🟡 YELLOW, it’s me

“A yellow room gives you perpetual sunshine.” - Steve Hovland, Artist

Aug 16, 2023

Hi Cringers,

Did anyone else play that game as a kid where you would hold a buttercup flower under a friend’s face and if it reflected yellow on their chin it would mean they liked butter? Or just me?

Anyway, that’s what I think of when I think of yellow. It’s bright, happy, and playful. And don’t we all need some of that these days?

Rubber ducks, taxis, my husband’s hair, Van Gogh’s sunflowers, yolks, butter, buttered popcorn—be right back :crunch: munch: —what was I saying? Oh yeah, yellow.

Yellow may be the color of sunshine and smiley faces, but like every color it comes with baggage.

Follow me down the Yellow Brick Road to discover the history, psychology, and cultural significance of yellow.

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Image of a horse from the Lascaux caves made over 17,000 years ago by the Cro-Magnon peoples at a stop in their hunting route

Ochre, made from clay and iron oxide, was an early ingredient for yellow paint and can be traced back 75,000 years ago to the Blombos Cave in South Africa.1

Many ancient cultures worshiped the sun and used yellow ochre to depict solar dieties.2

The Ancient Egyptians used yellow ochre to depict the JLo glow of their gods, who they believed had gold skin and bones.3

In Imperial China, royal palaces were marked by yellow roofs. Only the emperor was allowed to wear bright yellow and when distinguished guests arrived, instead of rolling out the red carpet, they rolled out a yellow one.4

According to my friend Amit Phaujdar (Hi, Amit!), who is based in India, “Yellow stands for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom and is the color donned during the Hindu festival Vasant Panchami.”

It is also the color of the fourth day of the 9-day Hindu festival, Navratri, which celebrates the Divine Feminine Kushmanda, or “little cosmic egg,” who dwells in the land of the sun and gives energy to all beings.56

Yellow and the Outsiders

Renaissance and medieval artists used “Indian yellow” to denote outsiders. Judas was often depicted wearing yellow as a symbol of deceit.7

Sex workers in 19th century Russia were required to use “yellow tickets” as a form of identification.8

Around the same time in the U.S., sensationalized and biased reporting was known as “yellow journalism.”9

Yellow has also been associated with mental illness. In Central Europe, the outer walls of sanitariums were yellow. If someone told you you were “going to the yellow house” in 1800s St. Petersburg, Russia it meant your were being committed.10

In the classic short story The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator becomes obsessed with, you guessed it, yellow wallpaper while struggling with postpartum depression:

“It is the strangest yellow, that wallpaper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw - not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things.”11

Artists, including Van Gogh, used yellow to symbolize a movement against repressed Victorian values.12

Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (Arles, August 1888)

Yellow in Pop Culture

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road in search of the all-knowing wizard only to realize she had everything she was looking for all along.13

This inspired Elton John’s song “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” about “giving up a life of excess and opulence for one of quiet and simplicity in a rural setting.”

Enter the Beatles in 1966 and their debut of the Yellow Submarine, which Time magazine interpreted as a “symbol of the psychedelic set’s desire for escape.”14

Around the same time, the iconic yellow smiley face started popping up in American media and came to be associated with the music and club scene.

In The Secret Lives of Color, author Kassia St. Clair writes, “Soon the acid yellow of the smiley seeped out to become the signature color of the dance-happy youth, euphoric one moment, insidious, chemical, and rebellious the next.”

The legacy of the smiley lived on, from the grunge ‘90s as the logo for Nirvana to modern day where it has become a fixture in our slack channels and text threads.

No wonder yellow has been called the color of the Gen-Z generation.15

The Psychology of Yellow

Yellow tends to cause strong reactions. Some people are even afraid of it (Xanthophobia). 16

Too much can cause eye strain.17

One researcher claimed that yellow makes babies cry and couples fight.18 And another researcher claimed that that researcher was making stuff up because he didn’t like the color yellow.19 One thing’s for sure: It’s controversial. People either love it or hate it.

Some connect it with sunshine, vitality, optimism, and warmth. Others see it as confrontational and aggressive.20 Who remembers the Kill Bill Vol. 1 poster with Uma Thurman dressed head-to-toe in a yellow jumpsuit, holding a sword against an all-yellow background?

Yellow can captures attention and stimulates hunger, which may be why it’s a favorite branded color for fast food joints including McDonald’s, Subway, and In-N-Out.21

Personal Branding with Yellow

Yellow pops and is a great option for people looking for something eye-catching and energizing.

When thinking about what colors to incorporate into your branding, it’s important to think about your audience.

Luxury brands tend to favor golden, luxurious tones, while more accessible, youthful brands opt for brighter, more vibrant shades. It all depends on who you are, where you are, and what you want to communicate.

If you’re still not sure if yellow is right for you, read the following quotes and see if anything resonates:

“Yellow is not an in-between color, you’re either all in or you’re not.” – Mobolaji Dawodu
“I just go with the flow, I follow the yellow brick road. I don’t know where it’s going to lead me, but I follow it.” – Grace Jones
“Well, my favorite color I guess I would say yellow.” – Fran Drescher

Until next time, Cringers. I’m feeling squeezed like a lemon, so I’m going to take a summer break. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks! Hope you all enjoy these final days of August.