Intrevandis: Brain Salt for the Discriminating Hedonist. Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color - Smashing Magazine. Color in design is very subjective.
What evokes one reaction in one person may evoke a very different reaction in somone else. Sometimes this is due to personal preference, and other times due to cultural background. Contrast and Meaning. If you’re a designer, you work to communicate and convey meaning.
So it’s important that you understand the mechanisms by which things and ideas acquire meaning; more than any other factor, your grasp of these fundamentals determines your ability to communicate effectively. Without fundamentals, you will flounder when faced with complex design challenges or constraints. Today, as always, issues of style and popular convention occupy the attention of many, and may distract us from the essentials of our craft.