Greetings, color enthusiasts across the globe!

How does color—something so seemingly abstract—affect your love life, the value of your home AND your work pay at once? How does it measurably boost your productivity and mood? Today we’re delving into 10 potent ways that color affects your everyday life.

Let’s talk about love.

Do you know why red sells so well? Succinctly put, it turns us on. It’s glitzy, attention grabbing, pulse accelerating, potent and unrelenting. It’s downright sexy, which is why women wearing red are perceived to be considerably more attractive to men.

Want to make a lasting impression on a first date? Don’t consider just any shade of red, but wear your ideal red hue based on your unique skin undertone, hair and eye coloring.

There’s a whole field of color dedicated to this color science: namely, personal color analysis, and in fact I come from that world myself. For years I would dissect for women (and occasionally men) their ideal color palettes in wardrobe, cosmetics, makeup and accessories.

For those curious about personal color analysis, please head over to my favorite color colleague (and color mentor and trainer) of all time, Darin Wright of eleablake. Darin is a master colorist who offers completely customized personal color analysis along with hand crafted cosmetics in your perfectly harmonizing hues. She is the NUMBER ONE TRENDSETTER in the field of personal color analysis. Period.

Creativity and productivity

Our bodies respond physiologically to color, and science has proven that certain shades ignite our creativity and productivity.

Red is a color to prompt us to act and quickly.

Orange and yellow spark creative thinking and innovation, so they’re perfect for entrepreneurs and those in creatively driven professions.

Blues and greens soothe the eyes and mind, so they are perfect when you need to hunker down and concentrate on completing those administrative or repetitive tasks.

Studies have shown that green lowers respiratory rates and almost immediately calms the body and mind. I frankly love to take nature walks after major creative, brainstorming sessions to regain calm and balance.

Professional appearance: Sales, job interviews, professional presentations

We are our own best advocates or worst enemies depending on our attire colors. The right colors that harmonize with our skin undertones will make us appear more healthy, competent, attractive, youthful, intelligent, polished and successful. Yes, color does all of that and more!

Salary negotiations

This is a KEY area for color. Colors to consider wearing on a day you’re negotiating for a pay raise are blues, blue greens and purples. Why? Navy in particular and other deep blues are considered to be trustworthy colors. Add a pop of warmth and approachability with corals and soft pinks. Steer clear of red for salary negotiations, though, as it can be perceived as aggression. The best colors to wear are always the ones that harmonize with your personal coloring. (See the beginning of the post for my reference to personal color analysis!)

Home and other property values

Architectural color consulting as you know is my specialty! My task for any residential or commercial property being listed for sale or occupancy is to APPRECIATE PROPERTY VALUE. Yes, color is the silent marketer, and especially in real estate.

So many factors are considered when specifying colors, materials and finishes. Here at LFB Color, we evaluate the competition (other comparable properties), intended buyers or property occupants, regional color trends and preferences, and a real estate investor’s brand, image and positioning in the marketplace. Color is branding and without it you have NO real estate or construction project.

Mood

Studies abound on the power of color to set a mood and evoke all types of emotions. Just do a Google search on this one, friends. Color psychology is its own science and area of study.

Appetite

We are told to eat a colorful diet for nutritional purposes, aren’t we? “Eat the rainbow” is an expression you’ll hear in health driven circles, and there is truth to it.

From an appetite perspective, though, colors such as orange stimulate appetite. Yes, there’s a physiological response to color that we experience as humans. How powerful is that?!

Making your house feel like a home

Here again is our specialty at LFB Color Consulting. We turn blank walls into swaths of luxurious, comforting color for homeowners. We set a mood and create the aesthetic that our clients request. We translate their vision of a cozy, livable home into a reality with our color, material, finishes and fabric selections.

What you’re willing to spend on goods and services

I will repeat that color is the silent marketer, and its use in products and packaging can elevate the perceived value of the entire product line. This is another area in which we have consulted. It involves extensive research in end user or consumer behavior and color perception, positioning against business competition, and even how naming product colors impacts pricing and perceived value. It’s both science and art!

Business and brand perception

This goes hand in hand with the above point. Not only is color selection for branding, logos and packaging important to effectively position and market a business important, but so is color accuracy on all digital and print platforms. Take Tiffany & Co.’s iconic blue. That trademarked blue MUST look the same in packaging, store fronts and digital platforms. Any inconsistency in color jeopardizes the reputation and integrity of the brand!

There you have it, colorful friends! I’ve only scratched the surface of the ways color impacts us daily, but above are 10 key ways to begin your color education.

Colorfully yours,

Lauren B.