Yellow

Yellow is the colour of lemons, buttercups and the Sun as drawn by children, which is the only way most people have ever seen it, because you should not look directly at the real one.^[1]

People who lack courage are sometimes described as “yellow”. Yellow has never responded to this accusation, which critics say rather proves the point.

The Banana Ruling

From 1962 to 1979 the International Bureau of Hues sat in continuous session to decide whether a banana is yellow. Its 31-volume final report ruled that it is, “broadly, from a distance”. The question of the brown spots was referred to a subcommittee, which has met every Tuesday since and is understood to be close to a decision about the green end.^[2]

Visibility

Yellow is 72% more noticeable than beige, and 100% more noticeable than beige things that are not there. For this reason it is used for warning signs, raincoats and buses for children, all of which want to be seen, and for custard, which simply has nothing to hide.^[3]

Mellow yellow

Yellow is generally described as cheerful. In a 1998 study, participants placed in an all-yellow room reported feeling happy for twelve minutes, then dazzled, then unable to find the door, which was also yellow.

See also

• Sun – yellow, according to children
• Red
• Tuesday – when the banana subcommittee meets
• Emoji – what most of them are
• Sunflower – a large yellow flower that faces the Sun

References

1. Lemmon, L. (1979). Final Report on the Banana. Bureau of Hues. Vol. 31.
2. Subcommittee on Spots (ongoing). “Minutes, Week 2,409”. Unpublished.
3. Custard, C. (2008). “Brighter Than Beige”. Visibility Review 3.