In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton was the one who discovered that a beam of “white” sunlight is composed of colors using a triangular glass prism.
Writings on the effects and fleeting nature of color are extensive. Just as it is difficult for most individuals to hum middle C without the aid of a piano, it is difficult for one to define an exact color from a few feet away due to the overall context, including surrounding surfaces and light conditions.
You have to remember that colors are an element of design that is subject to change because of the natural and/or artificial light in an interior environment, as well as on the surface qualities of materials in the space.
Numerous myths and preconceptions exist about the effects of colors.
One study on how color can have a positive effect on one’s psyche is the pink prison experiment from the late 1970s (Schauss, 1979). According to the study, when inmates in Seattle, Washington, were placed in bright pink prison cells, they exhibited less aggressive traits.The findings became so widely accepted that many prisons in Canada and the U.S. immediately painted their cells the same bright pink color. However, when the same experiment was repeated a couple of years later by a researcher at York University in Toronto, the same tranquilizing effects were not detected.
The new conclusion was that the novelty of the color change generated the less aggressive effect. These findings are questionable; many of the notions about colors making people feel calm or depressed are outdated.
Although color is an integral part of design, very little empirical evidence exists to support some of the popularly held ideas about the effects of color on task performance, worker productivity, and human psychology.
Creating office work spaces that are inviting, uplifting, and energetic is a worthy design goal.
A recent study shows that the most used office color is white and the workers were less productive in a totally white office then in any other office colors. This can happen because it actually is the most common used color.
Offices painted in predominatly vivid colors are usually associated with negative effects and less productivity.
Studies shows that the prefered color to increase office productivity is light blue-green. (Brill, 1984, 1985)
Resources:
Implications, Vol 5, Issue 1. InformDesign UMN Edu
Studies on Colors in Office Interior Design
Writings on the effects and fleeting nature of color are extensive. Just as it is difficult for most individuals to hum middle C without the aid of a piano, it is difficult for one to define an exact color from a few feet away due to the overall context, including surrounding surfaces and light conditions.
You have to remember that colors are an element of design that is subject to change because of the natural and/or artificial light in an interior environment, as well as on the surface qualities of materials in the space.
Numerous myths and preconceptions exist about the effects of colors.
One study on how color can have a positive effect on one’s psyche is the pink prison experiment from the late 1970s (Schauss, 1979). According to the study, when inmates in Seattle, Washington, were placed in bright pink prison cells, they exhibited less aggressive traits.The findings became so widely accepted that many prisons in Canada and the U.S. immediately painted their cells the same bright pink color. However, when the same experiment was repeated a couple of years later by a researcher at York University in Toronto, the same tranquilizing effects were not detected.
The new conclusion was that the novelty of the color change generated the less aggressive effect. These findings are questionable; many of the notions about colors making people feel calm or depressed are outdated.
Although color is an integral part of design, very little empirical evidence exists to support some of the popularly held ideas about the effects of color on task performance, worker productivity, and human psychology.
A recent study shows that the most used office color is white and the workers were less productive in a totally white office then in any other office colors. This can happen because it actually is the most common used color.
Offices painted in predominatly vivid colors are usually associated with negative effects and less productivity.
Studies shows that the prefered color to increase office productivity is light blue-green. (Brill, 1984, 1985)
Resources:
Implications, Vol 5, Issue 1. InformDesign UMN Edu