This research examined the male and female novice designers toward color associations for the concepts used for warnings', action required', and signs and equipment status' through a questionnaire-based study. A total of 178 Hong Kong Chinese final year undergraduate design students (89 males and 89 females) participated in the study. The test used required the participants to indicate their choice of one of nine colors to associations with each of 38 concepts in a color-concept table, so that any one color could be associated with any one of the concepts. For both male and female groups of novice designers, chi-square tests revealed a strong color association for each concept tested in this study (P<.05). The results showed males and females agreed on some color-concept association stereotypes which were therefore gender neutral. The male and female novice designers had the same color associations and similar levels of stereotype strengths for 21 concepts. The nine strongest and therefore most useful color-concept association stereotypes for both male and female novice designers were: red-danger, red-fire, red-hot, red-stop, red-emergency, red-error, blue-cold, blue-male, and green-exit. However, the male and female novice designers had different color association stereotypes for the standby (green vs. yellow), emergency exit (green vs. red), and toxic (purple vs. black) concepts, and the strengths of the 14 remaining associations for both groups were not at equivalent levels. Overall, it is anticipated that the findings of this study will act as a useful reference for novice designers and other design practitioners to optimize color coding in the design of warnings', action required', and signs and equipment status' messages.