Color Analysis
Note: Colour Analysis is a part of the science of handwriting analysis.
What does it mean when somebody writes you letters in green ink or red ink? And why are they using pale mauve writing-paper?
The answer is that there may or may not be some psychological significance in the ink and paper colors. It is only worth trying to analyze these if you are sure that the color was a deliberate choice, and is regularly bought and used by that person.
It is all too easy to pick up a pen almost at random and scribble a note without there being any meaning to the ink colour - even if it is rather unusual. Only when the colour is known to be consistently used may it be significant.
Inks
Blue: So many people these days use a ball-point with a pale blue refill that it would be foolish to try to draw any conclusions. Do they all use pale blue only because it is so readily available, or is it so readily available because it is genuinely the first choice of most people?
Where a fountain-pen and ink are used, again blue is common. Here a more intense blue is chosen because it is pleasant, perhaps even uplifting, without being at all unusual.
Royal blue ink is supposed to be a colour used often by women because it stresses their femininity, suggesting affection, understanding and sociability.
Blue-black ink is a no-nonsense shade often used by men and by people in business and commerce. It is regarded as being very conventional.
Black: Formerly the standard in business, this has become the preserve of the writer who is (or who would like to be considered) bold, forceful and serious. Used with a broad nibbed pen it indicates the ambitious businessman, designer or student. When used with a thinner nib, it suggests an artistic personality, still serious though possibly rebellious and depressed. Generally, black denotes a need to be clearly understood.
Brown: Most black ink goes brown with age, so any old handwriting samples in brown will have begun life as black.
Where brown ink is employed it is a deliberate statement, usually by an artistic person who wants to be different, to stand out, but who still needs the security of a dark and non-flashy colour. It is thought to have the look of authority about it.
Red: Because it stands out, red ink is used by the person who really wants to be different, who wants to shock others. Red is associated with danger, excitement, anger and sex. Sometimes the person who writes in red will be trying to give undue weight or emphasis to their words. Look out for red ink coupled with great pressure and perhaps angular connections, all pointing towards an angry writer. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the writer will be a professional who often uses red (a teacher, for example) or a rather pompous or pedantic person. Beware of deducing too much from the use of this colour of ink and look for other signs.
Green: Another colour which stands out (as much for its un-usualness as for its shade), green is also used by the individualistic writer who wants his or her words to become more important than they are. There are difficulties in interpretation here, too, because it may be used by a person who is young and/or artistic or who just wants to show off, or it may be the mark of a strong-minded and flexible person. On the other hand, it may be used for its ecological or political connotations. Other evidence is needed before one can draw firm conclusions.
Turquoise: Turquoise is considered to be a woman's colour. It is bright and different, with suggestions of an artistic nature, or perhaps just artistic pretensions.
Violet: Thought to be trendy and slightly camp, this has traditionally been used by those with theatrical connections. It has often turned up in conjunction with brightly colored paper, revealing the writer as somebody with bad taste and emotional immaturity who has a need for recognition.
Glitter: Various shiny and metallic inks are available, of which gold and silver are the most commonly used. They are not the most practical of writing substances and tend to be expensive, so they are used purely for show by those with artistic pretensions (except for a limited number of legitimate artistic or calligraphic purposes). The theatricality of this suggests a person who uses fantasy to escape from reality.
Colour variation:
Harsh words have been used by some graphologists to describe anyone who dares to employ more than one colour of ink within a sample of writing (for underlining, or for the first letter of each sentence, or perhaps for alternate paragraphs). While there is a certain playfulness or childishness in such behaviour, it does not indicate any serious mental disorder. And what about those medieval monks who spent their lives doing it?
Coloured paper:
Writing-paper seems to be such a common present that, even where a person uses a particular shade regularly, it is dangerous to assume that it represents their personality.
The writer who is of good taste and not ostentatious will most often choose white, cream or a pale blue. Pale pink is regarded as very feminine. In fact, the brighter and more unusual paper colours are almost always used by women rather than men, and are associated with artistic or romantic personalities, sometimes with a degree of pretension.
Envelopes:
To continue the colour theme, coloured envelopes may be thought to carry the same personality connotations as coloured writing-paper, though cards of all kinds are often sold these days with bright envelopes (red or green in particular) over which the writer has no control. Because most envelopes are white or brown, the envelope colour is not the most fruitful of areas for personality analysis.
