A recent small colour survey I conducted turned up some interesting results on colour attitudes and preferences.

Blue and red featured as commonly chosen favourite colours. Interestingly both are of course two ‘primary’ colours with different effects. Red relates to the physical self and as I spoke about in the previous blog article, relates to qualities of strength, stamina, courage etc. Whereas blue is the colour of the mind – our intellect and its qualities relate to thought, logic and trust. Colour psychology might interpret these two colour choices as representing two different personality types – one that is an active ‘doer’ (red) and one that is a planner and ‘thinker’ (blue).

Although purple was more often cited as a least favourite colour, yellow was the colour that was most mentioned as the colour people feel they ‘don’t suit’ and I have found this quite a common attitude among clients I have worked with. Here in the UK of course we don’t benefit from too much of the sunshine stuff and I think in some way that fact is mirrored perhaps by the lingering attitude of ‘GBR’ – Great British Reticence? Our inherent inhibited traits mean we’re not usually given to drawing attention to ourselves and displays of overt behaviour and there’s no doubt about it – yellow is the sunny, confident, ‘here I am’ ego colour!

Now although blue and red appear to be our more favoured colours, curiously it still seems that black is most highly favoured as a colour in which to dress ourselves. Around 57% of participants in the survey feel that it is ‘easy to wear’ colour and 43% claim to have at least up to 5 items of black clothing/accessories in their wardrobe! But why when we have so much other choice of colour available? Popular opinion holds the view that black can be seen as glamorous, sophisticated, efficient and serious, maybe ‘cool’ even. What I’m interested to know is this, is it because fashion/trends perpetuate the perceived benefits and allure of black? Or are we less confident about experimenting with other colours that suit us?

Previous blog articles you might be interested in……

Red Alert!

Purple Power

The message behind black

Recent research from the University of Rochester suggests that men pictured wearing or surrounded by the colour red are found to be more attractive or sexually appealing by women. The study also noted that women perceived men wearing red T-shirts to have a higher status than those wearing blue T-shirts.

Superman - brains and brawn then?

Considered the ‘male energy’ colour, the impact of red is on the physical self. It motivates, increases energy, stamina and courage. Red is our ‘drive’ – our get up and go, so it’s perhaps no surprise that this colour might signal to the girls an alpha male quality whilst blue communicates logic, thought, authority and trust. We have quite literally a choice between brains or brawn!

See the full ‘Women attracted to men in red’ article as appears in Yahoo! Lifestyle

More about the study at the University of Rochester

Learn more about the ’super powers’ of colour! in:colour training and workshops

Have you noticed between rails of sale goods the first trickle of the new autumn stock? At least 2 years ago trend forecasters will have provided designers and retailers with the research and ‘trend intelligence’ that have influenced what we currently see on the clothes rails.

Observations of cultural and social developments and socio-economic changes influence the future choices of the style, colours, shapes and textures that we are wearing today.  Autumn/Winter 2010/11 trend/colour palettes fall broadly in to three categories given similar themed names by forecasters that for the most part will be repeated for 2011/12 trends too. Below is a snapshot of the upcoming trends with a my take on each of the colour palettes, what moods or feelings they evoke and what type of personality would suit the trends.

image thanks to www.millionlooks.com

A/W 2010-11 Tribe/Origins/Primal: These earthy, warm, yellow based, muted, intense, fiery shades communicate qualities of passion, friendship/kinship, environmental concern, culture, spiritual and values. The ‘native’ styling trend influences the fabrics, textures and detail. In 2011-12 the ‘natural’ print theme becomes more ‘camouflage’ and animal inspired! The look is relaxed, natural and comfortable and quite suited to the autumn-linked personality.

A/W 2010-11 Order/Cleanse/innovate: These clear, blue based, strong contrasting saturated colours or icy tints are ‘forward thinking’ and communicate technology, science and the avante-garde. Luxurious fabrics, almost futuristic, structured and sculpted design lends itself to the drama of the winter personality.

A/W 2010-11 Escape/synergy: These cool, blue based, greyish, muted soft tones communicate harmony, simplicity, escapism, balance, elegance, aspiration and quality. Dream-like, these soft, fluid shapes and the exquisite detailing lend themselves to the summer personality beautifully.

With thanks to www.mudpie.co.uk for trend information.

New! Autumn course dates – click the links or contact us for further details

The study of colour psychology is a fascinating subject and whether for personal development or to add an in depth understanding of the subject to add another dimension to your professional skills, in:colour offer a variety of courses and workshops to suit you.

Workshops – coming up

The power of colour psychology – an introductory 2 day workshop in to the world of colour psychology

Colour your business – 1 day workshop on how to use colour effectively in your branding and business communications

The secrets of colour - this 1 day workshop for stylists and fashion professionals adds depth and understanding to your knowledge of colour, which will enhance your client consultations

Autumn courses

Personal colour psychology consultant - become a personal and lifestyle colour psychology consultant

Colour psychology for interior design – discover how to use colour psychology to improve your clients environment

Colour psychology for design and communication - use the language and power of colour psychology to improve your marketing communications

Have you planned your getaway for the summer holidays yet?

Colour by numbers - the Pantone Hotel

In my pursuit of colourful design ideas my attention was drawn this week to the Pantone Hotel in Brussels. The ‘Pantone Hotel Experience’ invites you to travel to a “colorific world – experienced through a lens of colour and spectrum of comforts”. The design ethos is described as an ‘exceptional use of contrast where a white canvas provides clean space for saturated colours to pop’.

Quite startling in design, definition and drama are certainly created by the space and reflective qualities of white married with intense bursts of colour in the furnishings and artwork.

The feeling among many designers of different disciplines about including white in design is that it adds impeccable, classy, elegant, clean, simple, peaceful, sophisticated qualities; whilst making other colours in its space appear more intense and vibrant. As white doesn’t alter the reflection of light from its surface it will appear ‘bright’ compared to its surroundings and appear to open up a space.

Citrus at the Semiramus

Another eye popping colourful hotel worth a look is the Semiramis in Athens. Designed by Karim Rashid the look is ultra contemporary and I like the way that colour is used to define space. The colour palettes are sugared almond  (complete with squishy looking marshmallow chairs in the lobby!) or bright and citrusy countered with a lot of white.

Other colourful hotels worth a look are the Mykonos Theoxenia, Greece and the Hi Hotel in Nice

Want to brighten up your space? The Dulux Light & Space range offer a range of ‘whites’ (with a hint of colour) that reflect up to twice as much light around a room.

I was asked this week by a journalist about suitable colours for ‘men’s bedrooms’. Should there be a difference in the way that men or women decorate their bedroom?

Well… yes and no.

I had to comment a few years ago on the décor chosen by a TV designer for just such a room. Whilst it ticked all the boxes for gadgets and hardware, the colour scheme used for everything from the walls, to the floor to the bedlinen was red and black. Everywhere.

We respond to combinations of colour. The heated energy of red together with the power and mystery of black could be perhaps one of the most uncomfortable pairings I can think of for a bedroom. The interviewer was waiting and I was kind of lost for words as I was thinking that most female of the species when seduced in to this lair would want to run for their lives.

It can be a common mistake to go for what we might associate with ‘male’ or ‘female’ colours when the better approach to take would be to ask yourself how you actually use the room. Sometimes our bedroom can be more than just somewhere we go to sleep and then wake up to dress for the day.  It can be our personal sanctuary to read, meditate and relax. Consider how well you sleep, do you wake up refreshed and ready to go in the morning? Do you study or watch TV in your room? A tint or less intense shade of the colour that you wish to use can enable you to fall asleep more easily, and then balance it with a secondary colour that is stimulating enough to wake up to. Much like creating a

sensual and romantic?

recipe for a favourite dish, interior decoration requires a careful balance between the ‘ingredients’ of colour.

Shades, tints or tones of pink/peach are physically soothing. The more orangey they are the more ‘sensual’ they can seem and this could be quite an attractive quality to have in a bedroom.

calming but too cool?

Light blue which can be calming for the mind whereas the right colour green can be refreshing and restorative.

However be aware. Yellow although a bright, cheery colour is also emotionally stimulating and it’s quite likely that you may find it more difficult to drop off to sleep than usual. If you don’t want to banish yellow all together and quite like seeing it in the morning for it’s ‘wakey wakey’ properties then I would suggest keeping it on one wall and painting the others using a balancing colour in your room such as a soft or toning purple which will make it much more restful.

Find out about an interior colour consultation for your home

NEW – Bookable online spring/summer  workshops!

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we harness its benefits? The Power of Colour Psychology Weekend Workshop 24th/25th July

If colour is a language – what are the colours of your business communications saying about you? Colour Your Business Workshop 8th June and 6th July