Colour psychology is the branch of science that studies how colours affect humans. It has all kinds of practical applications, particularly with regard to business.

Colours have been proven to influence human emotions and perceptions and, hence behaviour. This means that it makes sense to leverage colour psychology for your choice of personalised workwear colours. 

Colour psychology and colour theory

Colour psychology and colour theory are interconnected but separate disciplines. Colour psychology focuses on understanding how different colours influence humans. It draws on disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, and sociology. Its aim is to understand the relationships between colour, the human brain and human behaviour. 

Colour theory focuses on the relationship between colours. It is based on the colour wheel, which arranges colours according to their hue and saturation. Its aim is to make it possible to create combinations of colours that deliver a specific effect. Colour theory recognises the emotional impact of colours but does not analyse the reasons for it. 

Choosing business colours often requires a combination of colour psychology and colour theory. The colour psychology is applied first. It determines which colours might be suitable for the impact you want to create. Colour theory then allows you to narrow down this list until you find the absolute best colour choices for your needs. 

The basics of colour psychology 

All colours can be divided into warm, cool, or neutral hues. Warm hues (like red and orange) are energetic. This means that they have a stimulating effect. Cool hues (like blue and green) are restful. This means that they have a relaxing effect. Neutral colours (such as black, white, and grey) are passive. Their effect, therefore, depends largely on context. 

The same hue can be produced in different levels of saturation. Essentially, saturation describes the intensity of the hue. The less saturated a hue is, the more it leans to grey. The more saturated a hue is, the brighter and more intense it is. Changes in saturation can make a huge difference to the impact of a colour. 

For example, pink and red are both the same hue. Both are warm colours, and both are associated with love. Pink, however, is less saturated than red. This makes its impact much less intense. As a result, pink is commonly associated with the gentle, romantic side of love whereas red is associated with its fiery, passionate side. 

As a rule of thumb, if a colour has an obvious link with something familiar, it is perceived as a reflection of it. For example, green and brown have obvious links with nature (e.g., grass and soil). They are therefore widely perceived as soothing, restful colours. In many cases, the perception will be reflected in the colour’s common name e.g., electric blue. 

Colour psychology and culture 

A lot of colour psychology is universally applicable but not all of it. Some interpretations of colours are highly culturally dependent. This can pose something of a challenge if you deal with international customers. 

There are two potential ways to address this challenge. The first is to avoid it by sticking wholly or mainly to neutrals such as grey. The second is to do your research and/or hire help so you can incorporate colour safely into your workwear. 

Choosing the right colours for your business workwear 

When choosing the right colour for your business workwear, it can help to start at a high level and work down to the details. This means that your first consideration should generally be the industry you work in. 

Certain industries routinely use certain colours. It’s often advisable to stick with these as they generally become popular for a reason. For example, white is often used in environments where it’s important to demonstrate good hygiene (e.g., kitchens). If you do decide to buck the trend, then it’s important to do so mindfully.

Then think about your brand’s identity and message. In particular, think about how you set yourself apart from the competition. For example, when easyJet burst onto the airline scene in the mid-1990s, its vibrant orange branding immediately set it clearly apart from the established airlines. Ever since, it's made disruptive energy and irreverence part of its brand identity. 

Finally, think about your target audience. This will generally be (potential) customers and (potential) staff. Ask yourself if there are any colours that will particularly resonate with them either positively or negatively. Then ask yourself if this resonance is the result of a short-term trend or if it’s likely to have a long-term impact. 

Making your final colour choices 

Most brands use two or three colours for their branding and workwear. This is enough to allow for creativity while also keeping everything fairly simple. Blending colours effectively requires a basic knowledge of colour theory. It also helps to follow these three guiding principles. 

Choose colours that look good on different people 

Your workwear is going to be worn by people of all different skin colours, hair types, shapes, and sizes. It needs to look good on all of them. This tends to mean sticking with neutrals or colours with low saturation for most of the uniform. You can then use pops of more intense colours to add interest if you wish.  

Choose colours that are consistently popular 

Once you’ve chosen your brand colours, you generally want to stick with them indefinitely. You might update them now and again, but you usually want to avoid complete reworks. That means it’s generally advisable to stick with colours that are consistently popular both throughout the year and over the years. It’s safest to avoid seasonal trend colours. If, however, you really want to use them, keep them for small items such as hats. 

Create a cohesive colour scheme 

Be very careful about clashing colours especially if you’re using patterned workwear. Clashing colours can look amazing in photographs as they are very impactful. The problem is that their impact stems from the visual tension they create. In the real world, this can quickly become disconcerting if not downright irritating. It’s usually far better to choose colours that blend harmoniously with each other.