White and black are two non-colors that have been associated with life and death rituals in many cultures. People who describe themselves as seeing things in black and white have very definite ideas that will not be changed. Black is often associated with evil, darkness, night, despair, and conservatism, while white is associated with innocence, purity, cleanliness, perfection, and new beginnings. Gray is a neutral color that represents balance and neutrality.
In color psychology, black and white opposites are often chosen for essential identity questions. Black is used to convey certainty and authority, while white is used to represent innocence and purity. Gray has some negative connotations, especially when it comes to depression and loss. It's important to recognize that black and white should not compete but rather be completed when used in professional marketing.
In stories of good versus evil, black and dark always symbolize the villain. However, this practice is so common because black-on-white contrast is the most readable and practical color scheme. With the advent of photography, black and white has taken on an extraordinarily strong meaning. Black also represents intelligence (black horn-framed glasses), professionalism (suit and briefcase), mourning, mystery, and sophistication.
White can be used for font color, headings, graphics, and even products to attract a massive audience. Gray can help maintain a clean, neutral look throughout a brand. In art, Guernica is the manifesto of the horror of war, and its painter wanted to refer precisely to the reports of the newspapers of the time that were in black and white. Black bears are only found in North America where they are the smallest of the three North American species.
Black and white portraits allow the audience to see the subject's face without distractions. Many retailers in the fashion niche use black calls to action that contrast well against a white background. Black flowers are ideal for refreshing warm colors such as red or orange. Some brands choose to use black and white photos for banner images or lifestyle icons to create a certain tone or consistency on their website. Convert images to black and white when the light, shape or texture of the scene is more attractive than the tones of the subject. The great master of pop aesthetics produced hand-painted images of everyday items in black and white extrapolated mainly from Daily News advertisements.
The black lines in the white paper are clear and defined marks which have enormous communicative potential to convey information. In a world built on color and increasingly simplified, black and white embody the relevance of complexity and duality. With its power to evoke emotion through its stark contrast between light and dark, black and white will always remain an important part of our visual language.
