Storytelling with Color

Color

Try visualizing an static image of a group of friends having fun at the candy store. What colors do you see? Now, try to visualize the same image but knowing that something is about to happen. Now what colors do you see? Are they the same or did they change? Most likely they changed. This is why in visual storytelling, or telling a story using pictures such as in video and photography, using the right colors to tell the story evokes specific emotions. To make people feel sad, for example, many artists use a sad color palette, such as cool blues or dark oranges.

Now, let’s delve deeper into some of the colors used in visual storytelling.

Reds

Red is a powerful color. Use this color to convey emotions such as anger, power, lust, and romance. The exact kind of emotion it produces depends on its context. When you see red in an image of a couple embracing, then it most likely evokes romantic feelings. But when reds are used in connection with a fight, it evokes feelings of anger and power.