Colour and Shape Psychology

I began my MA interior design, with a 'clear' (so to speak!) idea of how I expected my project to shape and where it will go.

My plan was to design a home office, due to the life changing affect COVID-19 had on many workers up and down the UK.

For the majority, workers very quickly had to change their routine and adapt their homes to cater for home offices and in many cases, classrooms too. Working from home became the new norm, but how did workers adapt their homes? What could designers do to help workers have the best possible space to be proactive and concentrate all day.

I decided to explore how both colour and shape psychology may effect a person's mood and ability to work. I came across a really interesting article on LinkedIn, by Rob Postema, which looked into the psychology behind both shapes and colours. I found it fascinating that shapes and colour can determine how we feel and function. For example, that a circles are considering friendly and n0n-threatening, unlike a triangle which is seen as powerful and defiant.

I have always been fascinated by colour psychology, ever since reading 'The little book of colour' by Karen Haller. For instance, how we all perceive colour differently. For instance, some may see certain shades as an aqua blue say, whereas others may see it as a jade green. This difference does not necessarily mean one is right and the other wrong, it simply depends on our experience and how much exposure we have had to a colour. Haller also explains how colours can make us feel and why we may be drawn to some colours more and the reasons why. For example, green creates a sense of harmony and a restful environment. Light blue creates a feeling of calm and serenity, while dark blue aids focus and concentration.

Using my knowledge of colour and shape psychology, I began to apply this within a office setting. Therefore, I thought about what colours would be best for concentration and how to incorporate them into a design. When researching, I came across a really interesting journal article which conducted a meta-analysis of colour psychology within the workplace. The findings suggested that most office workers, when initially asked, preferred their offices to be white and very simple. However, when observing productivity levels, workers were able to concentrate for much longer periods of time and produce greater work when studying in green rooms. In fact, white and red rooms seemed to lower concentrate levels. This may be due to the clinical connotation white may have as a colour, limiting creativity. Furthermore, red, is quite an aggressive and angry colour, which had little benefit on improving concentration.

For me, I wanted to ensure my design considered the importance of colour psychology. The colours I hope to use in my work are empathetic and will benefit workers.

References and Further Ideas:

Colour Psychology in the workpalce.pdf

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The psychology behind shapes and colors .

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Harriet Doody Interim Presentation- Sem .

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