What does the color blue mean?

Blue means trust, calm, loyalty and stability. It is the world's favourite colour - a 2015 YouGov survey found it ranked first in all ten countries polled - which is why banks, tech companies and social networks lean on it more than any other colour.

Blue belongs to the throat chakra and stands for honest communication and self-expression. Many traditions use it for heaven and the sky - the Virgin Mary is usually painted in blue robes.

Western countries: Trust, authority and, since the mid-1900s, a colour for baby boys. Middle East and Turkey: Blue nazar charms are hung to ward off the evil eye. Hinduism: Krishna and Vishnu are painted with blue skin, the colour of the infinite. Judaism: Tekhelet blue on prayer shawls stands for the divine.

Facebook, PayPal, IBM, Samsung and most major banks use blue because it signals reliability with almost no negative baggage.

The standard web blue is #0000ff, or rgb(0, 0, 255).