Have you ever noticed that most doctor’s offices and hospitals favor certain color palettes? The colors used in a healthcare environment should do much more than just make the building look attractive. According to the paint specialist, Dulux, the use of color in healthcare facilities can aid the healing process.
For example, research into the impact of certain colors has shown that orange stimulates the appetite, while blue can suppress it. This has led to the creation of very specific color schemes for dining rooms in mental health facilities treating people with anorexia.
Picking colors for a commercial setting or office is a little different from picking colors for your living spaces. Colors affect us mentally and physically. For example, a lot of restaurants incorporate red in their color scheme because red can spark appetites. If you want to be more productive doing something physical, red would make you more productive than either blue or yellow, because it stimulates you physically.
Blue conveys trustworthiness, which is why many corporations use blue in their logos, like Twitter and IBM. For the office, we want the staff to feel relaxed but focused when they perform their work, especially if they will be spending long hours on the computer.
If you’re in an environment where having a strong sense of balance is the most important, green might just be the color that makes you the most productive. As well, because it’s so balanced, calming, and reassuring, it’s great to use around anywhere money’s changing hands.
If you’re a designer, and you want creativity, blue isn’t going to be the color for you. Yellow is a better color, because it stimulates your ego and spirits, and makes you more optimistic.
Studies have shown that blue-green color palettes inspire the most productivity, whereas orange inspires conversations and tend to move meetings faster. What did you think of our tips for choosing colors for the office? Do you have any tips to share?
