While printing to your photocopier or printer in colour would not ordinarily be a worry, a recent Canon commissioned paper into the symbolic power of colour in relation to the way we dress could easily prompt considerate readers to think again aboout their favourite photos of themselves and the way they choose to dress for work in future. This study for Canon, more renowned for its photocopiers and MFPs, provides a fascinating insight into the incredible symbolic power of colour. Here, Falcon, a leading UK Canon photocopiers supplier, provides some of the study's most salient obsevations.
The Power of Colour
Colour effects all of us a great deal but often, without us even being consciously aware of it. Not only is it important to how we define ourselves but it effects our spending habits, our livelihoods and ultimately, our well-being. It is a part of a natural non-verbal signalling system and human beings, like any of nature's creatures, all use colour in our assessments of the world we inhabit. Our appearance and especially our colour coordination, is the first thing by which others judge us. First impressions are typically made within 3-7 seconds.
But colours, when it comes to people, are rarely present in isolation. Typically when we form a first impression of someone, we're looking at colour combinations. If the combinations are discordant, the impression we form of a person is likely to be less positive. If the combinations are harmonious however, we are likely to feel "pleasant feelings", as the colour theorists Judd and Wysesky found.
While the harmony is absolutely crucial, it's the person wearing the clothes who is the really pivotal determinant of how we react to the colours they are wearing. Most people will fit into one of four major personality types and for colour too there are four harmonious colour groups, each associated with one of the four personality types. Each colour group expresses best the positive aspects of the personality type with which it is associated. So to ensure the most positive responses from others, one must choose harmoniois colours from the colour group which fits you. We all respond positively to the harmony and autheticity of teh right colours in association with the right personality type. Whilst none of us fit the archetype of type 1, 2, 3 or 4 personality type, the predominant apsects of each will place us fairly well in accordance with one of the four according colour groups.
Colour and Personality - The Theory
Type one personalities are characterised as being externally motivated and very young-at-heart. They possess a quality of 'lightness' and tend have rounded and quite delicate features. They have great charm and succeed working with large numbers of people. They are often very bright but rarely bookishly academic. Above all, this personality type is characterised by a strong practical streak and boundless energy.
As far as the No 1 colour palette is concerned, they are clear, warm delicate colours containing no black. Scarlet, coral, peach, dafodil yellow, emerald green, sky blue, cobalt and lilac are some examples. The chracteristics expressed with this tonal family, in line with the type one personality are bright, warm, friendly, young, lively, fresh and optimistic.
Archetypal personality type two's are typically fairly cool, calm and collected. They are usually internally motivated but tend to be highly empathetic to what others are feeling. Their features tend to be gently curved and there eyes can have what might be described as a misty quality to them. Type two's tend to dislike vulgarity and their humour may be described as subtle and dry. Great careers for this personality type tend to be creating order out of chaos and keeping the peace. They often have a very acute sense of touch, so artistic careers can be suitable.
Type 2 colours tend to be cool, contain rather more grey and while delicate, would not usually be decibed as light. They are usually soft and subtle - maroon, rose pink, grapefruit, dove grey, veridian, delphium and laveneder. Again, in line with the personality type, the characteristics of these colours are understated elegance, cool, calm, graceful, upmarket, timeless, expensive, soothing and aspirational.
Like personality type one, type three is externally motivated. But type three's are intense and strong and tend to be quite fiery, to a greater or lesser extent. They possess a strong sense of justice and are fascinated by how things work. Physichal comfort and solidity are important to them and they usually have an aversion to anything flimsy, be that ideas or physical objects. Good careers are jobs that involve getting under the surface of things.
Much like the personality, this third colour palette is about intensity and fire. They usually contain black in their mixing and are charcterised by warm, friendly, traditional, solid, substantial, reliable and earthy qualities. Examples include tomato red, burnt orange, rust, leaf green, teal blue and aubergine.
Type four personalities automatically command respect. Physically, their features are usually well-defined and their eyes tend to appear quite compelling. They are usually internally motivated and have a gift for seeing the broader picture and for delegation. Colour pallette 4 is about clarity and strength, Black, white, crimson, magenta, lemon, jade green, ice blue and violet are tpical colours. They communicate uncompromising excellence, material aspiration, efficiency and drive.
General, Non-type Colour Psychology
While individuals should always choose the right combination of colours from their colour type, they'll always be a way that different character types can wear a variation of the same colour. For instance a red, blue green or yellow could be worn by all personality types - it's a question of which tone suits the personality in question. So as all can wear a nuance of quite a number of difference colours, each base colour itself has certain communicative powers which may be used to suit a given context for any personality type. For example, a manager may choose to wear a dark blue for a meeting in which a colleague needs to be disciplined or reprimanded, to create a focused but also trustworthy and logical atmosphere. Green would be more appropriate to convey harmony, reassurance and balance, if a colleague wished to discuss a personal matter for instance. Red has a warm, friendly and energetic connotations and can boost energy levels and aid assertiveness. Yellow conveys optimism, confidence, creativity and can lift spirits and boost self-esteem.
Canon, better known for its industry-leading photocopiers than its advocacy of 'colour pschology' has commissioned a truly interesting study. As well as finding some genuinely useful advice, readers may also find themselves re-assessing the way they dress and which photos of themslevs tehy choose to print out on their photocopier/MFP.
Falcon is a leading supplier of Canon photocopiers and offers the latest Canon imageRUNNER and Canon imageRUNNER Advance photocopiers and MFP's to purchase or on photocopier leasing packages and supplies award-winning document management solutions.
About the AuthorJeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.
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