The colour YELLOW is stimulating and warm and is the Sun personified! As the Source of all life, the Sun is in relationship with everything, and Yellow is always best used in relationship to another colour unless a light shade of yellow is used.

Yellow and Red are used together for many fast food chain logos (as Yellow also increases appetite and respiration rate), and Wal-Mart uses Yellow very effectively to draw our attention to their yellow "Price Rollback" brand (remember the Yellow Smiley face or "Smirky"?).

A soft shade of Yellow has warm and nurturing energy and always "welcomes" us in. For decades women in many cultures have tied yellow ribbons in their hair or around trees as a symbol of welcome to soldiers returning "home" after war, and soft shades of Yellow can be found adorning walls and curtains in the kitchens of homes everywhere. What better place to feel nurtured and cared for than in the heart of the family home?

Conversely, scientific studies have proven that babies cry more and people are more inclined to get angry in a room that is painted bright Yellow.

As a highly visible colour from any distance, Yellow says, "pay attention, caution, look at me and remember" all at the same time. The intensity of the message is determined by the intensity of Yellow used. For example, caution signs, taxi cabs, emergency service vehicles and heavy construction equipment are usually painted in a strong yellow colour because they need to be seen.

Yellow generates muscle energy and stimulates mental activity. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that when we record and read something back from a pastel shade of Yellow paper, we have a better chance of remembering it! Is it any wonder that the Yellow Pages are yellow and the most purchased colour for post-its, legal pads and lined note paper is Yellow.

In a cautionary sense, yellow flags mark quarantine and danger zones, yellow hazard signs warn us of up an coming changes in road conditions and speed changes and yellow traffic lights caution us to slow down and prepare to stop. It is also the colour of alarmist (cautionary) or irresponsible reporting - hence the term Yellow Journalism.

As the colour of the Solar Plexus, Yellow is the wavelength governing our "will to power" and as such, Yellow personifies emotions. Just as Yellow symbolizes great courage in Heraldic shields and emblems, its negative aspect is associated with being cowardly . . .  Yellow Bellied or having a Yellow Streak.

  Opposite Color: Violet     Horoscope Sign: Leo