Color Theory and Human Behavior
September 6, 2008
In order to achieve a living or business space that enhances the purpose of the room, I believe it is important to incorporate color theory in relation to human reaction for desired results. “Since 70% of the information we intake about our surroundings comes from vision, it makes sense for designers to have a deep understanding of how color affects the human experience and when its use would be beneficial or detrimental to a situation, hence a place.” (http://www.asid.org/events/ceus/pocket/pocketwydra4.htm) Color theory in relation to human behavior has been well noted by feng shui theorists to create a peaceful flow and balance throughout one’s home. However, this theory in color and human reaction is well noted in the science community as well. Due to the fact that color is widely accepted as affecting the human condition, it is significant that it is considered when designing a space; for instance, in the case of babies it has been shown that most babies do not sleep well in rooms that are rendered in yellow. Color holds a lot of cards on how people feel; it is suggested, for example, that orange is a very stimulating color, great for creating productivity and activity when stabilized by whites and blacks. Greens are supposed to be very calming. “Red raises a room’s energy level… and blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. That’s why it’s considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Neutrals help balance a room, by using more it can calm a room or using less to liven things up.” (http://freshome.com/2007/04/17/room-color-and-how-it-affects-your-mood/) By utilizing color schemes that enhance the appropriate reaction for the purpose of a room, I will be able to accomplish as a designer better living and business environments for my clients. To use color appropriately I can enhance the spaces’ experience. In order to enhance a space’s experience I might use orange, for example, for a gym or an accent wall in a work environment as it is a color that ‘stimulates and motivates,’ or green and natural tones to create relaxation in a bedroom with just hints of bright colors to off set it. By using color theory to enhance a room I can guide the clients into the feel that they really want but are not sure how to achieve on their own. Furthermore, while wall colors and major furniture pieces will help set the tone of a room, I can offset the mood just slightly with alternatively colored accents so that no one room is too heavily weighed in one emotion. By offsetting the major color of a room with splashes of contrasting and complimentary colors, an aesthetically pleasing movement throughout will be achieved as well as will make no one room too extreme in its attempts to dictate an emotion. Using a core color, offset and enhanced by accessories and accents will make sure that a Blue room is calming but not so much so that it makes the client sluggish, or a Red hue makes someone passionate but not agitated or enraged, creating environments that are moderate in their purpose. Similarly, colored accents can further be enhanced by directing them toward the client’s interests; for example if a blue accent is needed, finding a picture of somewhere the client has been on vacation or would like to go can be rendered in blue, then this article is not only achieving a color reaction but also a location reaction that will create a pleasurable experience.
-Amy Schendel
