Color Psychology

The first thing you think of while renovating your home or office space is colour! After all, it adds a personality to your space and reflects your psyche! But have you thought about the impact colour has on you? This month, let’s understand the concept of colour psychology from none other than Krsnaa Mehta

How does color impact the kind of mood setting in a room? What primary color palettes should designers look at while designing modern and contemporary homes?

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Colour plays an important role in setting the mood of the room. Every room has a purpose and must speak your personality. While choosing colours for your room, the purpose must be clear. Post which, you must balance the natural light element along with the colour you are choosing. Rooms with an abundance of natural light can have darker shades, while rooms with lesser natural light can have lighter tones. The colour palettes of the generation are very energetic and designers are making note of the changing trends. I would suggest experimenting with colours. Light & dark tones in the same room will make the room look more modern contemporary. Make sure the colours you choose speak your personality. Add a wallpaper if necessary.

Can certain colors make you work harder?

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The way you dress, the colours you wear to work all depends on how you feel. So, if you are in colours that you like, you are enthusiastic & are likely to be more productive and vice-versa. So, yes, indirectly, colours do make you work harder.

What could be the reasons that temples in ancient India used only particular colours? Is there a link between spirituality and colour psychology?

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Colours have always had a symbolic meaning in temples. Even true today to a certain extent. Blue is the colour of all-inclusiveness. If we see, Shiva, Rama and Krishna have blue skin. It’s not that their skin was blue, they were referred to as blue gods because they had a blue aura. Red on the other hand is the colour of sensuality and purity in Hindu religion. The red mark is often put on foreheads during Hindu ceremonies and important occasions. Honestly, in my opinion, there isn’t a link between spirituality and colour psychology. It’s all in the head.

Researches state men and women also differ in perspective to a colour. So when designing a product, what is best? Look at the gender of your consumer or to adopt a unisex approach?

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Perspectives for every individual is different. Having said that, these inferences come from the knowhow of men and women. There are chances that the genders look at particular colours differently and there is no right or wrong in that. It is a personal choice. When designing, go by your judgement! Depends on the product, if a gender agnostic colours can be used, fair, if not, then adapt a unisex approach.

Studies state that men and women see the colour 'Red' differently. Do you believe so? If yes, how do we use the colour if we have to create a gender agnostic design in Red?

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Colours are the same, the perspectives are different. And of course, if your eyes have power, then they may look blurry. Lol. You would never want to create a gender agnostic design in red. It would be loud and unpleasant. Instead, you could look at mellowing down the design by blending it with other tones or by adding a shade of white. Depends what you have thought and the product the design is going to be featured on.

I have a friend, who has a child with special needs. She has been trying to re-do his room to cheer him up. She is worried that a wrong selection of colours might adversely impact his mood. Are there any guidlines she must follow?

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I would recommend cool and calm tones. Teals, blues. A big no for hot tones.

Can you share an instances of when colour played an unusual role in your designs?

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Colour always plays an unusual role. For me, it has been a planned experiment. I have loved giving a personality to the combination of a bold & calm colour. So, I won't exactly say that they have played unusual roles. What colour you choose depends on your personality and the role it plays will vary accordingly.

As a designer, do you follow colour trends at all?

Loud vs Sombre colours - what, in your opinion, is better for enhancing office productivity?

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Depends on your personality. You can play with a few loud colours, but I personally would advise playing extensively with sombre colours