Color Concerns: It is Not Just Personal Preference

On a recent visit to a ninth grade center for 1,100 students, I was struck by the current color combination. The grand entry hall sported a bright sunflower yellow chair rail, with Kelly green enameled wainscot. This was superimposed onto the original mauve walls, blue, beige and burgundy tile, dark satin blue metal doorframes and satin burgundy metal doors and lockers.

I later learned that the green-and-yellow color had marched right off the football field. After the district summer paint crew had finished painting the football stadium they took the initiative to spruce up the old school and surprise the principal upon his return from summer break. Surprise I am sure; had it not been district employees, a call to the police department may have been in order to report the vandalism.

To better understand the use of color and the impact of color in the school environment, I contacted Susan Einspahr ASID, president of Kingscott Associates Inc., a Kalamazoo, Mich., firm known for its expertise on color use.

"It’s always difficult to ensure color selections will remain untouched in a building after you have completed your work," explained Einspahr.

There are many instances of owners’ representatives making changes. At that ninth grade center, the painters were probably trying to promote school spirit by adding the school colors to the interior.

Einspahr suggests designers know a school’s colors and mascots so that they can be incorporated into the planning process initially.

What does color have to do with anything? Everything! Studies have found that color affects every student – from their mood to their appetite. Researchers have studied the impact of color on students since the early ’70s. A Canadian researcher, Dr. H. Wohlfarth, found he could lower the blood pressure of first graders by changing the wall color from beige to light blue.

Many studies have demonstrated the combined affect of lighting and color on students. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study showed that the combination of natural light, color and lighting levels greatly affect how students behave. Sinofsky & Knirck (1981) discovered that warm colors and bright lighting promote action and physiologically increased heart rate, muscular tension, blood pressure, and brain activity. Cool colors and low lighting levels result in the opposite: relaxation and even sleep. When students feel good about their surroundings, they take better care of them and behave better, which translates into less vandalism.

Many books and articles have been written discussing the age appropriateness of color. Young children prefer primary colors such as red, blue and yellow. As students grow, their color preferences expand to include tertiary colors like purple, orange, and green. Pinks, teals and neutrals such as browns also enter their color preferences. In high school, students experiment with colors from current fashion trends and rebellious colors like black and gray.

Color theorists and behaviorists focus on, among other things, how colors make you feel. Colors like blues and greens are cool, calming and serene. If you have a classroom with a southern exposure, using cool colors like greens and blues will help make the room feel less warm than using warm colors like yellow and orange.

The value of a color, or its lightness or darkness, affects how a color is perceived. For example, dark colors advance, while light colors recede. Therefore, if you want a small room to appear larger, painting it lighter colors will create an expansive appearance. Darker colors make a room seem smaller and more intimate. Restaurants lower light levels in the evening to create a more intimate, romantic feel. Conversely, at lunch they increase lighting levels for business clients. Warm, bright colors promote movement and activity. Fast food restaurants use bright colors to encourage people to eat quickly and be on their way.

What makes sense for school facilities? For existing facilities, color changes are an inexpensive way to impact your learning environment, promote pride in your building, and improve how students and teachers feel.

If you are planning a new facility, how do you best integrate color into your building? Ask questions like how much, where, and when does color make sense. Look at the appropriateness of selections. Use common sense in viewing the colors. How do they make you feel? How will they make the students feel? Expect your professionals to explain their color choices; color is not just personal preference. Many times we include students and teaching staff on the color and finish selection committees to take advantage of their knowledge and sense of the school community.

Color does make a difference in facilities. The more you learn about color, the more you understand its impact on educational facilities and student achievement.

Jim Brady AIA, REFP, is the executive director for the America’s Schoolhouse Council, a professional collaboration dedicated to improving student performance through better academic facilities. He can be reached at JimBradyASC@aol.com.

Grangaard, Ellen Mannel (1993). "Effects of Color and Light On Selected Elementary Students." Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Sinofsky, E.R. & Knirck, F.G. (1981). "Choose the Right Color for your Learning Style." Instructional Innovator, 26(3), 17-19.

Knirck, F.G. (1970). "Acoustical and Visual Environments Affect Learning." Audiovisual Instruction, 15(1), 34-35.