THE war of colors in social media has stepped up, and every day on Facebook, the battle just gets stiffer and bolder. Recent news feeds on my timeline have become a flurry of warm but fading tints of Pink to cool and calming shades of Green.
In visual arts and communications, colors have meanings. Not only for its aesthetic and luring appeal but colors are also used by visual artists to convey a message.
I would theorize though that the principle is being used to the full by political camps, particularly by presidential candidates. Why not, if the powerful scheme will attract following, and ultimately pull a bandwagon effect to their favor.
However superficial and fancy, red and its lighter pinkish shade is warm and strong. According to one article on theories of color, “red can be a powerful accent color”. If used appropriately in designs, red, regardless of its brighter or darker shades, can have an overwhelming effect - with brighter versions being more energetic and darker shades being more powerful and elegant.”
I would argue that in the war of presidentiables, and if only to fake strength, the liberals, the self-proclaimed decent citizens, had to use the same - paint over their loud yellow tint that symbolizes defeat and loss with a fading pinkish shade that certainly looks elegant. What a clever, tricky, and deceptive brainchild the pinkish think tank had done, but only to be outdone by an unassuming down-to-earth color in Green.
The article on the theory of colors had this interesting definition of the color green. Down-to-earth, Green, it says, can represent new beginnings and growth; of renewal and abundance. But the fresh color may have also its share of the negatives. Its novelty can also mean envy or jealousy, and a lack of experience.
The parade of colors in our politics has just started and we will see yet which will fade quickly and finally reveal their true colors. The spectacle of shades may be interesting for now, and over time may captivate and lure the many unsuspecting, but it won’t be long before they melt and lose their fancy and deceptive looks when the last battle of campaign pitch takes off.
To my mind, the 2022 election will be a battle between the loud, warm yellows that faded into a dark tint of Red - a luring Pink, over the cool, and unassuming secondary shade of Green. This will be one interesting contest between fancy shades of Philippine politics.