Colors
Color is the foundational building block of every design, and designers use colors to convey both message and mood. Even though there is a lot of room to experiment with color schemes in design systems, at the international level, designers should also make sure that color choices do not offend or confuse the customers. Below are some color choices and how they could be perceived differently.
Colors
Blue
In most cultures, blue is associated with positive concepts such as safety, trust, calmness, and spirituality. Blue also symbolizes mourning in Latin America. Blue is generally agreed upon as one of the safest colors to use for global audiences.Green
In Europe and North America, green is associated with progress, good luck, and health. In Asia, however, green is well known to be a symbol of infidelity in countries like China and Indonesia.Yellow
Yellow is a color that is regarded by most as a representation of positive things such as optimism and success. But in certain countries such as Egypt, people associate yellow with mourning.Orange
In Europe and Asia, orange is seen as a positive color associated with joy, harvest, bravery, and warmth. In the Middle East, orange is often seen as a symbol of mourning.Red
In East Asia, red is associated with good luck, prosperity, and happiness. In the Middle-east, red is associated with danger and warning.Black
Despite being viewed as an elegant and neutral color in countries of North America and Europe, black often is regarded as the color of death in many cultures.White
White is generally regarded as a clean color that stands for purity and simplicity. Sometimes, white is associated with humility and death. Overall, white is often used globally as well.Important Note
When deciding on color choices, designers can also research the importance of color symbolism in their target countries. In western countries, which tend to have more culturally heterogenous populations, color symbolism tends to matter less compared to countries where the populations are more culturally homogenous.