Color Means Everything in Design

So, you just got a new remote job. You’ve been yearning for an office makeover. Now you have an excuse to paint the walls a different color. With so many possibilities, you want to make sure you select carefully. The color you pick could affect your daily mood, state of your creativity or even your appetite.  

Some businesses rely on color as a secret weapon to productivity. When Adobe was designing their new corporate building, they used three distinct color schemes in separate parts of the building that each represent a different purpose. The blue zone is work-focused; green is for collaboration; and orange is for building community and social interaction.  

When it comes to your personal office space, you could think like Adobe. Or you could pretend like you’re designing an app. You just want to make sure the color scheme represents the mood (or purpose) of your brand. 

Let’s look at my Younity app, for example. I selected a muted green and purple for a couple of reasons. Green exudes peacefulness and balance, while purple conveys a sense of wisdom and spirituality. When people come to the app, I want to make sure they feel relaxed and stress-free the get-go.

In Swift Gifts, I chose much bolder colors – yellow, turquoise and pink.

Yellow = Happiness and cheer. I wanted shoppers to be in a good mood so that they’d buy items in the application.

Pink = Optimism and friendliness. I wanted shoppers to feel comfortable about finding gifts for their friends.   

Turquoise = Tranquility and contentment. I wanted users to feel a sense of calmness when searching for items for themselves or others. 

Speaking of turquoise, as you can probably tell from my online portfolio and resume, I love it! It could be because it combines two of my favorite colors – green and blue. It’s also the color of my birthstone. From a psychological perspective, it clears thinking and radiates a positive energy, which characterizes my personality.

So, back to your new office. What colors are you considering? Red for power, confidence and energy? Orange for clarity, encouragement and creativity? Purple for leadership, intuitiveness and power?

If it were me, I’d choose a color that makes me feel good, creative, positive and motivated.

Need to do more research? Canva is an exceptional resource where you can view color combinations, meanings, history, hex codes and much, much more.

I’ve also created a handy-dandy infographic (below) that you’re welcome to pin on that new bulletin board you hang up after your walls are dry.