You never really gave it much thought. A wall is a wall. What color they are shouldn’t affect the productivity of your employees and the success of your company, right? Think again.
In an article by Forbes, Amy Morin interviewed Sally Augustin, Ph.D., to find out about color psychology and how certain colors can give businesses a competitive advantage. We’re going to give you a few of those tips so that when you decide your office needs to be refreshed with a new look, you can take them into consideration.
First, wall colors have the ability to make people perceive temperature differently. As you might guess, warmer colors like red, yellow and oranges tend to make people believe it’s warmer than it actually is in the office. Contrarily, cooler colors like greens, light purples and blues make people feel as though it’s colder in the building than it actually is.
How can you use that to your advantage? Well, it all depends on where you live. If you live in a generally cooler environment, think about painting the entry way of your office warmer colors to save on heating costs. The opposite is true for those who live in warmer environments. This is a pretty easy way to save on that costly electric bill.
Want to evoke more creativity in your workplace? Go get some green paint swatches. Research shows that the color green stimulates productivity and broad and creative thinking. But, why green? “There seems to be a positive association between nature and regrowth,” said Augustin.
If you’re looking to please most people, then go for blues. According to Forbes, “when asked what their favorite color is, the most common answer around the world is blue.” It could be because of associations with blue skies or the ocean. If you want to know what to paint the waiting area in your office, you should go with blue since it pleases majority of people.
So, what colors should you stay away from? For starters, stay away from red in areas of your office where you want to stimulate productivity. The color red evokes forceful and fast reactions and reduces analytical thinking.
Yellow. That’s another color you should stray away from when deciding what to paint your offices’ common area. This is because there are few people who like the color, but those who do, tend to really like it. So, to be safe, Augustin suggests sticking with the good ol’ blues.
If you want to increase productivity in your work environment then stay far, far away from the color white. According to Augustin, “too much of a monochromatic look can cause people to reflect on their own thoughts.” Because of the lack of stimulation in the color white, employees may become distracted. And, you don’t want employees distracted all day thinking about things other than what they’re supposed to be thinking about, right?
Pink is said to be a calming color. Unless you work in an intense field where tensions can run high and meetings can turn into heated arguments, then we suggest staying away from this color. Pink is also known for draining people’s energy, so be mindful about choosing this color.
We gave you a crash course on Augustin’s psychology of color so that you can choose the best paint for your business’ walls. You can save money, stimulate creativity and make employees and your business more successful just because of a paint color. So what are you waiting for? Go out and get some swatches!
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