Do you ever think about mood when you are designing?

 

Mood has impact in two ways – the mood of the project itself and the mood of users. Together they create an experience that connects each user to the project.

 

While you can’t always account for the mood of users, or their good and bad days, you can create an aesthetic that emphasizes the right mood for your project. Three basic design techniques – color, typography and space – are key components for establishing the mood of a project.

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Moods are an extension of emotions. This less defined sort of feeling often falls into the category of good or bad and last for longer periods of time than a specific emotion. Moods can change based on events, environmental factors or even by viewing something, but mood is primarily a feeling that just happens and is less intense than a specific emotion. It can impact how a person thinks about everything he or she comes in contact with.

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What makes mood especially interesting and important for designers is that researchhas shown mood influences advertising and brand attitudes. One common finding is that almost everyone surveyed, regardless of gender or expressed mood, preferred to view information that’s presented in a happy way.

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When you think about mood, two extremes come to mind – good and bad (or positive and negative). These moods often emerge from emotional influences such as anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness and surprise. Mood can also happen for a group or crowd, resulting in a common mood that creates a shared emotional experience.

So how does all of this impact design? Mood establishes how users will connect to a project. Will they view it in a positive or negative way? How will they process they information presented? Does the mood of the project establish a connection with the mood of users in a way that creates a commonality or group feeling?

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Color associations in terms of mood require a lot of context. How the color is used – a dominant color versus accent – and other colors in proximity to it can have great impact.

 

Design techniques such as tint, tone, saturation and contrast make a lot of difference as well. The warmness or coolness of colors are also directly associated with mood.

• Warm colors are soothing and creative but can feel chaotic or stressful (red, yellow, orange)

• Cool colors are inviting and professional but can feel unfriendly or stark (blue, green, purple)

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Positive color associations

• Red: Love, urgency, youth

• Orange: Energy, ambition, enthusiasm

• Yellow: Cheer, joy, energy

• Green: Growth, nature, luck

• Blue: Peace, trust, security

• Purple: Wisdom, respect, wealth

Negative color associations

• Red: Warning, war, annoyance

• Orange: Anxiety, aggressiveness, nervousness

• Yellow: Insecurity, distraction, panic

• Green: Envy, apprehension, uncertain

• Blue: Grief, remorse, dispassion

• Purple: Boredom, loathing, disgust

 

Adding black any color give it a more negative association, while adding white creates a more positive feel. This applies both to the actual color mix of each hue and surrounding colors and contrast.

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