Chromatophobia is the fear of colour. A lot of people have this phobia, especially in the workplace. Although leaders are often willing to change technology and the design of their physical office, they are often afraid to introduce colour in a way that would make them stand out. Yet, colour is one of the least expensive and most dramatic ways to change the feel of a space. Your office doesn’t have to look like a Mardi Gras parade explosion to change your daily experience.

Here are three tips for successfully integrating colour into your workplace.

You may be tempted, but do not take the colours from your company logo and paint the walls. An intense burgundy or blue make look great on a 1.5†x 3†business card, or printed on your employees’ shirts, but it will most likely be too dark or too bright when you apply it to the walls.

Choose colours that are similar in value to each other. Value is how light or dark a color is. The best way to test for similar value is to tape color swatches on a wall, stand a few feet away from them and squint. When you squint, none of the colours should appear darker or lighter than the others.

Choose colours that are analogous on the colour wheel. This means that they are next to each other on the wheel. For example, yellow, yellow-orange and orange.
Below is an image of analogous colour in nature and how it can appear in a workplace.

(images: Kepware headquarters; photo credit: James R. Salomon)