Written by Michaela MacBlake Matthews
Welcome back to another edition of Color Swatches For The Soul, where we are taking a closer look at the symbolism of shades, and how to set the mood for your craft projects, fashion, and lifestyle with color psychology! Today we’re looking at Harbor Blue.
The Blue Family
The color blue symbolizes calm and intellectual dispositions, and takes its time to think through problems. It is the slowest color of the three primaries, and can often represent loyalty as well, as it is so deeply intertwined with time and gentle movement. Blue brings together the witty nature of air and the emotional aspect of water. As a quiet, oftentimes passive color, many shades of blue will shift their dispositions to the context of their surroundings.
How Harbor Blue Sets The Mood
Harbor Blue is a deep, jewel toned shade of teal blue. It is named for its mysterious deep sea ambiance, and can easily be used in coastal designs or fantasy mermaid themes. This shade of blue is intelligent, and actively explores the unknown depths. The tint of yellow in this blue suggests a pursuit of joy and pleasure, while the darkened tone signals a long and paced journey to find it.
How To Use Harbor Blue In Your Craft Projects
Harbor Blue is a very mythological color, and can easily be used as a base color for projects that walk the line between whimsical fantasy and arcane wisdom. Blue is a slow and communicative color, while this shade in particular holds just a touch of the quick and impulsive yellow. Harbor Blue is a perfect color for knit or crochet journal covers, dramatic shawls and scarves, or flowing designs with fluted sleeves.
Color Palettes For Harbor Blue
Harbor Blue takes on its full mythological essence when paired with peaches, golds, creams, purples, lighter cyan blues, and deep greens. As a color closely linked to Neptune and the zodiac sign Pisces, this color is in its natural element when it can cloak a dreamy world, and allow the viewer to get lost in it.
Pops of neon colors (sparkling stars, glowing auras, and shining scales) can enhance the magic of this color, while even darker shades of purple will deepen the mystery. When Harbor Blue is the darkest color in a palette, or is challenged only by deep browns, this mystical and nautical hue will return to its more scholarly and reserved storyteller state. The intellectual nature of this color can also be embellished by adding baby yellows, which balance its natural leaning toward teal.
Use Harbor Blue when you would like to escape into the emotive oceans of another world, and look at the current details as a tiny drop in a very long term story.
If you can feel it, there’s a color for it!
Don't Be So Blue!
"Mac" is on the Lifestyle Team here at Darn Good Yarn, and loves taking a ‘teach a man to fish’ approach to creative therapy. She is certified in neuro-linguistic programming, and is also the surreal artist and author behind Surrealismac.