Welcome to installment #3 of “What This Says About You.” Today we are going to look at the color of the ink you choose, its association with stuff, and what it says about you. In case you missed the first two installments I’m including them here:
Maybe you don’t give your selection of ink color a second thought, or maybe you select the color of your ink to match emotions, or maybe to match the pen, or maybe to suit the writing material.
In the broadest of terms, colors are grouped as either warm (red, orange, yellow) or cool (blue, green, violet). Warm colors evoke energy and excitement while cool colors are calming – guess that is why I prefer cool colors.
Personality Studies (so they claim)
Blue ink: people choosing blue ink, including the palest sky blue right to deepest dark midnight blues, are seen as having an outgoing personality, are friendly in nature with a warm and welcoming temperament. Are someone who conforms but still has a personality of their own.
Black ink: people choosing black ink are in charge of their life, the captain of their destiny, considered dominant and a force to be reckoned with. Possibly conservative and maybe a little uptight, rarely showing emotions, and thinking with their head rather than their heart.
Red ink: people choosing red ink are emotional, passionate, and love being the center of attention, everyone knows exactly how you feel. Emotions and their heart are worn on your sleeve! Someone who is creative and artsy and loves to experiment and try new things.
Typical usage of ink by color
Black is the ink choice of business. Projects professionalism, is often a requirement when signing legal documents and completing forms. Copiers and OCR equipment are better at picking up black ink.
Blue is the typical day-to-day ink. Blue ink is a pleasing and clear contrast to the black print on forms.
Red ink is used often used to correct or identify errors, and provide warnings! The use and impact of red ink is a blog post unto itself.
Green ink, back in the day was used for stocktaking and my preferred ink color.
Purple ink is often associated with poetic writing and literature. Historically, purple-colored ink was used to indicate power and sacred knowledge (royalty and religious orders).
The Skinny on Colors
- GREY/WHITE: balance, neutral, clean, purity, innocence, perfection, timeless
- PINK: romance, feminine, creative, sweet, cute, fun, sensual
- RED: provocative, energy, urgency, excitement, passionate, powerful
- ORANGE: youthful, creative, aggressive, action, fun, playful, lively, exuberant
- YELLOW: optimistic, youthful, cheerful, happiness, friendliness
- GREEN: plentiful, healthy, fresh, balance, relaxation, youth, growth, sustainable
- BLUE: trust, honesty, security, intelligence, confidence, calm, stability, integrity
- PURPLE: royalty, regal, soothing, imagination, wisdom, creative, calm, spiritual
- BROWN: stability, simplicity, dependable, rugged, outdoor, natural, sustainable
- BLACK: elegant, classic, powerful, luxury, dramatic, sophisticated, edgy, sleek
Just For Fun
- Personality trait correlates of color preference in schizophrenia. This was a surprise.
- Connection Between Eye Colour And Personality. BTW, I have green eyes.
- The Trichromatic Theory of Color Vision, spoiler alert we only see three colors.
- Luxury Pen Advice – What does the color of your ink say about you
- The Fridge Agency – What color psychology says about your brand
Chronicles of a Fountain Pen 