What does symbology in color mean to you? For me, it’s a lens through which I view not just art, but the layers of meaning embedded in history, literature, and culture. Having immersed myself in art history and literature, I’ve learned to approach color not as a purely aesthetic choice, but as a deliberate signal, a visual language communicating intention, emotion, and context.

I remember reading The Crucible in early high school, when the yellow bird’s symbolism was first illuminated for me by my teacher. Before that, yellow was simply cheerful, bright, and sunny in my mind—our standardized, contemporary interpretation. But after that lesson, yellow became multifaceted, capable of nuance and depth. It was no longer just a color; it was a vessel of meaning shaped by context.

From there, my curiosity expanded. Renaissance portraits of the Medici family, which had always fascinated me, took on new significance. Every shade, every choice of pigment suddenly mattered. Though the internet was only beginning to open doors to art history research, I discovered studies analyzing these works and their deliberate use of color to convey power, virtue, and status. Those discoveries cemented my understanding: color is symbolic, historical, and purposeful.

Symbology in color also reflects the ways societies have communicated across time. With literacy rare in much of the Western world until recent centuries, and documents primarily written in Latin, visual cues like color carried critical information. The color palette of a painting, garment, or manuscript became a shared language understood by those who observed it.

Today, my appreciation for color’s symbolic purpose informs both my creative and analytical work. Every hue can carry intention, story, and history—waiting for the viewer to decode. Understanding color symbology is, to me, a way to connect with the past, read into the present, and even anticipate the emotional impact of design choices for the future.

For an amazing read on color history in ancient Rome, the book, Color and Meaning in Ancient Rome, by Mark Bradley is an interesting and informative read.