Color and Inspiration with… Yellow

This post is a recurring theme around specific colors and how they inspire the visual landscapes online, in print, on the screen and practically any place you can imagine. In the past 2 posts I explored Blue and Pink.

Now put on your favorite Beatles album (or maybe you are a Coldplay fan) and let’s dive into Yellow! Yellow is always associated with that ubiquitous smiley face which first appeared in 1963 and has never left, whether it is dazed and confused or just happy- it is always yellow.

Plain and simple yellow is joyful, young and happy. When paired with muted dark colors it gives that spark of energy, the lighting in the storm or in the context of a traffic light it reads caution. Let’s explore…

Color Palettes / Patterns
With social and community sites you can see amazing color combinations and get original patterns for your designs.

Visual Artists

Fredrik Akum

I really love the washy, painterly feel of these paintings by Swedish artists Fredrik Akum. Yellow seems to infuse these pieces with a spark of revolt. I can’t tell if the yellow is a corrosive battery acid eating away at the material or a trace of joy running through a summer field of flowers?

Friends With You

Friends With You are on a mission to spread the idea of Magic, Luck, and Friendship™ around the world, and become Friends-With-You! Their use of yellow is no accident.

David Hockney

British artists David Hockney’s paintings from the 70′s and 80′s all seem to incorporate the primary colors, especially yellows.

James Jean

Visual heavyweight James Jean continues to push his work in ridiculously inspiring directions. His subtle use of yellow in this latest series using graphite and digital mediums is so powerful.

Madame Peripetie

German photographer Madame Peripetie creates some stunning and erie photographs with a strong use of color. C’est fantastique!

Tomokazu Matsuyama

Stanley Donwood

Radioheads go to graphic artist Stanley Donwood has created another captivating cover piece for Radioheads new album.

Website’s

Glee

Yeah it looks like a Sprite ad but with a color combo like yellow and green you can’t help but feel the effervescence and sing-a-long with each episode.

Versions 1.1

Hunters Wines

Yellow is one of those colors that can evoke both a feeling of warmth and friendship and also caution and concern. However it is paired it catches the eye and sparks any visual with energy. Yellow is life- the star that gives life to everything on this planet is usually always depicted that way. I always think of Brian Reagan’s “The big yellow one is the sun…”. What is yellow to you?