Your physical spaces… your digital spaces… they’re full of color! Today we’re going to show you how being intentional about color can give you power to impact the emotions, actions and decisions of your employees, your visitors and your customers.

RED

Let’s start with a color very familiar to the BOS team… RED! The warmest and most dynamic of colors, red can inspire a range of emotions from love and passion, to anger and danger.

Red has been proven to increase heart rates and cause excitement. It activates the left hemisphere of the brain, increasing productivity and inspiring action… we find it perfect for our war room!

On the other hand, red can be overwhelming and even reduce analytical thinking. So, use it intentionally in areas where employees don’t spend a ton of time – hallways, bathrooms, break rooms or in areas teams can gather for short bursts of action.

ORANGE

ORANGE generates a feeling of vitality, happiness and fun… and many companies prefer it for evoking decision making as it mixes action with approachability. Excitement. Enthusiasm. Energy. Warmth… From traffic cones to call to action buttons, orange can be used to draw attention. It’s also associated with value.

YELLOW

YELLOW impacts people in many of the same ways orange does. Yellow is often linked to creativity and experts claim it can be used to inspire new and innovative ideas. That said, it also has a number of downsides. Due to the amount of light it reflects, it’s the most fatiguing on the eyes and can even cause frustration. Studies show people are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room… and babies will actually cry more in a yellow room. So if your workspace is full of babies… maybe avoid yellow!

Let’s switch gears and explore the impact cool colors can have.

GREEN

GREEN… the color of wellness, health… and (combine those two words together) wealth. It’s easiest on the eyes and has been said to boost creativity. You can even inspire different emotions with various shades of green. Grass green reminds people of the outdoors helping them relax and refresh. Forest green has been proven to increase concentration because it activates both hemispheres of the brain at the same time. Tranquility, luck, AOI… it seems that green makes a lot of sense in the office, but it has also been said to inspire jealousy.

The easiest way to add green to your space… plants!

BLUE

BLUE, being deeper than green, is used to soothe and provoke intellectual thinking and inspiration. People tend to associate blue with security and trust. Blue has been said to spark more great ideas. Too much blue, however, can seem cold and disengaged. Interesting how many social media sites tap into the effects of light blue… Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, the top left corner of Instagram. Did you know that blue is the most ‘favorite’ color in the world, and therefore the most non-threatening. People will trust blue, just be sure to mix in some other colors to avoid people feeling blue… which unfortunately, is one of the downsides of the color.

PURPLE

And finally, PURPLE… a royal, exotic color that can evoke confidence, productivity and positive emotions. Like other cool colors, purple can sooth the mind and reduce stress. It’s also been linked to wisdom, mystery, sensuality and imagination. Yet too much purple can create a ‘cheap’ atmosphere, so use the color sparingly.

Manipulating color in your digital space is easy to change and experiment with. From your website to your social media channels, digital signage to marketing collateral, experiment with different colors to achieve your goals. If you’re rebranding, carefully consider the impact the colors you choose will have on your brand and culture.

In your physical space, you can manage emotions with intentional space design. Here are a few ways to get you thinking… branding, glass film, accent pillows, marker boards, panels and workstation dividers, plants, lights, work surfaces, paint colors and carpets.

BOS has an entire team of design professionals on staff to help you create a space that promotes your culture and achieves your goals. We would be more than happy to consult with you on how color can compliment your workplace.

Workspace Digital can also help you make the most of color at work with professional graphic, web and media design.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and to adding more color into your spaces.