What colour should I use?

Lessons from The Fall of the House of Usher and Turner Duckworth Design Agency

It’s rare these days to find a series as intelligent as this one.

Confession: I love watching series and films. Often, they serve as background noise while I work on projects. But lately, most productions have felt underwhelming—shallow plots, gratuitous scenes, and a lack of depth that leaves me unfulfilled. It seems even Netflix noticed, as it started suggesting titles I’d never imagine myself watching.

That’s how I stumbled upon The Fall of the House of Usher, described as “based on the dark works of Edgar Allan Poe.” Intrigued, I hit play.

Even though I’m not a fan of horror, I decided to take a chance—and it was worth it.

Mike Flanagan created something brilliant: weaving eight of Poe’s stories into a single narrative, blending religious symbolism, psychological depth, and masterful use of color. Even those unfamiliar with these themes feel their impact deeply.

But how did he do it?

Setting the Scene (No Spoilers!)

The series opens with a striking premise: the rise and tragic fall of the Usher family. Over just a few days, the six children of patriarch Roderick Usher meet their demise, one by one.

Each episode focuses on one of these characters and draws inspiration from Poe’s tales. What’s fascinating is how every family member is driven by a deadly sin, and each episode emphasizes a color that symbolizes that sin.

Flanagan, known for his Catholic upbringing and layered storytelling, uses color, light, and contrast like few others in his craft.

The Language of Color

Without giving too much away, let’s connect each sin to its corresponding color. This exploration highlights how subtle shifts in tone within a single palette can convey complex narratives and evoke emotions. Understanding color symbolism is about more than knowing its basics—it’s about grasping what every hue communicates.

• Red: Lust Prospero, the youngest son, is driven by passion and vengeance. Vibrant reds dominate his story, reflecting his connection to lust and his intense personality. Even his wardrobe mirrors this.
• White and Baby Blue: Sloth Camille, in charge of the family’s public image, shuns emotional involvement, living in a colorless world. Baby blue paired with stark white symbolizes sloth and emotional detachment, illustrating her apathy both personally and professionally.
• Yellow: Greed Napoleon, despite avoiding family duties, clings to the luxuries the Usher name provides. Yellow, often tied to energy, here signifies greed and selfishness, showcasing its more negative attributes.
• Orange: Gluttony Victorine, a scientist obsessed with success, is associated with orange. Here, gluttony transcends food and manifests as an insatiable hunger for achievement at any cost. The blend of red and yellow in orange underscores her relentless ambition.
• Green: Envy Tamerlane, spoiled and materialistic, is consumed by envy and bitterness toward others’ success. Bright green tones symbolize her superficiality and inability to form genuine connections, even with her husband.
• Dark Blue and Purple: Pride Frederick, the eldest son, embodies pride and unforgiveness. Dark blue and purple represent his emotional detachment and royal status, but also foreshadow his tragic fate.
• Black: Wrath Black, omnipresent in the series, signifies grief, melancholy, and wrath. Roderick and Madeline, alongside Poe’s iconic raven, are engulfed by the consequences of their choices. Black amplifies the weight of their destruction, symbolizing both power and ruin.

The Power of Color in Storytelling

Notice how even colors with positive associations take on darker meanings when tied to the characters’ stories. This reminds us of the inherent power of color: it communicates emotions, values, and intentions.

This is why choosing the right colors for our daily lives, our homes, and especially our brands, is so critical. Each shade tells a story, and that story must align with the message we want to convey.

“I Love It. What Is It?”—Design That Captures Emotion

Complementing this series, I started the year with a remarkable book on branding and design: I Love It. What Is It? by Turner Duckworth. The book unpacks the success stories of one of London’s most iconic design agencies, responsible for the visual identities of Amazon, McDonald’s, and even Metallica.

The agency’s success stems from three pillars: passion, intuition, and beauty. Yet, their mastery of symbolism propelled them to the top. As Jessica Spence states:

“(People) can't opt out of design and, better yet, they don't want to. They want to see the new iPhone, they like picking up beautiful products on the shelf (even if they don’t need them), (...). All of this is driven by design, not by intrusive content that we must beg, cajole and pay them to watch or listen to. People welcome beautiful things into their lives.” (p. 197)

Every detail in a well-crafted design resonates, even if the audience isn’t consciously aware of it. This explains why a McDonald’s Happy Meal evokes joy or why Amazon’s logo, with its signature smile, fosters trust.

Design is Emotion

Returning to The Fall of the House of Usher, Flanagan’s use of color echoes these principles. Viewers may not recognize the official symbolism behind each shade, yet they intuitively grasp the emotions he intended to convey. For example, the vibrant orange tied to gluttony doesn’t immediately suggest overindulgence. But paired with the character’s insatiable hunger for success, its deeper meaning becomes clear.

Similarly, artists like Vermeer shaped the collective unconscious through their masterful use of color and symbolism. A red dress in his work, for instance, draws the eye and conveys passion—not carnal desire, but a love for music and elevated status. I talked more about this exact painting in a post earlier this week (click on the picture to see it).

The Essence of My Brand

My fascination with color and symbolism runs deep. Recently, I collaborated on an image-based project with Nina Delecolle and Bia Brito, creating visuals that capture the core of my personal brand: art, history, beauty, symbolism, and tradition.

Every detail—from the settings to the wardrobe—was curated to communicate specific values. One standout look featured red, symbolizing the passion I pour into my work. Like in Vermeer’s art, this red wasn’t about lust but a love for storytelling and history, seamlessly aligned with my brand’s ethos.

Final Thoughts: The Transformative Power of Beauty

I’ll close with a quote from I Love It. What Is It?, a chapter that felt like it was written just for me:

“The opposite of beauty isn’t ugliness; it’s carelessness.” — Stefan Sagmeister (p. 113)

Along with colour and other elements, beauty has the power to show your client you care. As Sagmeister says in his chapter, ugliness, when it's intentional, can communicate as well as beauty. However, what we've been seeing with the minimalist trend is not lack of beauty, but lack of care. If you care, you chose beauty and meaning.

Do you agree? May these reflections inspire you to see color and beauty through a new lens and to pursue excellence in your brand’s communication.