As you might know, Pantone’s Color of 2014 is Radiant Orchid, a color that “emanates great joy, love and health” according to their website. What do your choice of colors say about you? Are you fun and fearless, or grounded and sophisticated? Do you favor a specific color over another? Why so? Do you wish you had more of a certain color in your life?
I am a big believer in using colors to make improvements to your personal and professional life. For example, at the moment, I am very attracted to colors that bring calmness, foundation, sophistication, truth, purity, and balance. Since I have a very strong personality full of energy and creativity, I don’t wear too much red, orange, or yellow as that can be overstimulating and will make me lose focus. I guess it is all about balance. These days, colors that I am drawn to are whites, blues, purples, grays, and of course, you can never go wrong with black. If you are a shy and timid person, I would stay away from these colors; I suggest that you balance it out by wearing more bold colors to invite energy into your life.
I love Pantone’s full description of Radiant Orchid, which “blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.” Who doesn’t want that? Below are meanings of colors that I thought would make you take a look at where you are in your life currently and how making some color changes to your style and your surroundings can help improve things. Let me know your thoughts or, if you have other questions, send me an email!
Black: power, confidence, authority. If you have a strong and serious personality, I would not wear too much black since it will make you come across as unapproachable and intimidating. Even worse, do not decorate your home with too much black either, especially the bedroom!
White: simplicity, purity, innocence, a new beginning
Gray: sophistication, refinement, quiet confidence, elegance
Red: bold, dynamic, sexy, fearlessness, passionate love. If you are conservative and want to be a bit bolder and more confident, start wearing more red such as red a power suit, red lipstick, heels, or accessories. And for men, how about red ties?
Orange: social, fun, energetic, creative. If your personality is already like this, I would suggest not surrounding yourself with a lot of orange as that would be too much. You need to balance it out with softer and more understated colors. Pretty much everyone on my team has very energetic, creative, and bold personalities, so I have designed our work environment with a lot of grays, blues, and whites with color accents for a balance of energy. You know, feminine/masculine or ying/yang energy.
Yellow: playful, positive, full of joy
Green: youthful and naïve or a sign of prosperity, depending on the shade
Blue: communication, truth, loyalty, clarity. In the workplace, the color blue encourages open and honest communication.
Purple: creativity, spirituality, royalty, wealth, sophistication
Pink: feminine power, sweetness, romantic love
Brown: solid, grounded, reliable, stable. If you have a very solid and stable personality already, try mixing other colors to your wardrobe or surroundings to add some pizzazz. Otherwise, too many brown or neutrals may be boring.
