Have you heard about something called colour psychology?

This is basically the idea that specific colours can affect the way we think, feel, and ultimately how productive we are within our working day.

You might think that a colour is just a colour, but incorporating specific shades into your contemporary office design may actually give your business the productivity boost it needs, whilst also helping everyone within the office to feel uplifted and positive at the same time. 

Many people try and shy away from bright colours in offices, but it’s actually a good idea to try and add in splashes of colour here and there. Sure, it’s never a good idea to go over the top and create a super-colourful and perhaps even colour clashing office decor, but it’s certainly a positive idea to make use of the different colour psychology ideas and work out how they can benefit your office space, and the employees within it. 

For a quick glance, check out this infographic, which highlights how specific colours may affect productivity in the working environment.

Source - https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243749

As you can see, colours such as green, blue and yellow are ideal for offices which need creative ideas and happy employees. These colours help you to focus, help you feel calmer and more in control, and they also allow you to think outside of the box, therefore coming up with new ideas at your office desks. 

With all of that in mind, what are the worst colours to go for when trying to use colour psychology in line with productivity?

Whilst red is a great shade in terms of fashion and it certainly inspires passion and tenacity, it can be a little overwhelming for an office. This is because red is about fire, action and in some cases, anger. 

If you want to draw attention to a particular thing, e.g. a dangerous item or something which is to be used in an emergency, then red is the colour to go for. However, if you’re looking for something to paint your walls, red might be a little too overwhelming in this situation and could be a distraction for those sitting at their executive chairs. 

What about black and grey?

Whilst these are colours which are regularly used in modern offices, they shouldn’t be used too much. It’s a good idea to break up blacks, greys, and other dark colour with a lighter shade too. You could have creams and whites to add a slightly fresher feel. If you avoid this, you’re going to create a space which is too dark, too heavy, and it’s going to affect mood detrimentally. When the mood is affected, so is productivity. 

How Can You Decide?

Now you know about the different colours and how they can be used, how can you make your final decision?

For sure, it’s a big decision to make!

Think about how much natural light you have coming into your office and make sure that whatever shade you go for works with the available light. If your office is small, avoid darker colours, even if you're going to break them up with a lighter shade. The reason is that the smaller space could feel oppressive when a darker shade is incorporated.

On the other hand, if you have a large office, you have a lot more scope in terms of what colour to go for. If you have an agile workspace you could even use different shades in different areas, to create the right type of feel for each one. For instance, yellow in collaborative areas could help with the creation of new ideas. Blue in a quieter area could help concentration and calmness. 

It’s important to consider how colours affect people if you want to get the most out of your office and therefore boost productivity. Avoiding colours which could detrimentally affect your office is just as important.