By Danielle E. Johnson
There is power in color! Green is often associated with wealth. And, red is often associated with power. Different colors send different messages to your brain whether you realize it or not. If you think about it, color choices are extremely important for advertising and marketing execs because various colors evoke an emotion or response in consumers. For example, McDonald’s corporate colors are yellow and red – two very vibrant and eye-attracting colors. Most companies would never even attempt to use these colors together, thereby making McDonald’s stand out even more to consumers. Studies have also linked the color red to fast and the color yellow to hunger, hence eliciting for us, a recognition and desire for “fast food”. Very crafty, Mickey D’s!
When it comes down to choosing colors, it is important to have a basic knowledge base as to what each color communicates to ensure that you’re sending the right message to that potential employer, client or even mate. Here is a look at some colors and the characteristics that they convey as presented by J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Chief Executive of The Renaissance Group.
BLUE: Calm, placid, implies one is important and confident, intelligent, hard working, trustworthy and loyal
RED: Exciting, bold, and powerful. Hence the red “power tie” business people wear and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs. Just a little bit of red goes a long way – use as an accent to wardrobe.
BLACK: Conveys structure and that you are authoritative, powerful and elegant.
GREEN: Implies confidence, wealth, being in command and success.
YELLOW: Inspires creativity, positivity and shows that you’re full of potential.
PURPLE: Conveys sophistication, royalty, mystery, prosperity, and spirituality and is good for upscale and artistic audiences.
PINK: Conveys femininity, innocence, romance, softness and health and is the most calming of all colors.
WHITE: Conveys purity, truthfulness, cleanliness and refinement. It can project neutrality.
GRAY: Conveys conservativeness, somberness, practicality and timelessness.
When interviewing, you should choose colors that imply confidence and power. Hence, the traditional black suit that many business professionals wear during the interviewing process. You can add accents, such as a scarf or tie that incorporates other colors such as blue which conveys intelligence. If you have a presentation or meeting that you will be leading, choose colors that are powerful and authoritative. In a nutshell, if you have an important day coming up, choose your colors carefully! When dressing to impress, color should always be taken into consideration.
Danielle E. Johnson is a writer and life coach with a passion to help others
work through transitional periods, especially in areas of personal development
and self growth. She integrates an in-depth and holistic approach, which
leads to clients reporting: increased self-esteem, improved communication
skills, enhanced relationships, better work/life balance and less stress. When
she’s not helping others to live better lives, she enjoys traveling and spending
time with her niece, Mackenzie. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Applied
Psychology at University of Illinois and pursued graduate studies at DePaul
University. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.
