Choosing the right color for your business or office can be quite a challenge. Colors can affect us emotionally and different hues or shades will trigger a different psychological response.
You and your employees will be spending about 8 hours a day under the influence of a particular color. That said, it’s probably best to select a hue that will have the best possible impact on both the client and the employee.
Some colors like lavender have a soothing and calming effect and can make everyone feel very relaxed. More exciting colors like red tend to excite and make people feel anxious.
In this guide, we are going to take a look at the best office colors for productivity. We’ll discuss how these hues can make your office space a much better environment to work in.
How the Best Office Colors for Productivity Can Affect Our Mood
The powerful effect that colors have on our subconscious is still being researched. Most researchers mainly focus their studies on primary colors, while the effects of secondary colors are still unclear.
A lot of research has, however, been done on the 7 colors of the rainbow since these are the most common. Here is a quick look at the emotions that these main colors can trigger.
Red
Red triggers a sense of urgency, and it’s often associated with danger. This color is used in warning signs because of the powerful effect it has on our subconscious. The bright color is also used to represent deep love and can increase energy levels. As a result, red can make you feel warm-blooded or angry.
Orange
Different shades of orange can trigger different emotions. Dark orange or golden orange tones tend to portray self-control. Bright sunny orange hues can make us feel excited and cheerful. Burnt orange, on the other hand, tends to trigger aggressive or tensive feelings.
Yellow
Yellow is a sunny color that can boost energy levels and make you feel cheerful. This color can also cause a bit of eye strain.
Green
Green resembles growth and life. This color tends to make people feel calm and soothed. Bright green colors are known to boost productivity and vitality levels.
Blue
Blue is often associated with relaxation, stability, and tranquility. This color can make your company come across as a lot more trustworthy.
Indigo
Indigo is a deep purple tone that is often associated with spirituality and wisdom. This color can also make people feel frustrated and angsty because it tends to be a little bit darker.
Violet
Violet is a color that many people associate with feminism because it gives a light-hearted and calming vibe. The playful shade tends to make businesses look more empathetic.
White
White isn’t really a color. Instead, it’s the absence of color. This hue tends to make spaces look and feel quiet and calm. This color is also associated with simplicity and is very common in businesses that prefer the minimalist trend.
The 7 Best Office Colors for Productivity
In marketing, it’s popular to use bold and exciting colors like red and yellow because these colors do tend to stand out. They trigger a powerful response from the public.
You might think that an exciting or high-energy color would enhance productivity levels, but these vivid hues often have the opposite effect in office environments. Bright colors like red can increase the speed and intensity of emotions because they raise the heart rate and enhance blood flow. These urgent and powerful emotions can make everyone feel anxious and worried.
Bright and bold colors also often lead to eye fatigue and can have an over-stimulating effect on employees. They can even start to feel overwhelmed and angry.
In most office setups, it’s much better to use a soothing color that will keep everyone cool, collected, and full of life. Here is a quick look at the best office paint colors for enhanced productivity.
Off-White
Off-white is a very good base color for walls and ceilings. White is often associated with clinical facilities, and a stark white can make people feel uneasy.
Off-white with an egg-shell finish, on the other hand, can give a warmer feel while your office will still look very light and clean. This neutral color also blends well with just about any other color and is a great selection if you are looking for something neutral to combine with an accent wall color.
Light Blue
Light blue is one of the best office colors that you can consider for office spaces. This is because blue naturally stimulates the mind. Blue is intellectually stimulating and enhances wakefulness.
Blue tones can make you feel a lot calmer and enhance your ability to focus when you are completing dull and repetitive tasks. Blue shades are often used in financial instances like banks, accounting firms, and medical facilities because the hue enhances the feeling of trust and clear communication. This explains why this color is also popular in politics.
Light Pastel Green
Green colors and looking at natural green plants tend to make us feel calm and full of energy. This color also triggers a sense of balance. Light pastel green shades can be terrific accent colors to use in an office if you want to keep everyone positive and encourage hard work.
Dark Velvety Green
Dark green tones like olive green can also be a good pick for financial industries or healthcare facilities. As with light pastel green, this darker tone enhances energy levels and makes us feel more grounded. The darker tone is, however, a little bit more soothing and can give office spaces a richer and more luxurious feel.
Teal
Teal or dark turquoise is a combination of blue and green. It’s the perfect color for enhancing productivity levels, but it shouldn’t be over-used.
Usually, it’s better to use a soft teal hue and combine it with a light gray. This combination will give a cool vibe with a nice pop of color that can make everyone feel a little bit excited about their work environment.
Gray
Gray is the ultimate wall paint color to select if you don’t know what to choose. This combination of black and white create the perfect neutral mood.
Darker gray tones can give a deeper and more professional vibe, while lighter gray can be more suitable for a brighter and more spacious feel. Light gray can also be a good alternative for medical offices that don’t want to look too stark or clinical.
Dark Orange
Orange is a very productive color because it tends to make you feel excited and full of energy. If you want to use orange in an office then you should be careful not to over-use it too much. It’s best to steer away from intense or bright orange tones.
Dark orange can be a good alternative because it isn’t too overpowering. This beautiful color can be great for an accent wall and can be combined with a more soothing tone like gray or off-white.
Use Apps for Better Color Visualization
There are quite a few colors that can be great for more economical office spaces, which can make it difficult to select the right hues. If you have a tough time selecting the right color palette then you should consider using a software app before buying some paint.
Color visualizer apps and software like Color Muse, Prestige ColorPic, and Glidden Room Visualizer are great for creating simulations of rooms or for altering room wall colors so you can get a much better idea of what the result of your project might be.
The Link Between Light and Color
Color can only play its part in your business if you can see it. It can be difficult to feel the powerful effects of color in darker offices or offices with artificial lights. If you want your wall colors to stand out and have a powerful impact, then it’s best to have lots of natural light in your office.
If you cannot get enough natural light into your space, consider investing in lots of ceiling lights, desk lights, and downlights so your spaces will be properly illuminated.
Different light hues can also affect your mood and productivity levels. Warmer, orange-colored lighting is better for bedrooms or living rooms since it makes us feel more relaxed.
In office spaces, it’s best to focus on white lights or cool blue light tones. These light hues are better for focusing and working, and will also enhance your wall colors so their effects will be more pronounced.
Final Thoughts
We hope that our guide on the best office colors for productivity makes it a little bit easier for you to choose a suitable tone for your company. You should have lots of fun refashioning your office space now!
If you are looking for other great productivity tips or advice on the best productivity apps, then we welcome you to have a look at some of our other guides on Top Productivity Apps.
