Why the Color Green is Awesome, the Crème de la Grène
BY PHOEBE ABADI AND AVNI MISHRA '23
Fresh avocados, glittering emeralds, expansive fields of grass, and leaping grasshoppers. The color green is everywhere: in our food, outside our windows, on our televisions, and on our clothes. Despite its glorious ubiquity, there are many haters of this secondary color. This hate has made some green lovers quite blue (and maybe a little yellow too). Green has proven itself worthy in so many ways, so why do people still hate it? And why are they utterly wrong?
“Some shades of green are ugly” First of all, rude. “Ugliness” is subjective; besides, this is not a quality exclusive to green. There are shades of every other color that are considered unappealing. The “world’s ugliest color,” Pantone 448C, is a muddied brown used on cigarette packaging and is a shade of yellow-orange. “It generally clashes with other colors” Looking at nature, this may be true. Most wildflowers naturally have bright, warm color pigments—yellows, reds, and pinks—to attract animals. Blue and purple, the cooler tones that blend in with green better, are less common. But this doesn't have to be a negative thing. Spotify uses this to contrast warm backgrounds with the cool green action button (also a great way to direct people’s eyes straight to the “Free Trial” button). Green doesn’t clash: it elevates the colors around it. “It is associated with negative things like greed, envy and jealousy” As is with basically every color. Red is linked with anger and destruction. Blue is sadness and unfriendliness. Purple is vanity. Even yellow can indicate frustration and fatigue. Green is associated with much more than just those negatives. Green is nature: life, relaxation, growth. Green is money: prosperity, assurance, stability. Green is accuracy: good grades at school or a green checkmark after completing a task. “It is dull compared to other colors” False. Green is actually perceived as brighter and “everywhere” because the human eye has evolved to see objects centered around green. There’s a reason it’s in the middle of the visible light spectrum: our eyes are attracted to it. All in all, the hate the color green receives is totally unwarranted. It is widely overlooked and underappreciated with what it represents and with its design advantages. Perhaps all the anti-green crusaders should go outside and touch some (green) grass. |