I'll be the first to admit that my handle on color is basic at best. In Words and Images last Fall, I created a booklet that featured an illustrated version of my head and Amy pointed out that by putting bright pink and neon green next to each other, I made my hair color turn from blonde to green. I had learned a little bit about color in my undergrad, but from that point on, I REALLY started paying attention to how colors interact and affect each other.
This is an interesting article in everyone's favorite Smashing Magazine about Color Theory. It really simplifies color, so y'all might check it out.
But according to that article, black is associated with evil, death, mystery, Halloween, and the occult. It's also the traditional color of mourning in many Western cultures. Black is commonly used in edgier designs and can convey a sense of mystery. So, it's no wonder that Horror novels choose this color most often.
I think its interesting how one color can have and convey so many different meanings.
On first glace, the cover of
Cutting for Stone seems pretty standard. But having read the book and looking at it with an eye for color, the cover is mostly green. While green can symbolize nature and growth, it can also symbolize lack of experience, which I think it does here. There are many take-aways from this book and I think the pop of red is supposed to be a warning color.
Sometimes I think color is just used to bring a cultural aspect to the design, like in
How to Be an American Housewife. I'm not sure that the green has any symbolism other than being a color that is often associated with harmony, nature, and Asian cultures. Also, pink and green complimentary colors that work well together from a purely design perspective.
In
My Abandonment, Caroline and her father are homeless and live in a large park in Portland, Oregon. The green color here simply represents the place were she lives and their reliance on nature.
Many people would probably disagree, but I think
The Giving Tree has dual meanings: selfishness and greed as well as love and support. So, green here is representative nature and renewal, but I also think of greed.
Great topic, Nathan!
