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G20
A customer of Scarlet Pixel has grumbled about what she considers to be a rather unflattering uniform that she is forced to wear at work, and in which she feels vaguely uncomfortable. What do these two items have in common... uniforms! Uniforms, and especially the colour of the uniform, have a huge impact on both worker and observer. The colour of the clothes we wear to work gives out strong messages to others and can actually affect the output and mood of the workers themselves! Jobs that require the worker to be quickly and easily recognised require an outstanding uniform. Hence we have nurses dressed in blue and brightly coloured fire fighters, policemen and women in dark coloured distinctive uniforms, as are priests and the clergy in their blacks and greys. What message do these colours give and what is the effect of the colours? For example, blue and black together to make navy, and the effect of navy is to inspire trust and authority, exactly the message that a police man or woman needs to provide while working, for example. Pure blue is a healing, calming and peaceful colour, very good for a worried patient, when worn by a nurse.
Mix red and black colours together and you get maroon, a more sombre colour altogether... however, with red for energy and warmth and black for dignity and stability, maroon gives out a perfect, clear message of a friendly, but definitely business-like organisation. It is a perfect colour for a financial organisation.
When choosing a uniform it is a good idea for employers to actually provide two versions... a slightly warmer version of a colour and a cooler version of this same colour. Let an employee choose his or her own uniform from the two versions provided and this employee will instinctively choose the colour version in which they feel most comfortable. The colours need not be too different and it is unlikely any customer will notice any difference in uniforms. The result? The corporate image maintained and employees who are very likely to feel more comfortable and who work better in their chosen colour.
© Scarlet Pixel 1999 - 2009 |
In April, the big and important G20 Summit has taken place in London, England.
London City traders, bankers and bank workers were advised not to go to work dressed in their 'Uniform' of dark pin-striped suits whilst the Summit was in progress, in case they became unfortunate and very visible targets for the
taunts and jeers of the protesters, gathered to make their points about the financial situation in which the world finds itself at present.
Many large stores, building societies and banks, food outlets and many other businesses require their workers to dress in the corporate colours of
the business. These colours actually say a great deal about the business itself.
Bright red and yellow, the colour of a popular burger chain, gives a lively,
energetic and happy message to its customers.
So how does our Scarlet Pixel customer, unhappy about her work gear fit into all this? She likes both the shape and the style of her green work clothes. So what is the problem? The answer is clearly the shade of her green uniform.
She is a clear Spring type colouring, suited to bright, light greens yet her uniform is a strong jade green, a colour that both overwhelms and exhausts her.
