A new identity for green

Green has emerged as the color of protest in Iran. The pictures describe more than any words in this blog. (Note: Green is the signature color of Mir Hossain Mousavi, the main rival of President Ahmadinejad in the Iranian elections.)

We may want to consider why is the color green so important in the Muslim world. In short, it was supposedly the Prophet’s favorite color. He is said to have worn a green cloak and turban, and his writings are full of references to the color. For example, a passage from the Qur’an describes paradise as a place where people "will wear green garments of fine silk.”

Green is also a symbol of nature and life—especially potent in the dry desert of many Middle Eastern countries. Of note, green is either the only color or one of the primary colors of the flags of Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Color Hall of Shame: The Tragic State of Research on Color Effects

Thirty years of research on individual reactions to colors in the environment has produced contradictory findings. Some research has concluded that people who can "screen out" irrelevant information in their environment are not easily stressed out (or aroused) by warm colors such as pale orange walls, whereas "low-screeners" are more aroused by the same orange walls.

Color Effects in a Hospital Room
2008

New research focused on the effects of colors on the emotions of people in a hospital room. The experiment explored how a patient would you feel in an orange, green, or white hospital room. Which colors would be pleasant or unpleasant, friendly or unfriendly, arousing or calming? It’s worth noting that distinguished faculty in the behavioral sciences and psychology were the authors of the research and that it was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Researchers found that the color of the walls in hospital rooms may very well affect healing and wellness. Light orange aroused all the individuals the most, regardless of their sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Sensitive personalities (low-screeners) reported that white was more stressful than green.

However, the study raises serious questions about the methods. First, the subjects were all college students (mean age 20.4 years). Second, they were asked to imagine that they were recovering from an appendectomy. Third, they were shown photographs of hospital rooms. How can this be the foundation for any kind of conclusive research - and one that is published at that? Sick people are typically older and they don’t imagine the feeling of being sick or recovering from an illness, they are physically traumatized to some degree. Finally, looking at a two-dimensional photograph does not simulate the physical experience of a three-dimensional space with the electro-magnetic energy of the colors bouncing off the walls.

Why even bother with research under these conditions?

I believe that a mildly colorful environment promotes a sense of well being in everyone. At least this "research" found that white walls were stressful.

Source: Individual Differences in Reactions Towards Color in Simulated Healthcare Environments: The Role of Stimulus Screening Ability

A Close Encounter with Yellow

I usually don’t write about my personal experiences with color but a recent encounter with a startling yellow dress is worth the space on this blog. In fact, the dress was such a bright yellow that I felt like kids might try to ride me to school. Okay, it’s a cliche, but school bus yellow is a color that can really be too overwhelming for my fair coloring. Soft creamy banana yellow is okay, but not mango yellow.

The story of my unexpected experience with this color is quite typical of any wardrobe crises. The day before my scheduled color seminar for a group of bankers, I found myself at a loss for what to wear. Those extra pounds from all the great food in Pakistan ruled out most of my usual outfits and the options were a drab avocado blazer or a little black dress.

After three hours of shopping, I found it! A bright yellow shirtwaist dress. This would break all my rules about “my best colors.” I wondered if maybe I was so close to color that I couldn’t see my colors - my personal colors - objectively. How humbling to admit that it was time to get help. After getting positive feedback from the salesperson, random customers, and later the personal shopper at the store, I bought it.

I will never regret it. Of course, the obvious resulted. It was an instant identification of the color consultant speaker - and even before the introduction. It also helped make one of the points in the lecture: Pure yellow has the highest visibility of any color of the spectrum. (Which is why most fire trucks and emergency vehicles in the US are now yellow.)

This is not the end of the story because the most amazing things happened after the lecture. Although I was exhausted, I had to make several stops on the way home - a grocery store, a car wash, and the post office. During my brief encounters with cashiers and clerks, I was stunned by how abnormally friendly they were. It wasn’t me - I was lifeless and probably didn’t have any energy left over to smile - it was that color that overwhelmed people with happiness.

Happy, happy, joy, joy for yellow. Just for the record, it’s Pantone 1225C

Dyeing for Color

Restoring Color to Dead Lawns of Abandoned Homes

Foreclosed homes with dead, brown lawns can be found in just about every neighborhood these days. Apparently a business in California is waving a magic wand of green paint over the lawns and dressing up the properties. The water-based paint is chemical free and includes flower-based pigments.

Green Canary, a San Jose-area company, says that a typical front lawn can be painted for under-200 dollars and is guaranteed for six months. Amazing!

Source
Restoring Color to Dead Lawns of Abandoned Homes



From Drab to Fab on the Floor

If grey concrete is as unappealing as a dead brown lawn, color can come to the rescue again. Concrete stains will transform that basement or patio floor or even the driveway. In this case, the transparent stains create a more natural mottled appearance. In other words, it’s not a solid coat of paint.