SHADES OF WHITE

Lexi McPike

Danielle Wightman

UNIVERSAL

! White is color at its most complete & pure •  White light encompasses all other colors

! Color of new beginnings •  "Blank

canvas"

UNIVERSAL CONT.

! Offers a sense of peace, calm,

comfort •  Helps alleviate emotional

upsets

! Too much white can be cold,

isolating and empty •  Perceived as too clinical and

sterile

! Marks something ‘good’ •  In contrast with black

•  Dark vs. light; heaven vs. hell

•  Associated with Christianity

•  Good guys wear white; bad guys wear black

•  White witch/magic vs. black magic

•  Dark Ages vs. Age of Enlightenment

WESTERN CULTURE

!  In heraldic symbols, white

represents the metal silver •  Symbolizes brightness and

virtue

!  Few negative connotations

EASTERN CULTURE

! White reflects that which is sacred •  Association of white with peace is

used by many religions

! Represents ghosts – intangible

!  Symbolizes balance when contrasted

with white •  Yin yang

! Associated with metal

WHOLESOMENESS

! White is considered the most wholesome color of all the colors •  Encompasses all other colors in light •  Represents a clean slate; untarnished •  White fabric stains easily •  The beginning of everything, before anything is muddied or thinking

is 'colored'

! Although this idea is universal, interpretations and applications of

it vary among different cultures

PURITY

! Western cultures perceive the wholesomeness of white as pure •  Represents innocence, being untarnished •  Wedding gowns are white to symbolize the

purity and innocence of the bride •  In Christianity, women are meant to

save themselves for marriage •  Also the reason for the veil •  White rose’s popularity

•  Queen Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen •  Often wore white gowns

•  Baptismal gowns for babies are white •  Symbolizes their purification; start of their life

COMPLETION

•  White is worn/used during mourning •  Death is the completion of your physical life; the

"new beginning" of your afterlife •  Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian cultures

•  Also often worn during weddings •  Symbolizes the death of bride & groom's old lives •  Represents the beginning of their new life together •  NOT because of purity!

! Eastern cultures perceive the wholesomeness of white as

symbolizing completion and new beginnings

REFERENCES

!  Judy. "The Color White." The Color White. N.p., 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-white.html>.

!  Zahorsky, Darrell. "What Color Is Your Business?" Small Business Information.

About.com, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/

advertising/a/colors.htm>.

!  "Symbolism of Color: Using Color for Meaning." The Incredible Art

Department. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.!!! !<http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/

middle/color2.htm>.

!  "White." Symbolism Wiki. Wikia, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://

symbolism.wikia.com/wiki/White>.