Week 7: Neurosci + Art

Week 7: Neurosci + Art

20 May 2018

How Colors Influence Advertisement

This week we discussed the ideas of neuroscience in relation to art. Most importantly the idea of consciousness and the mind, and if the mind could ever truly be replicated. I think its interesting how artistic colors are often used to influence the way the mind thinks and feels to different advertisements and companies. Advertisers will often use color as a means to “change our mood - the mood of potential customers” (Gadsden 2014). Different brands will influence certain moods in their customers to sell certain products. For example, a lot of medical brands will use blues in their advertisements to induce feelings of health, honesty, and sincerity, while a motorcycle company might use a red color to influence the mood towards daring and recklessness in order to sell more of their product (Ciotti 2018). 

This Blue Color Scheme Promotes Health and Sincerity

Freudian Ideas Manifested

The subconscious influence from colors really relates to the ideas that Professor Vesna brings up during her lecture. As she mentions, the scientific study of the brain is very new. I think the way colors influence us really relates to the unconscious mind, and can relate back to the ideas of Freud and his thoughts on how unacknowledged perceptions and other thoughts and habits can be manifested in dreams in a symbolical form. Although this mood influence may not quite fit what Freud was referencing, I think it was the starting point to understanding how our unconscious can influence certain decisions or choices we make when it comes to the products we use. The more we study phenomena like this and come to understand it, the better we will unlock the secrets of the mind and how consciousness determines who we are as people and how we relate to the universe and religion on a grander scale.  

References

Bateson, Gregory. “MIND AND NATURE.” Oikos, www.oikos.org/mind&nature.htm.

Ciotti, Gregory. “The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding.” 75 Customer Service Stats and Facts You Can't Afford to Ignore, 1 Mar. 2018, www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/.

Gadsden, David. “The Impact of Colour in Advertising, Marketing, and Design - Maistro PLC.” Maistro, 21 Feb. 2018, www.maistro.com/blogs/impact-colour-advertising-marketing-design/.

McLeod, Saul. “Saul McLeod.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970, www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html.

Penrose, Roger. “The Third Culture - Chapter 14.” HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? | Edge.org, 1995, www.edge.org/documents/ThirdCulture/v-Ch.14.html.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt2.Mov.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=61&v=TFv4owX3MZo.