Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Behind the “Colors” of Buzzfeed

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Amherst chapter.

Before I address my main question today, I must ask myself why this question has been so delayed. Why has it taken me so long to figure out why Buzzfeed Video has different channels labeled by colors? In the past, I tried to draw patterns from the titles on the Suggested Videos column. But, to my dismay, I couldn’t find a satisfactory system of categorization, and I wasn’t motivated enough to look it up. 

Today, this question resurfaced from the recesses of my mind, so here are some quick answers for you: 

According to a Quora user, videographers are divided into three teams/colors and generate ideas at weekly meetings. Each person aims to make two videos a week.

 

  • “BuzzFeedYellow” (Began in April 2013- Oldest sibling) 

 According to the “About” section of its Youtube page, it is simply put as, “More fun, inspiring, interesting videos from the BuzzFeed crew. New videos posted daily!” 

Words that others have described it: Hilarious, Interesting, Social/Political Issues

Series include “But I’m Not…”, “Keith Investigates…”, “Weird Couples”, and “Ladylike”. All of these interesting series can be found in organized playlists! 

 

  • “BuzzFeed Blue” (Began in May 2014- Middle Child) 

This quirky channel enthusiasticallly shares “bite-size knowledge for a big world” through “new facts, hacks, and how-to videos”. Like Buzzfeed Yellow, new videos are posted daily. 

Words to describe it: Informative, Science/Techy, Educate, Spark

Series include “Awesome Science”, “Regular People Try Sports” (hmm…), “For the First Time”, and “Must Try Recipes”. 

 

  • “BuzzFeed Violet” (Began in June 2014-Baby) 

Violet has a little bit more of an elaborate self-bio on Youtube, boasting “short, relatable videos that are totally you” that are “the good kind of awkward”. Videos are posted every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday!

Words to describe it: No deeper meaning, General comedy, Personal, Friendly

The main difference between Buzzfeed Yellow and Buzzfeed Violet is in their organization. This subchannel is organized by the featured Buzzfeed staff member. Series include “Ashly”, “Sara”, “Quinta”, and “Freddy”. (If these are just random names to you, then you know that you aren’t truly a Buzzfeed fan.)

So there you have it! I hope that I wasn’t the only one asking this question, and that you now have a little bit more knowledge about Buzzfeed. Let me know if I’ve missed any other colors! 

Also, don’t ask me to explain the Image search results of “Buzzfeed colors”. Pictures of the _color/color_ dress brings back memories of terrible arguments and disagreements.

Bonnie is a sophomore at Amherst College. Even though she studies statistics, she is interested in technology, pediatric medicine, dentistry, education, and public health.  She spends most of her day trying out new things, like eating an ice cream cone while biking or looking for ways to climb onto campus building roofs. "All over the place" would be the best way to describe her.