Ultimate Light:
White is purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Like black, white goes well with almost any color.
Shades of White: These words are synonymous with or represent various shades of the color white.
Snow, pearl, antique white, ivory, chalk, milk white, lily, smoke, seashell, old lace, cream, linen, ghost white, beige, cornsilk, alabaster, paper, whitewash.
Nature:
To the human eye, white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches for some. Too much bright white can be blinding.
Culture:
In most Western countries white is the color for brides. In the East, it's the color for mourning and funerals. White is often associated with hospitals, especially doctors, nurses, and dentists. Some cultures viewed white as the color of royalty or of dieties. Angels are typically depicted as wearing white. In early Westerns the good guy wore white while the bad guy wore black.
Using White:
In most cases white is seen as a neutral background color and other colors, even when used in smaller proportion, are the colors that convey the most meaning in a design. Use white to signify cleanliness or purity or softness. Some neutral beige, ivory, and creams carry the same attributes as white but are more subdued, less brilliant than plain white. Use lots of white for a summery look. Use small amounts of white to soften a wintery palette or suggest snow.
With Other Colors:
Used with light or pastel tones, white is soft and Spring-like and helps to make the pastel palette more lively. White can make dark or light reds, blues, and greens look brighter, more prominent. Red, white, and blue makes a patriotic palette.
Color Palettes:
These color palettes feature black and white with other colors.
In Other Design Fields:
Language:
Familiar phrases can help a designer see how their color of choice might be perceived by others, both the positive and negative aspects.
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Good white
- White as the driven snow - pure, clean, innocent
- White elephant - rare, valuable but perhaps unwanted
- White knight - someone who comes to another person's rescue, someone perceived as being good, noble
- White list - list of good or acceptable items
- White sale - sale of sheets, towels, other linens
- Pearly white - teeth, especially very white teeth
- Whitewash - cover up, conceal
- Whiteout - zero visibility
- White flag - surrender
- White lightning - moonshine, illegal whiskey
- White elephant - rare, valuable but perhaps unwanted
- White knuckle - something that is fast, exciting, or frightening
What's Your Favorite Color?
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