Green sparks creativity, red reduces analytical thinking, blue is most accepted and our favorite, pink, is a very calming color.  Color theory in psychology has had little research-supported findings, most being anecdotal and subjective or based on the cultural context that it comes from. What is known is that  color evokes an emotional response.  In fact, up to 90% of our judgements about a product or experience are based on color alone.

Now imagine your last corporate retreat or offsite meeting.  What emotions were filling the room?  Was the energy something positive, vivid and exciting?  Or was it a dull color of grey?  According to research, color outlines that personality of the product or the event.  We see the orange of the Home Depot sign and know that it means value, the excitement and boldness of the Target logo, and a feeling of dependability and trust in blue when we see HP, IBM, Dell, Twitter or Facebook.  But how can these feelings shape our environment?

According to Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s research in The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective, they outline how our brains see color and light.  When we are exposed to a new environment, we try to cognitively match the new environment with experiences that we have had from the past.   Using color, we can draw attention to important objects or ideas and cement the ideas that are flowing in the memory of the attendee.  Meeting and event spaces, like those at our Meet locations, cater to many different experiences. The use of more saturated hues, or bright colors, amplifies the effects of each event.  People are drawn to warmer colors, like those in the Wisteria Wing at our Madison Square Park meeting space, Meet on Madison, making that space ideal for creation and comfort.  The textures on the walls may also invoke the same emotions that the colors do.

Whether you want to believe that purple makes people feel creative and wise or not, there is no mistaking that color creates opportunities for people to connect with ideas.