색이란 많은 사람들이 공통적인 감정을 가지고 사회적으로 일반화되면서 특정한 것을 의미하는 상징성을 갖는다. 색은 별도의 언어가 없어도 일반적으로 이해할 수 있는 감각언어이고, 사회규범으로써의 시각 언어이다. 특히 선호색은 교육환경, 주위 환경에서 오는 심리적 영향과 성격, 기질과 연관성을 가진다.
본 연구는 일반적인 선호색이 현대에 어떻게 변화되었고, 색채 이미지에 대한 언어적 표현이 실제 어떻게 쓰이고 있는지 알기 위해 색에 대해 가장 민감하게 인식하고, 다양성과 개성을 추구하는 것에 가장 발빠른 20대 대학생을 대상으로 KS산업규격에 따른 표준화된 155가지 색을 기본차트로 사용하여 샘플을 보여주고 설문 조사를 실시하였다. 그리하여 선호색 계열과 그에 따른 성격・성향별 분석을 하고, 선호 색채에 따라 연상되는 감성언어(형용사 이미지)를 분석하였다.
첫째, 20대의 성별에 따른 선호색의 구분이 존재하였다. 전체적으로 20대는 남・여 모두 파란색을 선호하였으며, 남자의 경우는 파랑과 검정을, 여자는 경우 파랑 다음으로 빨강과 분홍을 좋아한다고 응답하였다.
둘째, 20대의 성격유형별 선호색의 특징으로 주도형은 빨강을, 사교형은 파랑을, 안정형은 분홍을, 신중형은 파랑, 청록을 좋아한다고 분석되어 일반적으로 모든 사람이 공통적으로 인식되는 색채의 감성적 이미지와 DISC 성격 유형별로 분류되는 성향과의 일치성을 보였다.
셋째, 20대의 선호색과 선호톤의 경우 대다수가 생각하는 형용사 이미지가 비슷한 것으로 보아 일정한 패턴과 상관성이 존재하였다. 난색 중 '노랑'의 경우 귀여운 이미지를, 갈색과 어두운톤의 경우 '고상한'을, 초록과 하양의 경우 '맑은'을, 무채색 톤은 '모던한'이미지를 선택하여 색에 대해 느끼는 일반적인 감성 이미지는 크게 다르지 않았다.
자신을 표현하고 드러내는 것에 익숙한 20대들은 색 선호에 있어서 본인의 취향과 느낌을 가장 중요시하여 선택한다. 하지만 과거로부터 이어져 온 공통되는 색채의 연상적, 상징적 성질이 현대에도 반영되는 것으로 보아 주요 색채와 톤의 감성적 이미지는 크게 변하지 않고 있다.
본 연구를 통해 오늘날과 같은 다원화된 감성시대에 있어 빠르게 변화하는 20대의 선호색을 확인하여 20대를 위한 심리적 활동이나 색채를 통한 심리 요법, 또는 상품 이미지 전략을 위한 마케팅 활동 등에 이용되어 감성 색채 정보의 데이터 기반 구축에 도움이 될 수 있기를 기대한다.
As many people become socially generalized with common emotions, a color becomes symbolic of something specific. Even without separate language, a color is sensory language that can be understood in general and visual language as a social code. In particular, a preferred color is correlated with the education environment, the psychological effects of the surroundings, personality, and disposition. To determine how generally preferred colors have changed and how verbal expressions of color image were used in practice, a survey was conducted in college students in their twenties, who are most active in expressing themselves and are sensitive to fashion and to analyze the preferred color groups by personality and disposition and determine emotional language (adjective image) associated with the preferred color. First, in terms of the general characteristics of those in their twenties, preferred colors differed insignificantly by blood type but varied by gender. In general, both men and women in their twenties preferred blue; the former preferred blue and black and the latter preferred blue, followed by red and pink. Second, in terms of personality type, the dominance type preferred red, the influence type blue, the steadiness type pink, and the conscientiousness type blue and bluish green; thus, the emotional image of colors commonly perceived by all the people generally agreed with dispositions classified by the DISC personality type. Third, there were certain patterns and correlation in preferred colors and tones since the majority of them had similar adjective images. Yellow among the warm colors was associated with the cute image, blue and dark tones with noble one, green and white with clear one, and achromatic tones with modern one; thus, there were significant differences in emotional images of colors in general. Those in their twenties, who give the first priority to their own taste and feelings in preferring and selecting colors. However, there has been insignificant variation in emotional images of principal colors and tones, given that associative and symbolic properties of colors which have long been common are reflected these days. In this era of diversified emotions, this study is expected to be used in psychological activities, color-based psychotherapy, or marketing activities with product image strategies for those in their twenties, who are quick to respond, by identifying their preferred colors and to assist in building databases for information about emotional colors.
As many people become socially generalized with common emotions, a color becomes symbolic of something specific. Even without separate language, a color is sensory language that can be understood in general and visual language as a social code. In particular, a preferred color is correlated with the education environment, the psychological effects of the surroundings, personality, and disposition. To determine how generally preferred colors have changed and how verbal expressions of color image were used in practice, a survey was conducted in college students in their twenties, who are most active in expressing themselves and are sensitive to fashion and to analyze the preferred color groups by personality and disposition and determine emotional language (adjective image) associated with the preferred color. First, in terms of the general characteristics of those in their twenties, preferred colors differed insignificantly by blood type but varied by gender. In general, both men and women in their twenties preferred blue; the former preferred blue and black and the latter preferred blue, followed by red and pink. Second, in terms of personality type, the dominance type preferred red, the influence type blue, the steadiness type pink, and the conscientiousness type blue and bluish green; thus, the emotional image of colors commonly perceived by all the people generally agreed with dispositions classified by the DISC personality type. Third, there were certain patterns and correlation in preferred colors and tones since the majority of them had similar adjective images. Yellow among the warm colors was associated with the cute image, blue and dark tones with noble one, green and white with clear one, and achromatic tones with modern one; thus, there were significant differences in emotional images of colors in general. Those in their twenties, who give the first priority to their own taste and feelings in preferring and selecting colors. However, there has been insignificant variation in emotional images of principal colors and tones, given that associative and symbolic properties of colors which have long been common are reflected these days. In this era of diversified emotions, this study is expected to be used in psychological activities, color-based psychotherapy, or marketing activities with product image strategies for those in their twenties, who are quick to respond, by identifying their preferred colors and to assist in building databases for information about emotional colors.
