Color Therapy: How to Choose Colors for Impact, Influence & Identity

Just like music, color impacts our lives and influences our moods. This is definitely not a new concept. Businesses and hospitals often use color in their workspaces to enhance productivity and for healing purposes.

We often use color subconsciously in our everyday lives. When we get dressed in the morning, we may not realize how much color influences our choices. We may select certain colors and outfits according to how we feel. 

If we do not want to attract attention or be noticed, we may choose to wear neutral of darker clothing. If the weather is gloomy, cold or rainy, we may choose black, gray or browns. On those blah days, you may tend to wear comfy clothing or colors that speak to your mood. 

However, we also use color when we want to be taken seriously such as attending a job interview, first date or special event. In those cases, we may tone down our colors with formal attire in neutrals like navy blue, black, gray or beige and accessorize with red, green or purple which is known for power, prosperity, and royalty.

Brighter colors provide vitality and energy while warmer colors such as reds, oranges, and yellows are great to boost positive vibes. Cool colors like blue, purple or green provide a calming, serene and relaxing effect.

Pastels are great to soften and soothe your mood too. Lavender, baby blues or cotton candy pinks presents a gentle, peaceful atmosphere.

When you decide to brand your small business by creating a website, landing page, logo or banner, you should consider the color selection very carefully.

Colors represent your brand just as much as the images and content on the page. It weaves your brand identity altogether. 

The colors you choose to represent your brand reflects your personality and attributes to the overall identity of your products or services. To learn more about how color influences your branding message, just click here.

For a quick cheat sheet on color therapy, click here. 

Not only does color reflect your identity, each color also has its own definition and meaning. When selecting a color or combination of colors, you should be aware of what each color speaks to your audience. You can find a dictionary of color meanings, just click here.

For more art inspiration, follow my "Color Therapy" Pinterest board here.