White

White is the lightest color, meaning purity, innocence, and integrity.

History

The color white was likely first used in prehistoric art in the form of chalk – naturally occurring calcium carbonate. The preparation of lead-based white pigments was first described in Greece in the 3rd Century BC, and Lead White went on to become the most widely used white pigment in European oil painting. Since the 20th Century, Lead White has been largely replaced by Titanium White, which remains the most commonly found white pigment.

Psychology

White is considered to represent perfection, innocence, wholeness, and purity.  It is the color that represents new beginnings and erases any trace of past actions. It is like a piece of white paper not being written yet. It leaves the mind open and free to whatever it might create in the way.

White contains an equal balance of all the colors of the spectrum, representing both the positive and negative aspects of all colors. Its basic feature is equality, implying fairness and impartiality, neutrality and independence. 

It is said that each newborn will come into this world having the purest white, which will eventually be painted by the color given by his life experiences and choices. White enhances the reflective processes, creativity, and awakening. You can’t hide behind it as it amplifies everything in its way. Many people use white as a recall of their youth and innocence. It reminds them of a time when their lives were easier and less complicated.

White is a color of protection and encouragement; it has the property of bringing peace, calmness, comfort, and hope. It acts as a medicine that soothes your hurt soul and it will give your life a sense of order and meaning, helping to declutter from negative aspects. It will offer an inner cleansing for your thoughts and soul, being the ultimate source of pure energy.

White is used in many medical practices such as dental surgeries and doctors’ rooms as an indication of cleanliness and efficiency; however it also can give the feeling of sterility and coldness of emotions and may lead patients to think the doctor or dentist won’t relate to them on an emotional and personal level. It can be too clinical and sterile. Too much white can cause feelings of isolation and emptiness; it can be too pristine and immaculate, making you feel as though you can’t make a move for fear of upsetting it or creating a mess.

In the majority of cultures, white means the beginning of life; in some it is used as a predominant color for funerals, especially in cultures that do not consider death an end, but the finish of a journey, as a new one will begin immediately afterwards a person leaves this world. White is also an indicator for the end of a chapter in your life and the beginning of a new one. You might observe that you will have an attraction towards white clothes or accessories, especially in a period where you will make a significant change. 

While white isn’t stimulating to the senses, it opens the way for the creation of anything the mind can conceive.

Personality

If you are drawn to the color white:

• You are neat and immaculate in your appearance, in the presentation of your home and in your car, almost to the point of being fanatical.
• You have impeccable standards of cleanliness and hygiene and you expect others to adhere to your high standards.
• You are far-sighted, with a positive and optimistic nature.
• You are well-balanced, sensible, discreet and wise.
• You are cautious, practical and careful with money.
• You think carefully before acting – you are definitely not prone to impulsive behavior.
• You tend to have a great deal of self control.
• You are confident, poised and self-assured when at your most positive, but can also be very choosy and fastidious when the mood strikes.
• You can be very critical of yourself and others (in your need for perfection) – but you try to be fair and impartial as well.
• You are self-sufficient and a loner – you don’t want or need help from anyone. However, you may also experience times of loneliness because of this trait.
• You may be wishing to create simplicity in your life – perhaps a wish to re-create your childhood, lost youth and happier times in your past life.
• You can be quite sexually prudish with your need for self-control and perfection.
• You hide your flaws from others to give an impression of perfection.
• You may appear to be shy, but you do have strong beliefs about most things and love the opportunity to air those beliefs.
• The challenge for you is to be open-minded and flexible and to communicate your needs and desires.

If you dislike white:

• White is too sterile for you – you need more color in your life.
• You are easy going and relaxed – not fussy and particular.
• You are spontaneous and impulsive and white is too self controlled for you.
• You need lots of interesting things going on in your life – the simple life is too boring for you.
• You are not concerned with order and perfection in your own life – a little dust on the shelves is okay with you.
• You take life as you find it and make the most of what you have.

Characteristics

Representation

• Innocence and purity: White is the beginning of everything, before anything is muddied or thinking is ‘colored’.
• New beginnings: White represents the clean slate, helping us through times of stress, and allowing us put the past behind us and preparing us to move on.
• Equality and unity: White represents the positive as well as the negative aspects of all colors. It contains an equal balance of all the colors of the spectrum.

Effects

• Impartial: White suggests fairness and neutrality because of the balance and equality of all the colors contained within it.
• Rescuer: White rescues us from the dark. It is the white knight, rescuing the damsel in distress.
• Futuristic: Symbolizing a clean slate, we can envisage anything with white.
• Efficient: White is clean and clinical, giving an impression of efficiency and organization.

Positive keywords

innocence, purity, cleanliness, equality, complete and whole, simplicity, immaculate and neat, self-sufficient, pristine and open, new beginnings.

Negative keywords

sterile, stark, fastidious, empty, isolated, cautious, plain, distant, unimaginative, critical and boring.

Uses

White is useful in businesses where cleanliness is imperative, such as dental surgeries and medical centers, but these businesses need some green or pink to assist in healing and to create a calm and caring atmosphere for patients.

White is probably the best color to use as the background color for websites. It allows all other colors to reflect from it and makes all colors except yellow and pastels to be very readable. Using white for negative space on your website makes it look clean, open and uncluttered.

With its suggestion of simplicity, cleanliness and safety, white works well for businesses promoting hi-tech products, kitchen appliances, bathroom items, infant and health related products and those promoting order and efficiency.

Depending on the business, it is advantageous to add other appropriate colors which will reflect the individuality of the business as, on its own, white is sterile and cold.

Positive Color Meanings in Business:

• innocence
• purity, cleanliness
• equality, complete and whole
• simplicity
• immaculate and neat
• self-sufficient, pristine and open
• •new beginnings

Negative Color Meanings in Business:

• sterile, stark
• fastidious
• empty, isolated
• cautious, critical and boring

Cultural Color Meanings

Western: brides and weddings, angels, hospitals, doctors, peace – the white dove, purity and cleanliness

Eastern: death, mourning and funerals, sadness

China: death and mourning, virginity and purity, humility, age, misfortune

India: unhappiness, symbol of sorrow in death of family member, traditionally the only color a widow is allowed to wear, funerals, peace and purity

Japan: White carnation symbolizes death

Thailand: white elephants are considered auspicious, white symbolizes purity in Buddhism

Korea: purity, innocence, morality, birth and death

Middle East: purity, mourning

Color Conversion

Hex	FFFFFF
RGB Decimal	255, 255, 255
RGB Percent	100, 100, 100
CMYK	0, 0, 0, 0
HSL	0°, 0, 100
HSV (or HSB)	0°, 0, 100
Web Safe	ffffff
CIE-LAB	100, -0, -0.009
XYZ	95.047, 100, 108.897
xyY	0.313, 0.329, 100
CIE-LCH	100, 0.009, 266.929
CIE-LUV	100, -0.006, -0.013
Hunter-Lab	100, -5.342, 5.435
Binary	11111111, 11111111, 11111111