Color is all around us — but have you considered how colors might affect your mood, your workplace performance, and your emotions? Color psychology, the study of different hues on the psychology of the human, explores the power of the colors all around us. Throughout this series, we’ll be exploring how color can impact your mood, your workplace performance, and even your emotions.
The Psychology of Orange
Orange often has an interesting effect because it carries both the properties from red and yellow. This means that it can evoke feelings of power and passion as well as happiness and warmth. Because it has both red and yellow in it, it’s important to pay close attention to the shade, as when you’re dealing with a red-orange the psychological properties of red are going to be more prominent than the yellow and the same goes for oranges which lean heavier towards yellow.
The color in the Workplace
Bright orange often isn’t a color that is typically used inside of corporate offices, especially when it draws such strong opinions, but when used correctly, it can help draw the eyes and provide excitement and energy to the office. This color is also perceived in business to suggest affordability with reasonable quality, sociability and easy-going. It’s important to make sure your not over-using it however, as too much of the color can create frustration and hunger.
Utilizing bright colors can help employees not feel bored or tired while working at their desks. Bright orange is also a color that can help encourage productivity and creativity. Try adding small congregation spaces with accent colors close to the creative departments in your company.
How to Incorporate
There are many ways that you can add orange to your workplace. If you’re looking to rebuild your office space, try incorporating it into the carpet or tile. Since the color is a great attention grabber, try adding paths to lead people through the space or use it to highlight areas in the floor that might be hazardous if one isn’t paying attention. Another great way to add orange to the workplace is by adding it as an accent wall or with a few designs such as triangles, swirls or flowers depending on your industry.
If you want to be really bold, try adding orange furniture to your workspace. Orange furniture can be great statement pieces and an easy way to brighten up any room that may be lacking in color. When choosing a shade, remember to think about which colors are most prominent in the orange to understand the effects your shade of orange will lean towards.
Photo by Tim de Groot on Unsplash