Yellow Breaks its Silence with Apple
Oh Apple. Why dost thou hate me so? I am the very cheery color of the sun and a myriad of flowers around the globe. I am in almost every fast food logo, and I am many people’s favorite color. I could go on and on, but I am a color that should need no introduction. I am in fact a primary color. If you think about it, there are only two colors that are equal to me.
I can try to understand why you have picked blue for your product colors more often than any other (nine in my very rough estimate), but can’t you let me shine every once in a while? Why did you not use me when the rest of the rainbow was represented in your original iMac line? Not since you stripped the color from your original logo have I been able to show my stuff.
Shall I move on to Red? Such an angry color if you ask me. And you seem to reserve this loaded color for special moments. Why can’t you use me to symbolize a super rock band or a great social cause? How ’bout a Beatles iPod now that you are on good terms with those Apple folks in England? Maybe a “support your troops” Nano?
I would like to bring to your attention to a secondary color that has been nearly as neglected as I. Purple is my close complement and we have formed an exploratory commission into the facts behind the conspiracy against our unique color combination. Why not use us together? It seems to work for the Lakers.
You have used Orange a good deal and most recently with the newly released colorful Shuffles. I suggest you just go with the pure color by taking out a little red. Orange is just a tainted version of yours truly. Your logo is an apple not an orange. Think about it.
Let’s move on to pink. What is there to say about pink? First off, pink isn’t even one of the original colors in your logo. I was! Secondly, why use such a one-sided color? Why exclude the loyal male consumer with watered down red? Women like yellow and the boys don’t have nearly as negative of a reaction to me as they do Pink.
I won’t even get into your most favorite color choice. No color at all??? Black? White? Silver? Give the people some color. Come on Mr. Jobs, even your jeans are blue (how ’bout getting a colorful shirt next time).
And I will finish my petition with a look at green. You seem to prefer green almost as much as you do blue. Every major color product has had some version of green. Didn’t you learn from the ’70s that green does not age well? Isn’t Apple going for timeless? I will continue to do my job to turn a blue into green, but I will not do so happily. With everyone jumping on the environmental green wagon, I suggest you distance yourself from a color that is being so overused that the backlash is just around the corner.
So please Apple do not neglect me anymore. And don’t try to tell me that I was used in the first line of iPod Minis. I may be a part of Gold, but I am not gold. If Gold can make it onto a Mini and those strange patterns on an iMac, why can’t you give me a chance? Give me a chance!!! I will be the brightest star in your next product lineup. Mr. Ive and Mr. Jobs, I will leave you a few visual suggestions.
Sincerely,
Yellow
Bennett received an email from a slightly depressed and fairly angry yellow several days ago, and is pleased to be able to share the innermost thoughts of Yellow. Yellow would appreciate its privacy in this time of crisis. Please contact designer [at] benettholzworth [dot] com if you would like to communicate with Yellow.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
That’s funny, but yellow isn’t a primary color unless you’re talking about 4-color off-set printing.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Simanek, You have been working in web too long. In color theory (not science class), I am indeed a primary color. Remember art school?
February 7th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Your mock-ups only prove Apple has been right in avoiding that color. I think the only ones who would appreciate that color is possibly DHL marketing folks.
February 8th, 2007 at 12:14 am
Dear Vonster, You and I can see this (except for maybe the Nano), but please don’t tell Yellow. Yellow is a sensitive one.
February 8th, 2007 at 6:18 am
I agree they’re right to avoid yellow. It doesn’t seem to get along with White for one thing, and she’s rather stuck to her throne at Apple.
But why no Purple? Too close to Pink?
February 8th, 2007 at 6:28 am
Looks like pee.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:06 am
They look like…
iPost-it’s.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:49 am
I think Apple is too yellow to use yellow.
February 8th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Bob, since when does yellow not go with white? It’s an awesome combination, and I think that digital comp of the yellow iPod shuffle up there looks great. Although, that yellow can be pushed a bit warmer a couple of shades.
February 8th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Well, I think they’re too close to each other. Although I agree with you that the Photoshop job on the iPod Shuffle exaggerates the problem, that “Beatles” iPod will likely not be much better in real life.
There’s just not enough contrast, imho (it won’t make Steve go “Boom”, so to speak
. Pushing it warmer a shade or two would indeed make it better, but then you’ll soon be getting very close to the orange…
February 9th, 2007 at 6:51 am
you know why people buy yellow sports cars?
because they can’t afford red.
sorry, but i want no yellow in my ipod.
February 9th, 2007 at 8:22 am
My college color theory instructor (who has his own book, mind you) once told me that yellow is the color of cheap.
February 9th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Yellow = Gaudy Gold
or
Yellow = Dirty White
And, yellow shows any signs of wear like a m***********
Sorry Yellow. Go back to the Phone Book. You’re needed there.
February 9th, 2007 at 10:41 am
It could be argued that the gold iPod mini was their yellow product, but nonetheless I would have to say that yellow is too overpowering as a color. Muted, it could be nice, but then it might look like urine.
February 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
It’s why DOST thou . . . not why DUST thou. Sorry, I’ve got serious OCD, especially with spelling mistakes for some reason. Hopefully Yellow will correct it otherwise I might have a mental breakdown.
February 9th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Wah wah wah… Who cares. Offset printing, pffft!
February 9th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I guess I will just go back to the phone book, the toilet, sticky back notes, shipping companies, power tools, SUVs and cheap sports cars . . . but first I will learn to spell.
February 11th, 2007 at 11:34 am
a golden delicious iPod would make good bling!
February 11th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
They played with yellow aplenty in iWork ’05…
http://web.archive.org/web/20050112043246/http://www.apple.com/iwork/
February 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Hi Yellow,
While Yellow was a primary color on the color wheel even when I was an undergraduate some 25 years ago in Art School….it has since been supplanted with the more accurate an pervasive RGB system. How do I know? I teach Art at the university level. It is true that some of our older faculty do cling the Kindergarden model of color theory but the younger faculty don’t. Change happens and it can be good
One last note…Apple prominently displayed the use of Yellow on its packaging for the iWork products starting in 05. But I’m with you….I’d love to see Yellow used more and I think a Yellow ipod shuffle would be kick ass.
February 11th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Check this out!
Donovan?
VR/
February 11th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Ummm, yellow, some of us are still traumatized by your appearance here…
http://www.deskpicture.com/dps/Technology/Apple/FlowerPoweriMac_3.html
February 11th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Yellow iPod? I’ve already designed one…
http://maximac.se/nytt/index.php?item=200702015
February 11th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
I think a Yellow Submarine MacBook would rock, but anodized pure yellow wouldn’t work on the metallics unless, as another poster said, it were warmed up to a more golden hue.
Yellow can indeed be the psychological colour of “cheap and cheerful” — in Canada we have Yellow, a budget shoe store, and a chain called Bulk Barn whose primary colours are yellow and red.
However, yellow indeed takes on different contexts in combination. Yellow and black implies safety, danger, or power; yellow and purple are the traditional colours of Easter; blue and yellow = Sweden = IKEA…and so on.
nitpicking the spelling — in this sense it should be complement, not compliment.
“John complimented Joan on how her brown shoes complemented her glen plaid skirt.”
The other use of complement is as a noun, in the sense of “a complete group,” as in, “A full complement of Colonial Marines could not best the Queen Alien on Fiorina 161.”
February 11th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
I would so buy a yellow ipod!!!
February 11th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
There’s yellow, and there’s yellow. The hideous process yellow used in these mockups is horrible! Move a little bit towards orange, a warmer yellow, and it might work.
February 11th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
my eyes hurt with all that yellow. Yuck !
February 11th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Maybe it has something to do with Fung Shui or something.
But looking at the mock ups I really don’t want any “yellow products” from Apple…
February 11th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
@ Simanek
Color Theory:
Yellow is a matter primary color but a light secondary color (Green+Red):
Matter: 3 primary colors are Cyan-Magenta-yellow (cadmium clear)
Fig.1
Light: 3 primary colors are Red-Green-Blue (as you already know)
Fig.2
Black (chromatic) = all matter primary colors mixed in equal part
White = all light primary colors mixed in equal part.
End of course.
A good reference
February 12th, 2007 at 12:13 am
Dear Yellow,
I’d invite you to my party. I’d expect you to come along with Mr. White; you two make a great couple. I do think you should make sure you’re tanned and fit, since the wrong hue could be misconstrued as anemic or ill.
But like Ms. Red, Ms. Yellow won’t take no for an answer!
TS
February 12th, 2007 at 9:18 am
You mean … *lemon* yellow? The association is not good.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Yellow is the color of chicken soup. And chicken soup is the color of Windows 95 icons.
February 12th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Apart from looking a bit cheap (even though I like yellow) there are the old naming conventions that Apple had of fruit.
Having a banana colored anything sounds decidedly uncool (and reminds me of kids cough medicine) – and buying a lemon (as noted above) is definitely not on.
Gold however…or maybe that’s too bling?
February 12th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Yellow,
Apart from your association with fruit, failure, phone books, cowardice, cheap, disease, illness, urine, and excrement, you are also considered by psychologists to be the color of suicide. Apple has done their homework on you, Yellow. Don’t expect them to use you. This news may make you blue, perhaps you should seek therapy.
February 13th, 2007 at 7:01 am
Well, if Pink can have a go at it… then so can Yellow. Under one condition, you have to go to Sony.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/%3Cwbr%3EINTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_C2&Dept=computers
February 14th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Dear Yellow,
1. What’s your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on?
4. What turns you off?
5. What sound or noise do you love?
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
7. What is your favorite curse word?
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you absolutely NOT like to try?
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
VR/
February 15th, 2007 at 8:33 am
looks like scrambled eggs to me…
February 16th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
@ Art Guy
It’s a shame your students know more about color theory than you. Remind me not to take the class you’re teaching. I don’t want to learn art from someone who thinks Yellow isn’t a primary matter color. Oh bugger.
April 13th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I would actually prefer a slightly more pale, pastel, almost but not quite post-it-note shade of yellow. Not lemon or banana…sunshine! That’s a positive association. I think yellow can be a pretty colour if done right. It’s quite popular this spring and looks good and cheerful in most cases.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Looks like Apple finally gave in to yellow!
January 7th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
i would say the yellow is too bright, if it was alittle lighter it would be a good seller probably!
January 7th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
i would say the yellow is too bright, if it was alittle lighter it would be a good seller probably!