When asked which are the colours that you most associate with Christmas? Most of us are likely to say red, white and green that remind us of snow, holly and berries and also of the legendary figure of Father Christmas.

Different variations of this mysterious gift giving character we know also as Santa Claus or ‘Santa’ have existed in European folklore since before early Christian times. Typifying the spirit of the season, this mythical and historical figure dates back at least as far as the 17th century here in Britain. Surviving pictures of Santa from that era portray him as a portly bearded man dressed in a long, green fur-lined robe!

The red and white images of Father Christmas that are most commonly used today first found popularity in the mid to late nineteenth century in the U.S.A.  Research shows that Coca-cola was not the first soft drink company to use the image of red and white Santa in its advertising. White Rock Beverages used these colours to promote their mineral water in 1915 and ginger ale in 1923. However, it is acknowledged that the massive Coca-Cola campaigns have been largely responsible for the modern red and white Santa image now so ingrained in the public psyche.

But aside from these more commercial associations with red, white and green, we also respond instinctively to the seasonal colours of winter. The brightness and crisp whiteness of snow represents clarity, illumination and renewal. With the warmth of red we associate passion, energy and survival, and a deep pine green relaxes and reassures us.

Catching sight of some of the TV advertising and media for McDonald’s recently, I am fascinated by the latest strategy of the brand to place itself in the market as a more wholesome option for ‘fast food’. A sponsor for this year’s Olympic Games, McDonald’s aims to promote balanced options for its ‘Happy Meals’, including fruit, vegetable and dairy choices.

The last few years has seen McDonald’s image suffer as a result of unfavourable publicity and claims that alerted the public to its food being a leading cause of obesity. McDonald’s has since been working to rebrand itself as more health conscious by offering more healthy food options.

The two colours we associate with the global brand are red and yellow.  The combination of red (energy, speed, activity) and yellow (emotions, confidence) directly communicates to us that in McDonald’s restaurants we can be instantly satiated; get, eat and go. So far, so good.

Except…that it might not have escaped your notice but McDonald’s have also been busy updating their restaurants and have been changing the familiar red shop fronts to a very dark green. Presumably the thinking behind McDonald’s decision to get (heavy handed) with the green in their restaurant design is to influence our perception of the restaurant as offering wholesome food?

We associate particular variations of green with balance and health. However, my thoughts are that the colour green used for the new shop fronts is far too dark and heavy, and there’s far too much of it. The colour is not attractive enough to draw us in, as like a dark green sludgy pool, it looks entirely unappealing.  The McDonald’s yellow ‘M’ logo along with ‘McDonalds’ name in white (hygiene, purity) now look entirely incongruous.

Who are McDonald’s now? What do they want to be known as – a fast food restaurant offering healthier alternatives or a wholefood restaurant? Interestingly, the food promotions page on the website http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/promotions.html show a palette of colours that work far better to convey a more wholesome message, and has fresher appeal whilst still keeping in the ‘spirit’ of the brand. Using some of these colours in the design of the shop fronts would have updated it successfully whilst still working with the red and yellow logo.  The ‘healthier’ values of the brand would have been maintained whilst keeping visual integrity.

By sacrificing the well-recognised  red and yellow shop fronts, will McDonald’s be in danger of losing the public perception of the brand as a bright, lively place to get fast food?  Instead, increasingly unrecognisable, will it eventually become overlooked on the high street altogether?

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we use it to influence the world around us?

Exploring Colour in Your World – A one day introductory workshop in to colour psychology with Bernay Laity Saturday July 21st 2012  Click here for more information and to book

Eyebrow raising research recently published in the Journal of Social Psychology confirms how the colour of clothing can have a powerful influence on how men perceive the opposite sex.

A survey of 120 male students conducted by researchers at the University of South Brittany, were asked to look at  images of a woman wearing a series of  red, blue, green and white tops. The woman was perceived to be the most attractive when wearing the red top. Furthermore, most thought that a woman wearing red was more likely to agree to sex.

Interestingly similar findings were reported from colour research by the University of Rochester (2010) which found that women were more likely to be sexually attracted to men wearing red. (See article Red Alert!)

While wearing blue will very likely communicate that you are trustworthy, green that you are even-tempered or ‘chilled,’ and white communicates a kind of ‘hands off’ purity (!); there is no doubt that any person, male or female is certainly likely to be noticed wearing red. Its physical effect is to increase stamina and energy, our ‘drive’ and motivation. Therefore any hopeful males (and females) will be subconsciously switched on to this strong colour signal that arouses interest and……yes, possibly passion!

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a recently completed project that I worked on last summer. Applewood is a respite care facility built in the community in Tadworth, Surrey by Surrey County Council for children and young people with disabilities aged 5-18 years. Accompanying me was Susannah Mathieson, National Account Services Manager for Dulux who was interested to see how I had used colour on this project.

When working with colour psychology the key to selecting a palette of colours is to identify the ‘colour personality’ of the environment. What is it used for – who will be using the space and how? A family of colours is then selected accordingly that best captures, expresses and supports the required qualities of the environment. The brief from Pat Williams, manager of Applewood was to create a bright, lively, fun and ‘funky’ living accommodation that would inspire the young guests who will be able to stay at the facility for between 2 and 6 nights

To convey these qualities and the feel that Applewood wanted to create I specified colours that had warm, clear and bright characteristics. The ‘personality’ of this family of fresh spring colours captures perfectly the qualities of youth, vitality, energy, creativity, activity, motivation and fun! It also identifies particularly well with professions, institutions or businesses linked with children and ‘youth’.

I then looked at the individual colours to select the ones which would best support an activity or create an ambience within each particular room. For example in the recreation rooms where the youngsters would be perhaps socialising and conducting activities I specified yellow to encourage optimism and confidence. Other colours I specified for the Applewood palette were green, turquoise, purple, orange and blue. Each of these colours selected contribute to an upbeat and engaging environment both for the young people staying at Applwood and for the staff working there.

Interior Designers – Would you like to learn how to apply the power of colour in to interior design? Our courses may be just what you’re looking for! http://www.incolourconsultancy.com/interiors_training_in_colour.htm

I had a request from Nick to take a look at his website www.purepaint.co.uk as he feels the green page background is a bit ‘dull’ and taking a look around the site there is a bright, fresh feel about the other images. There’s still a good case for keeping the green as this colour accurately reflects the environment -friendly credentials of Nick’s business, the paints he uses are non toxic and natural. The Purepaint logo colours are from the autumnal palette which express the qualities of ‘integrity’ and ‘passion’ that Nick wishes to convey about Purepaint.

So – how to brighten it up? I’ve suggested that Nick look at some more yellow versions of green but of course keeping them within the same colour family, perhaps something like Pantone 367, 368, 376. There is a similar green in the Purepaint logo.

The addition of a yellow element adds some optimism and confidence to the green nicely reflecting Nick’s personality and values I think!

Have a look at our colour and communication design page to see how colour can affect the way you communicate.