• Red — Red is the color of danger and passion, as well as excitement. It’s a very strong color and can elicit strong reactions in people. Lightening it to pink makes it more feminine and romantic while darkening the hue to maroon makes it more subdued and traditional.
• Orange — Orange is a very creative color that’s also associated with adventure and youth. It’s very energetic, too. Because of orange’s strong ties to 70s style, it can also evoke a retro feeling.
• Yellow — Yellow is happy, optimistic, and cheerful. It’s popular in designs for children and adults alike. More pastel hues are often used as a gender-neutral baby color, while brighter yellows are popular in creative designs. Darker shades of yellow become gold, which is associated with wealth and success.
• Green — Green has varied associations. On one hand, it provokes feelings of wealth and tradition (particularly darker hues), while on the other it’s strongly associated with environmentalism and nature. Lime greens are often associated with renewal and growth.
• Blue — Blue is most often associated with loyalty and trust. Brighter blues can be affiliated with communication, while duller and darker blues can be associated with sadness and depression. Blue is the most universally liked color in the world, which may explain why so many companies opt for blue shades for their branding.
• Purple — Purple is another hue with varied meanings. It’s long been associated with royalty and wealth (since purple dye was rare in many ancient civilizations, it was reserved for royalty). But it’s also associated with mystery and spirituality. Purple can also evoke creativity.
• Black — Black implies sophistication and luxury. It can also be tied to sorrow and negativity, however. Depending on the other UX colors being used alongside black, it can feel modern or traditional, formal or casual.
• White — White is tied to purity, innocence, and positivity. White is also very popular in minimalist designs, due to its neutrality and simplicity. Like black, white easily takes on the characteristics of other colors it’s used with.
• Gray — Gray has varied meanings, depending on context. It can be conservative and sophisticated or dingy and dull. It can be emotionless or moody. It can also be associated with sorrow and sadness.
• Brown — Brown (which is actually a dark shade of orange) is associated with being down to earth and grounded. It’s also associated with nature and even coziness. And, of course, it can be affiliated with being dirty or dingy.