Color is one of the most important elements in visual design. It draws attentions, it delivers messages and it drives emotions too.

Many colors have explicit meanings: Red means sexy, yellow and black combine to give a warning sign, green means natural, you name it. In a more subconscious level, colors, however, have meanings in a deeper context and are able to drive different emotions effectively. While used in appropriate manners, colors can bolster your communication campaigns to a higher level.

Here are some examples of “emotional codes” of common colors:

Black

Black is the color of authority and power, stability and strength. It is also the color associated with intelligence. Black clothes make people look thinner too. It’s a somber color sometimes associated with evil. In the western hemisphere black is associated with grieving.

White

For most of the world this is the color associated with purity and cleanliness. It is also used to project the absence of color, or neutrality. In some eastern parts of the world, white is associated with mourning. White also implies creativity. After all, it is a compression of all the colors in the color spectrum.

Gray

Gray is most associated with the practical, timeless, middle-of-the-road, solid things in life. Too much gray leads to feeling mostly nothing, but a bit of gray will add that rock solid feeling to your design. Some shades of gray are associated with old age, death, depression or a lost sense of direction.

Red

Red associated with energy and excitement. People surrounded by red find their heart beating a little faster and often report feeling a bit out of breath. It is also the symbol of life and, for this reason, it’s the color worn by brides in China. Red is used at holidays that are about love and giving. Come with the same hue with a lighter tone, pink, however, is the most calming of all colors. Think of pink as the color of romance, love, and gentle feelings, to be in the pink is to be soothed.

Orange

Orange is the color tied most with fun times, happy and energetic days, warmth and organic products. It is also associated with ambition. There is nothing even remotely calm associated with this color.

Yellow

Cheerful yellow the color of the sun, associated with laughter, happiness and good times. A person surrounded by yellow feels optimistic because the brain actually releases more serotonin when around this color. It is the color associated with optimism but be careful with yellow, when intense, it is the color of flames.

Green

The color of growth, nature and money. A calming color also that’s very pleasing to the senses. Dark forest green is associated with terms like conservative, masculine and wealth. Hospitals use light green rooms because they too are found to be calming to patients. It is also the color associated with envy, good luck, generosity and fertility. It is the traditional color to communicate peace, harmony, comfortable nurturing, support and well paced energy.

Blue

Blue is a soothing color. Seeing the color blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming, but that isn’t true of all shades of blue. Some shades can send a cold and uncaring message. Over the ages blue has become associated with steadfastness, dependability, wisdom and loyalty. People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused on the task at hand. Some studies are showing that weight lifters can lift more weight in a blue gym – in fact, nearly all sports are enhanced in blue surroundings.

Purple

Purple makes people think of royalty, wealth and prosperity. This color stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving. Use purple most carefully to lend an air of mystery, wisdom, and respect. Young adolescent girls are most likely to select nearly all shades of purple as their favorite color.

Brown

Brown brings a sense of reliability, stability and friendship. It too is associated with things being natural or organic. Caution however, for in India it is the color of mourning.