its three core products, which can be a great strategy if you need to differentiate different areas of your website.

Primary colors : Light Yellow (#FCDE91), Light Pink (#E57CD8), Magenta (#2C1338)

10. Dark Blue, Orange, and White: Gravity Forms

colorful website theme example, gravity forms

Gravity Forms is a WordPress form plugin that helps web admins create any form , including lead gen forms that automatically connect to tools like HubSpot .

The Gravity Forms website uses dark blue and white as its primary colors, while adding splashes of color with a bright orange highlight.

What we like : The orange accent adds excitement and draws attention to important CTAs.

Primary colors : Dark Blue (#123D6C), Orange (#F15A2A), White (#FFFFFF)

11. Red, White, and Dark Gray: Todoist

Todoist is a task management tool that helps individuals and businesses create to-do lists and get stuff done. It uses a classic scheme of bright red and white, with gray to add balance.

The design has plenty of white space to keep things balanced, but the red CTA buttons jump out and grab visitors' attention.

What we like : The red primary color promotes energy and passion, great for a to-do list app where productivity is the focus.

Primary colors : Red (#DE483A), White (#FFFFFF), Dark Gray (#1F1F1F)

12. Dark Blue, Dark Gray, and White: WordPress.org

WordPress.org is the home of the open-source WordPress software that powers so much of the web. You can use WordPress to create your base website and then add features with WordPress plugins, such as the official HubSpot WordPress plugin .

In its recent redesign, WordPress.org opted for a classic look based on dark grays and blues.

What we like : The dark blue promotes a feeling of trustworthiness. The dark gray shows maturity. Combining dark blue and dark gray matches WordPress's position in the market as a mature, trustworthy platform.

Primary colors : Dark Blue (#3858E9), Dark Gray (#1F2123), White (#FFFFFF)

13. Light Brown, Dark Gray, and Soft White: Manscaped

Known for its ubiquitous podcast ads, Manscaped sells a number of male grooming products. The Manscaped website relies on earthy tones, with light browns, dark grays, and soft whites (almost on the orange spectrum).

Taken together, the scheme creates a very natural, earthy feeling, which matches how Manscaped markets its products to men. If you want to create a wholesome feeling and connection with your customers, these types of earthy tones are a great idea.

What we like : The entire scheme creates a very "down-to-earth," natural feeling.

Primary colors : Light Brown (#C98E4A), Dark Gray (#1A1A1A), Soft White (#F6F3F0)

14. Red, White, and Black: The Hustle

The Hustle is a publication and newsletter that covers news and trends across the business and tech spaces.

It relies primarily on white and black colors, which makes it easy for readers to consume content. But at the same time, it brings in a splash of red for CTA buttons and other important elements, which adds some energy to the color scheme.

What we like : The black text on a white background captures the feel of a traditional newspaper, which works well for digital publications.

Primary colors : Red (#BF2434), White (#FFFFFF), Black (#192733)

15. Green, Black, and Yellow: Wray and Nephew

Wray and Nephew is a rum brand from Jamaica, so it makes sense that Wray and Nephew's website uses a green, yellow, and black scheme (the colors of the Jamaican flag).

Overall, this is a good example of how you can use your website color theme to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

What we like : The color theme connects with the audience by matching the Jamaican flag. Additionally, the minimal use of yellow highlights makes the yellow content really stand out.

Primary colors : Green (#128242), Black (#1C1C1B), Yellow (#F3D012)

16. Red, Pale Yellow, and White: Keeps

Keeps is a service that offers hair loss treatment for men over the internet. Like the Manscaped example above, Keeps uses earthy tones such as soft yellows and whites. This is a trend that you'll see across a lot of sites that exclusively target men.

At the same time, Keeps uses eye-catching red for its CTA buttons and other accents, which adds some energy to what is otherwise a very soft, earthy design.

What we like : The soft yellows and whites do a good job of creating a wholesome, earthy feeling.

Primary colors : Red (#E22631), Pale Yellow (#FAFAF6), Soft white (#FAFAF6)

17. Shades of Blue, Black, and White: Sleep Foundation

As the name suggests, Sleep Foundation is a website focused on helping people sleep better. It uses various shades of blue across the site, though it avoids any overly bright or energetic shades.

These dark blues provide a feeling of calm and trustworthiness, which is a perfect fit for a website about sleep. If you want to create a relaxed feeling in your visitors, using this dark blue website color scheme is a great idea.

What we like : Blues also evoke trustworthiness, which is important for websites about YMYL topics (your money or your life).

Primary colors : Dark Blue (#263357), Lighter Blue (#5369DE), White (#F6F7FD), Black (#000000)

18. Pastel Pink and Raspberry Pink: Elementor

Elementor is a popular visual drag-and-drop builder tool for WordPress . It has a fairly unique website color theme, opting for a mix of light pink and dark raspberry pink, with dark pink almost moving into purple or burgundy red.

Pink tones are traditionally associated with creativity, which perfectly matches the creative user Elementor wants to engage.

What we like : This color scheme is pretty rare, so Elementor is able to instantly stand out from the crowd.

Primary colors : Dark Pink (#920F3B), Light Pink (#FEC5F3)

19. Dark Blue, Cyan, and Dark Gray: Putler

Putler is a multichannel eCommerce tool that helps eCommerce stores consolidate their data in one spot. It mixes dark blues and cyans across its site to create a calming, trust-building feel.

What we like : The cyan CTA buttons stand out against the dark blue button.

Primary colors : Medium-Dark Blue (#215CA7), Cyan (#2294A2), Dark Blue (#111827)

20. Purple, White, Black, and Teal: Kinsta

Kinsta is a popular managed WordPress hosting provider that offers a premium service for web admins who want top-notch performance and reliability.

Kinsta uses a fairly classic black-and-white scheme for much of its core content, but with purple as a primary accent color and teal as a secondary accent color. For example, most of the CTA buttons and announcements use a purple background. The backend interface also makes heavy use of purple.

Incorporating purple can be a great option for websites that offer a more premium product or service, as purple evokes a feeling of royalty.

Pro tip : Incorporating purple can be a great option for websites that offer a more premium product or service, as purple evokes a feeling of royalty.

Primary colors : Purple (#5333ED), White (#FFFFFF), Black (#0E0A1B), Teal (#32D4D9)

21. Orange, Gray, Black, and White: TINYpulse

TINYpulse is employee engagement software that helps employers survey their employees. Its primary website color theme is orange, black, and white, but it also adds dark shades of gray to balance out the orange.

What we like : Gray adds a feeling of maturity and helps differentiate the theme from other orange, black, and white website color themes.

Primary colors : Orange (#F25620), Gray (#6D6E71), Black (#0F1111), White (#FFFFFF)

22. Green, Yellow, Blue, Black, and White: Avada

Avada is a popular multipurpose theme that comes with its own built-in visual builder, which helps users create pretty much any type of website . It uses a black-and-white theme as its base but then adds color to help differentiate use cases: yellow for beginners, green for marketers, and blue for web professionals.

Overall, Avada's color scheme is a good example of how you can use colors to help segment your website into different parts.

What we like : The Avada website uses brighter colors to help differentiate various use cases.

Primary colors : Green (#65BD7D), Yellow (#FBE979), Blue (#7ED6F0), Black (#282828), White (#FFFFFF)

23. Purple, Green, and Orange: Semrush

Semrush is an online marketing analytics and keyword research tool that's popular with SEO and digital marketing professionals. Semrush uses a very bright, colorful scheme with lots of purple, green, and orange colors.

Semrush's bright color scheme helps it stand out from the crowd in an industry that can be overly technical and analytical.

What we like : Using a colorful website theme helps Semrush stand out when compared to its competitors.

Primary colors : Purple (#421983), Green (#45E0A8), Orange (#FA622D)

24. Yellow Gradients, Purple, and White: Boost

Boost is an immune-boosting supplement based on elderberries. It uses a bright yellow gradient color scheme, with white text on the yellow background. As users scroll down, it also brings in bright purple, which helps match the elderberry theme.

What we like : Using a yellow gradient instead of solid yellow makes the design warmer and more interesting.

Primary colors : Yellow Start Gradient (#FAB800), Yellow End Gradient (#FA770D), Purple (#7D47FF), White (#FFFFFF)

25. Shades of Cyan, Soft Yellow, Others: Olipop

Olipop is a prebiotic soda that's rapidly grown in popularity. Unlike traditional sodas, Olipop emphasizes health and quality ingredients.

To reinforce this feeling, Olipop incorporates many pastel colors, including cyan (between blue and green), soft yellows, and other colors across the site. Using these types of earthy tones and cyans is great if you want to promote a feeling of healthiness and clean living.

What we like : Cyan evokes a feeling of nature and healthiness.

Primary colors : Cyan Blue (#14433C), Pastel Blue (#C0F8EF), Soft Yellow (#FDF7E7)

26. Blue, Red, and White: Casper

Casper is a popular online mattress company that ships mattresses straight to consumers' doors. It uses shades of blue as the primary colors, with bright red for CTA buttons and other important accents.

As with the Sleep Foundation example above, you'll notice that most sleep-focused sites utilize blue website color schemes because it creates a calming feel.

What we like : By using blue, Casper helps create a calming feel that matches its focus on sleep.

Primary colors : Blue (#526699), Red (#CB372A), White (#FFFFFF)

27. Yellow Gradient, Blue, Black: Banky

Banky is an Ireland-based payment tool that helps users more easily make payments via the banking system. It uses a bright yellow background with royal blue and black text.

What we like : The yellow background adds a feeling of positivity, which matches Banky's goal to improve a "boring" bank payments system. Blue accents add a feeling of trustworthiness and help CTA buttons stand out against the yellow background.

Primary colors : Yellow (#FACE32), Blue (#3663FF), Black (#121722)

28. Shades of Blue + Bright Accents: Venmo

Venmo is a popular payment app/service acquired by PayPal. Venmo uses blue primary colors across its site, with various bright accents, including greens, pinks, and purples.

Because Venmo is a payment app, trust is important. Choosing a primarily blue color scheme is, therefore, a great idea because it evokes a feeling of trust. At the same time, the bright accents incorporate energy, which fits with Venmo's goals to disrupt the payment industry.

What we like : Bright accents add energy and a youthful feeling to the design.

Primary colors : Bright Blue (#378DFF), Light Cyan-Blue (#F2F9FF)

29. Blue and Black: Deside Recrutement

website color themes, deside recrutement

Deside Recrutement is a recruitment agency located in Provence, France. It uses royal blue as its primary color, along with a classic black-and-white scheme.

The heavy reliance on blue helps add a feeling of trustworthiness, which is important since employment requires trust for both employers and employees.

What we like : The site uses blue to accent text content as well, which helps emphasize important information.

Primary colors : Royal Blue (#2B4CD5), Black (#1D1E1C), White (#FFFFFF)

30. Green and Purple: b2 Design

B2 Design is a Dutch digital agency that uses an eye-catching mix of purple and green for its portfolio website. The website also incorporates lots of white space, which helps those rich colors stand out.

What we like : Purple evokes feelings of royalty, creating a premium feel for an agency website. The white background really puts the focus on the bright greens and purples.

Primary colors : Green (#4ACD81), Purple (#4E26C1), Black (#211B32)

31. Separate Colors for Each Page: Mighty

Mighty , a digital design and website agency, is a curveball because it doesn't have a single-color theme. Instead, it opts for a different color theme for each of its six pages, including blue, green, red, and yellow.

While this approach might be overwhelming for a large site or blog, it's a great example of how smaller sites can experiment with website color themes that are outside of the box.

What we like : Using different colors for each page is a unique approach, which fits well with it being the portfolio of a creative agency.

32. Shades of Green and White: Middle Child Philadelphia

Middle Child is a casual dining establishment in Philadelphia with two different locations. It uses a simple website color theme with two shades of green and white.

The effect is eye-catching and a good reminder that you can create a great-looking site even with a small color palette.

What we like : The site uses different shades of green to highlight its two different locations, which is a great example of using color in both an aesthetic and practical way.

Primary colors : Bright Green (#16B74F), Dark Green (#0E432F), White (#FFFFFF)

33. Blue, Yellow, and White: FinMasters

FinMasters is a publication that helps readers understand important financial concepts and improve their financial knowledge . It uses dark blue as a primary color, with other shades of blue mixed in. In addition to the blue, it uses bright yellow for accents and CTA buttons.

What we like : Dark blue adds a feeling of trust, which is important for a financial education site. The yellow accents and CTA buttons grab visitors' attention.

Primary colors : Dark Blue (#06133D), Lighter Blue (#4267CF), Yellow (#FAD901), White (#FFFFFF)

34. Pink Red and Bright Yellow: San Diego Design Week

website color themes, San Diego Design Week

San Diego Design Week is a week-long event that celebrates "design in all its forms." It has a very bright, energetic color scheme, with heavy use of bright pink-red and yellow colors that really drive home the event's goals.

What we like : The bright pink-red hero background evokes feelings of energy and creativity. The bright yellow adds a feeling of celebration and positivity.

Primary colors : Pink Red (#E94568), Bright Yellow (#F9F15A)

35. Pastel Colors, Black, and White: Purplethumb

Purplethumb is a design subscription service that offers unlimited design requests for one flat monthly fee. The Purplethumb website uses a classic black-and-white color scheme for its base but then brings in many pastel colors to add interest and energy.

What we like : An off-white background radiates warmth and comfort.

Primary colors : Various Pastel Colors, Black (#000000), White (#FFFBF7)

36. Shades of Pink, White, Cyan Blue: La Croix Sparkling Water

La Croix is a sparkling water brand that's rapidly become a cultural phenomenon. It uses various shades of pink across its site, along with a dark cyan blue for most of its text content.

The heavy use of pink creates a feeling of creativity and exuberance, which fits the type of branding La Croix wants to reinforce. As you saw with the Elementor example above, using pink in your website color theme is great when you want to connect with a more creative audience.

On some other pages, La Croix also brings in teals and other bright colors.

What we like : Incorporating other bright color accents further adds to the feeling of energy.

Primary colors : Light Pink (#F9D1E3), Dark Pink (#B92454), White (#FFFFFF)

37. Orange Gradients and Shades of Blue: Bunny.net

Bunny.net is a content delivery network (CDN) service that helps web admins speed up their websites . It uses various shades of blue across the site and many orange accents (with many of the CTA buttons using an orange gradient).

Together, the blues and oranges evoke feelings of trustworthiness and speed, which is exactly what Bunny.net wants people to feel.

What we like : Orange adds a feeling of energy, which is why you see it used by a lot of web performance tools.

Primary colors : Orange Gradient Start (#FA6F58), Orange Gradient End (#FAA84A), Blue (#183D6D)

38. Green and Blue Gradients, White, Black: Limeade

Limeade offers employee well-being programs for large enterprises. As you'd expect from a health-focused site, Limeade uses a green website color theme, with different green gradients used across the site, some even shifting into the blue range.

What we like : Green promotes feelings of health and wellness, so it's a natural website color theme for any type of health-focused website.

Primary colors : Main Green (#0F9111), Green and Blue Gradients, White (#FFFFFF), Black (#000000)

39. Pink, White, and Black: Awwwards Conference

website color themes, The Awwwards Conference

The Awwwards Conference is a digital conference for the design community. It uses a classic white-and-black scheme but with lots of pink accents to add creativity to the design.

What we like : The pink accents evoke a feeling of creativity, which fits well with a digital design conference.

Primary colors : Pink (#FC93AD), White (#FEFDFB), Black (#1F1F1F)

40. Red, Black, and White: Spline

Spline is a Canadian engineering firm. Normally, engineering can be a pretty "boring industry," but the Spline website uses its colorful website theme to flip that feeling with a bright red full-screen hero section.

Beyond the bright red, Spline otherwise keeps things fairly classic with a black-and-white scheme.

What we like : The bright red background adds energy to what is otherwise a "boring" industry.

Primary colors : Red (#D91C32), Black (#0A0A0A), White (#FFFFFF)

Create Your Own Website Color Theme

That wraps up our collection of 40+ real website color themes that you can use as inspiration for your own designs. You could use the exact color theme from a website that you like. Or, you could mix and match different ideas to create something all your own.

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Solar Eclipse 2024

What the World Has Learned From Past Eclipses

C louds scudded over the small volcanic island of Principe, off the western coast of Africa, on the afternoon of May 29, 1919. Arthur Eddington, director of the Cambridge Observatory in the U.K., waited for the Sun to emerge. The remains of a morning thunderstorm could ruin everything.

The island was about to experience the rare and overwhelming sight of a total solar eclipse. For six minutes, the longest eclipse since 1416, the Moon would completely block the face of the Sun, pulling a curtain of darkness over a thin stripe of Earth. Eddington traveled into the eclipse path to try and prove one of the most consequential ideas of his age: Albert Einstein’s new theory of general relativity.

Eddington, a physicist, was one of the few people at the time who understood the theory, which Einstein proposed in 1915. But many other scientists were stymied by the bizarre idea that gravity is not a mutual attraction, but a warping of spacetime. Light itself would be subject to this warping, too. So an eclipse would be the best way to prove whether the theory was true, because with the Sun’s light blocked by the Moon, astronomers would be able to see whether the Sun’s gravity bent the light of distant stars behind it.

Two teams of astronomers boarded ships steaming from Liverpool, England, in March 1919 to watch the eclipse and take the measure of the stars. Eddington and his team went to Principe, and another team led by Frank Dyson of the Greenwich Observatory went to Sobral, Brazil.

Totality, the complete obscuration of the Sun, would be at 2:13 local time in Principe. Moments before the Moon slid in front of the Sun, the clouds finally began breaking up. For a moment, it was totally clear. Eddington and his group hastily captured images of a star cluster found near the Sun that day, called the Hyades, found in the constellation of Taurus. The astronomers were using the best astronomical technology of the time, photographic plates, which are large exposures taken on glass instead of film. Stars appeared on seven of the plates, and solar “prominences,” filaments of gas streaming from the Sun, appeared on others.

Eddington wanted to stay in Principe to measure the Hyades when there was no eclipse, but a ship workers’ strike made him leave early. Later, Eddington and Dyson both compared the glass plates taken during the eclipse to other glass plates captured of the Hyades in a different part of the sky, when there was no eclipse. On the images from Eddington’s and Dyson’s expeditions, the stars were not aligned. The 40-year-old Einstein was right.

“Lights All Askew In the Heavens,” the New York Times proclaimed when the scientific papers were published. The eclipse was the key to the discovery—as so many solar eclipses before and since have illuminated new findings about our universe.

Telescope used to observe a total solar eclipse, Sobral, Brazil, 1919.

To understand why Eddington and Dyson traveled such distances to watch the eclipse, we need to talk about gravity.

Since at least the days of Isaac Newton, who wrote in 1687, scientists thought gravity was a simple force of mutual attraction. Newton proposed that every object in the universe attracts every other object in the universe, and that the strength of this attraction is related to the size of the objects and the distances among them. This is mostly true, actually, but it’s a little more nuanced than that.

On much larger scales, like among black holes or galaxy clusters, Newtonian gravity falls short. It also can’t accurately account for the movement of large objects that are close together, such as how the orbit of Mercury is affected by its proximity the Sun.

Albert Einstein’s most consequential breakthrough solved these problems. General relativity holds that gravity is not really an invisible force of mutual attraction, but a distortion. Rather than some kind of mutual tug-of-war, large objects like the Sun and other stars respond relative to each other because the space they are in has been altered. Their mass is so great that they bend the fabric of space and time around themselves.

Read More: 10 Surprising Facts About the 2024 Solar Eclipse

This was a weird concept, and many scientists thought Einstein’s ideas and equations were ridiculous. But others thought it sounded reasonable. Einstein and others knew that if the theory was correct, and the fabric of reality is bending around large objects, then light itself would have to follow that bend. The light of a star in the great distance, for instance, would seem to curve around a large object in front of it, nearer to us—like our Sun. But normally, it’s impossible to study stars behind the Sun to measure this effect. Enter an eclipse.

Einstein’s theory gives an equation for how much the Sun’s gravity would displace the images of background stars. Newton’s theory predicts only half that amount of displacement.

Eddington and Dyson measured the Hyades cluster because it contains many stars; the more stars to distort, the better the comparison. Both teams of scientists encountered strange political and natural obstacles in making the discovery, which are chronicled beautifully in the book No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity , by the physicist Daniel Kennefick. But the confirmation of Einstein’s ideas was worth it. Eddington said as much in a letter to his mother: “The one good plate that I measured gave a result agreeing with Einstein,” he wrote , “and I think I have got a little confirmation from a second plate.”

The Eddington-Dyson experiments were hardly the first time scientists used eclipses to make profound new discoveries. The idea dates to the beginnings of human civilization.

Careful records of lunar and solar eclipses are one of the greatest legacies of ancient Babylon. Astronomers—or astrologers, really, but the goal was the same—were able to predict both lunar and solar eclipses with impressive accuracy. They worked out what we now call the Saros Cycle, a repeating period of 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours in which eclipses appear to repeat. One Saros cycle is equal to 223 synodic months, which is the time it takes the Moon to return to the same phase as seen from Earth. They also figured out, though may not have understood it completely, the geometry that enables eclipses to happen.

The path we trace around the Sun is called the ecliptic. Our planet’s axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane, which is why we have seasons, and why the other celestial bodies seem to cross the same general path in our sky.

As the Moon goes around Earth, it, too, crosses the plane of the ecliptic twice in a year. The ascending node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic. The descending node is where the Moon enters the southern ecliptic. When the Moon crosses a node, a total solar eclipse can happen. Ancient astronomers were aware of these points in the sky, and by the apex of Babylonian civilization, they were very good at predicting when eclipses would occur.

Two and a half millennia later, in 2016, astronomers used these same ancient records to measure the change in the rate at which Earth’s rotation is slowing—which is to say, the amount by which are days are lengthening, over thousands of years.

By the middle of the 19 th century, scientific discoveries came at a frenetic pace, and eclipses powered many of them. In October 1868, two astronomers, Pierre Jules César Janssen and Joseph Norman Lockyer, separately measured the colors of sunlight during a total eclipse. Each found evidence of an unknown element, indicating a new discovery: Helium, named for the Greek god of the Sun. In another eclipse in 1869, astronomers found convincing evidence of another new element, which they nicknamed coronium—before learning a few decades later that it was not a new element, but highly ionized iron, indicating that the Sun’s atmosphere is exceptionally, bizarrely hot. This oddity led to the prediction, in the 1950s, of a continual outflow that we now call the solar wind.

And during solar eclipses between 1878 and 1908, astronomers searched in vain for a proposed extra planet within the orbit of Mercury. Provisionally named Vulcan, this planet was thought to exist because Newtonian gravity could not fully describe Mercury’s strange orbit. The matter of the innermost planet’s path was settled, finally, in 1915, when Einstein used general relativity equations to explain it.

Many eclipse expeditions were intended to learn something new, or to prove an idea right—or wrong. But many of these discoveries have major practical effects on us. Understanding the Sun, and why its atmosphere gets so hot, can help us predict solar outbursts that could disrupt the power grid and communications satellites. Understanding gravity, at all scales, allows us to know and to navigate the cosmos.

GPS satellites, for instance, provide accurate measurements down to inches on Earth. Relativity equations account for the effects of the Earth’s gravity and the distances between the satellites and their receivers on the ground. Special relativity holds that the clocks on satellites, which experience weaker gravity, seem to run slower than clocks under the stronger force of gravity on Earth. From the point of view of the satellite, Earth clocks seem to run faster. We can use different satellites in different positions, and different ground stations, to accurately triangulate our positions on Earth down to inches. Without those calculations, GPS satellites would be far less precise.

This year, scientists fanned out across North America and in the skies above it will continue the legacy of eclipse science. Scientists from NASA and several universities and other research institutions will study Earth’s atmosphere; the Sun’s atmosphere; the Sun’s magnetic fields; and the Sun’s atmospheric outbursts, called coronal mass ejections.

When you look up at the Sun and Moon on the eclipse , the Moon’s day — or just observe its shadow darkening the ground beneath the clouds, which seems more likely — think about all the discoveries still yet waiting to happen, just behind the shadow of the Moon.

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Larry David, Philosopher King

A digital 3D model of a statue of Larry David sitting on a throne.

By Mark Ralkowski

Dr. Ralkowski is a professor of philosophy and honors at the George Washington University.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the HBO comedy series created by and starring Larry David, debuted way back in 1999 and comedy, television and the world have all changed significantly since. Yet somehow “Curb,” which comes to an end tonight after 12 seasons, remains as relevant as ever. How can that be?

I’d propose that one reason is because Larry David stands as an underappreciated philosopher of our everyday lives. He has taught us important truths about both how we live our lives and how we should live our lives. Most important, he’s been our foremost critic of the social rules that govern the way we interact, offering an enticing vision of social freedom that we’d be foolish to ignore.

“Curb” is full of observations about societal strictures that might otherwise go unspoken. Rules such as: You tiptoe at night; you always accept your friend’s invitation to tour her new house; you never steal from roadside memorials or caskets; you don’t go over your caviar allotment at a dinner party; you ask to split the check when you eat out with friends.

Mr. David, in the guise of his semi-fictional alter ego, has introduced us to countless examples of what I like to call the “unknown knowns” — these rules and rituals that we understand and abide by without quite knowing how we learned them. For example, most of us have been victims of what he calls “the chat and cut,” a ploy that some people use to cut in line when they don’t want to wait. But it wasn’t until Mr. David pointed this act out and named it that we thought about it explicitly. Now that it has been named, it’s a lot easier to spot in our own lives.

One simple way of considering the character of Larry is as a vessel of our wish fulfillment. As Cheryl Hines, David’s co-star, has said , “I think we all live vicariously through Larry,” because “if somebody asks you to dinner, you’d like to just say, ‘No, I don’t really like you that much.’ But people don’t in real life, you know? Larry does.” Sigmund Freud argued in his 1905 book “Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” that laughter gives us a sense of relief because it releases the energy we normally spend on repressing our drives. Freud would say that when Larry acts out on “Curb,” we laugh because Larry lets us indirectly satisfy repressed desires to do the same.

But there’s much more that we can learn and benefit from in Mr. David’s approach to the world. One lesson he teaches us is that we all have a lot of special social knowledge that we’ve never thought about before. In “Being and Time,” the German philosopher Martin Heidegger called this knowledge part of our preconceptual “understanding of Being.” Larry describes it as our “unwritten rules,” such as: Everyone knows that you should never blow your nose in a cloth napkin at a restaurant. As Larry’s frequent collaborator Jerry Seinfeld put it in an episode of “Curb”: “It’s just not done in polite society. It’s not done in impolite society. Even the impolite don’t do it.”

As the contemporary American philosopher John Searle wrote in “Making the Social World,” these “background practices” are crucial to the construction of our social reality. “Our whole mode of sensibility is shaped by forces and influences that are, for the most part, invisible to us — what it is to be male, what it is to be female, what is involved in being a citizen, what is involved in being a professor,” Searle wrote.

This understanding is acquired without thinking and it then determines our thinking. A great example of this is our “knowledge” of the appropriate distance to stand from a conversational partner. That distance varies according to the purpose of the conversation, its context and the identities of the people who are talking. This is not knowledge that we acquire from books or from a teacher in a classroom. We are socialized into it simply by living our lives.

What makes Mr. David’s comedic vision in “Curb” so special is that, in addition to teaching us so many of these unwritten rules, it shows us that we are free to reimagine our ways of living. There is no fundamental necessity to these practices; they are arbitrary and open to revision. In fact, if we look closely at these “unwritten rules,” as the contemporary American philosopher Noël Carroll has argued, what we find is that they don’t have any basis other than our emotional attachments to them. They may feel authoritative. We certainly let them control our behavior. But there is no necessity here, as the character of Larry constantly points out.

The British anthropologist Mary Douglas has called these kinds of jokes — in which communal norms are tested and questioned — “anti-rites,” because they show us the contingency of our social expectations. “A joke is a play upon form,” Ms. Douglas wrote, “that affords an opportunity for realizing that an accepted pattern has no necessity.” The English philosopher Simon Critchley, in the 2002 book “On Humour,” built on Ms. Douglas’s theory by suggesting that jokes do two related things. First, they return us to “the background meanings implicit in a culture.” Second, they “indicate how those practices might be transformed or perfected, how things might be otherwise.”

During the long run of “Curb,” Mr. David has consistently shown us how things might be otherwise. It’s been very funny but also revelatory. He has awakened us to the background practices in our culture, and revealed to us that they have no necessity, which offers us a kind of freedom we may not have recognized.

This is not trivial entertainment. As Friedrich Nietzsche might have said, Mr. David has gone to battle with the “spirit of gravity” in our time; the world of morals, religions and tragedy. In doing so, he has offered up an alternative vision of life, one of lightness and joyful wisdom.

Mark Ralkowski is a professor of philosophy and honors at the George Washington University.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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In October 1868, two astronomers, Pierre Jules César Janssen and Joseph Norman Lockyer, separately measured the colors of sunlight during a total eclipse. Each found evidence of an unknown ...
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Opinion
Larry David, Philosopher King. Dr. Ralkowski is a professor of philosophy and honors at the George Washington University. "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the HBO comedy series created by and starring ...