The Colour Green

Contents AboutThe colour green is between blue and yellow on the visible spectrum. It can be created by mixing colour blue and yellow together (for paintings) or yellow and cyan (for computers). It is the most well-known colour in the world.

The word for green comes from the Middle English word grene, which comes from same Germanic root as words “grass” and “grow’. It is also related to the Old English verb growan “to grow”.

Green is known to be a symbol of growth, life, and health. But it can have negative associations such as envy, sickness and death. In this book, the colour will be detailed from it’s early historical beginnings to it’s everyday use in modern day society.

Visible spectrum

Green grass

A tree being grown as a sign of hope for people for mental illness and suicide victims. Green is being used as something positive to highlight a negative issue.

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About _________________________________________________________1

History _________________________________________________________2

Symbolism______________________________________________________3-6

Ireland__________________________________________________________7

Shades of Green______________________________________________8-13

HistoryAncient

Middle Ages

Modern (20th/21st Century)

Green was the symbol of rebirth in Ancient Egypt. They used a groundedgemstone called malachite for paintings. They used green in their ceremics, and dyed their fabrics green by combing yellow saffron dye, and a indigo dye extracted from a woad plant.

Green was not a major colour in Ancient Greece. It was sometimes considered to be the same as the colour blue, and the pigment was difficult to reproduce. You would rarely see green in Greek art.

In Roman history, a green earth pigment was used on many Roman city wall paint-ings. They respected the colour green as it was associated with Venus, goddess of love and fertility.

During this time, green was seen as a symbol of growth, hope and change. This was due to the rise in court orchards, which were considered fresh and filled with evergrowing life.

It represented a person’s social status at the time, so bankers andmerchants always wore green. Dyes were made from nettles, leek juice, fern, buckthorn berries, but the colour would quickly fade. But a longer lasting green dye was finally made in the 16th century. Green paint was used as a undercoat in early Renaissauce paintings, and can sometimes be noticed in faded portraits.

Since the 1980’s, green has become associated with political issues (like becom-ing he symbolic colour of Ireland), and represents organisations involved with environmental issues, like Green Peace.

SymbolismGreen is associated with balance, life and harmony. It is the symbol of wealth, growth, fertility and safetly. Green has a universal positive influence, and can still have some negative associations at the same time.

Positive Negative-Rebirth -Spring -Nature -Healing

-Envy -Greed-Poison -Selfish

-Life-Harmony-Balance-Earth

-Death-Sickness-Evil-Rotten

Green: NatureThe reason why green is known to be relaxing comes from nature itself. It is comforting to be surrounded by constant growing life. Trees, bushes, grass, weeds and many different plants can be found in a forest

It is healthy to take a walk through a forest due to the peace, fresh air (Important as trees are known to remove carbon dioxide in the air and produce oxygen) and natural beauty.But there have been concerns about climate change and lack of respect for recycling and protecting our plants. Enviromental organizations like EPA and Green Peace used green shades in their brand identity to symbolise their goal in protecting the planet.

It has a major use in fashion, especially related to St. Patrick’s Day. It also has modern day use in art, fashion, architecture and lighting.

Nothing but nature (Redmond Park, Co. Wexford)

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Green: PackagingWhen selling a product, colour can be a huge factor in the product’s marketing. Green can be described as being energetic, young, and environmentally-friendly.

This Dove body wash is made with cucumber and green tea. Both ingrediants are natural, healthy food products. The packaging is white, while the font and design are green. The photo is a tea leave and a cucumber slice splashing into water.To the consumer, this product indicates something clean, energising, cooling and stress-free.

DKNY Be Delicious is a fragrance for women. The bottle design mimicks a green apple. The silver spray top is silver with a Be Delicious sticker. The bottom half is transparent, and you can see that the perfume liquid is a very bright green colour.

Green apples have a sweet, clean look and smell. This green shade is very eye-catching and appealing. The overall design and colour has been a smart marketing move in advertising a youthful product with a green colour shade that looks fresh and similiar to green apples, a symbol of health and life.

Dove Body Wash

Photo of tea leave, water and cucumber.

Green heading font and design.

DKNY Be Delicious. Note the apple design of the bottle.

Silver spray top with “apple” sticker.

Transparent bottom showing the bright green colour of the perfume.

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The mint shade (or any light green-blue shade) has been a popular choice of colour for marketing products related to the mint herb. Products like chewing gum, mints, and tootthpaste are a few examples.

For example, the Polo Spearmint packaging has a dark blue and green-bluewrapper. The green-blue shade is very similiar to mint and turquoise, known for their light fresh appeal.

Spearmint is known for it’s minty sweet, light flavour. The mint/turquoise colour is a perfect choice for the packaging because the consumer can tell the difference between spearmint and peppermint (a stronger mint flavour with a regular green or blue colour, depending on product (ex. Extra Peppermint: Blue, Trebor Strong Mints: Green.)

On the Irish Tricolour, green represents the old Gaelic tradition.

IrelandFor Ireland, the colour green is the most well known symbol worldwide. It is one of Ireland’s national colours. The Irish word for green is “glas.”

On Irish holiday’s like St. Patrick’s Day, it is a tradtion to wear all-green clothing. Some people would wear shamrock earrings. glasses, and leprechaun hats. Shamrock green is the main shade to wear on Paddy’s Day.

Ireland is nicknamed the Emerald Isle for the natural, green look of the mountains and landscapes. The words first appeared in the poem “When Erin First Rose” by poet William Drennan.

Mint/turquoise colour

Dark blue and blue-green colours

Polo Spearmint

Shamrock SymbolSt. Patrick’s Day Colour Theme (Shamrock green)

BlackStairs Mountains, Co. Carlow

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Irish tricolour

Shades of GreenApple green

Mint

Army green

This shade is named after the skin of a green apple. It is a bright green with a yellow tint. A fresh shade that has been used in home decor.

Mint is a shade that of very pale green with a tint of blue. It has been used in pacging for mint flavoured products. It has a fresh, light appeal to it.

This colour is a mixture of dark brown and green. This shade has been used in military clothing since WW2.

Emerald

Bottle green

Dark greenA dark shade of green. It would be associated with the military, ambition and finance.

A light green with a light blue tint. It is named after the emerald gemstone. It has been used to represent Ireland by nicknaming the island “The Emerald Isle”.

Dark shade of green that represents green glass (ex. wine bottles). Very similiar to sea-green.

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Shamrock Green

Moss Green

Olive

A symbol of the plant shamrock. It is a tradition to wear this shade on St. Patrick’s Day.

Moss green is a shade that was named because of how similiar the colour is to the moss that grows in forests. It is a darkish green with a tint of yellow

A yellow-green shade, named after the olive food.

Tea green

Forest green

Bright greenA bright shade of green. It has been used in environ-mental movements.

A very light shade of green that has been associated with green tea, due to it’s bland light appearance.

A colour that is associated with forests and nature. It has been used in military and environmentalism.

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Turquoise

Jungle green

LimeA shade of green named after the lime fruit. There are different versions of lime colour, such as Lemon-Lime, Electric Lime and Volyt.

A shade named after the gemstone. It ‘s bluish-green colour is thought to be calming and healing.

A rich shade of green. It represents the colour of a jungle. An official Crayola colour.

Pistachio green

Green-yellow

Avocado greenNamed after the outer skin of a avocado. A dark green-yellow shade

Named after the pistachio nut. It has a bland tone to it. It would be well-known colour in pistachio ice-cream.

Mixture of green and yellow. It is an official Crayola colour.

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Copyright @ 2016 by Aine Doyle