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Intro

Colour is a major part of branding and how your uniform looks. While it’s best to stay on brand when choosing colours for your uniform, colour can be utilised intelligently and creatively in different ways like differentiating between roles (e.g. different uniform colours for new starters and managers or front of house versus back of house), seasonal uniforms – different colour schemes for cool and warm weather or holiday themed uniforms, or to promote new products or services.

Like the cut of jeans has cycled from flared to skinny and back, different colours have gone in and out of style over the years. At Murray we’ve been in the industry for 50 years and we’ve seen the trends shift from rich, earthy tones in the ‘70s to  neons and jewel tones in the ‘80s and ‘90s to today’s mixture of vibrant and classic colours. 

You can count on our expert design team to help you select the right colours that will reflect your company’s culture and brand image and look smart on your employees.

What is colour psychology?

At Murray, we often say that what you wear matters. This idea is how our Science of Uniform® design process was born. Our research in collaboration with Coventry University makes up the basis of this data-backed process which takes into account 240 aspects to get right with the uniform in order to get a return on investment.

We also believe that the colours you wear matter. Colour psychology is the study of how colour impacts the way you feel and how you act. It is often said that most communication is nonverbal and colour and aesthetic is a form of communication, with different colours having different connotations that evoke certain moods and colour impacting everyday decisions people make. Responses and attitudes towards colour can vary across cultures and generations.

How does it relate to uniform colour?

In general, the colours you wear can affect your mood. There’s the concept of dopamine dressing, which is dressing in bright colours for happiness and a confidence boost. There’s also the concept of power dressing, which originated in the 1970s and 1980s, wearing tailored clothing in neutral colours and simple prints to convey a professional, authoritative image. This influence is still seen in corporate uniform today.

Obviously, with uniforms, workers don’t have a choice and with a diverse workforce it is important to choose your uniform colours wisely so your employees can look smarter, feel smarter, and ultimately Work Smarter®.

In this blog post, we’ll give a quick runthrough of the associations with each colour and how these can be best utilised in a uniform.

Warm colours: what red, orange, yellow, and pink uniform colours mean

In general, warm colours like red, orange, and yellow are energising colours. Pink, a mix of red and white, is more of a calming colour.

Red

Red is associated with strong emotions like passion, love, excitement, anger, and danger. A red uniform will easily stand out and make workers easy to identify. Some famous red uniforms include those worn by postal workers and some ceremonial military uniforms.

Orange

Orange is associated with warmth, positivity, and amusement. Some negative associations are arrogance and impatience. It’s bright and can most easily be seen in dim lighting or against water, so it’s commonly used in hi-vis jackets and lifeguard uniforms.

Yellow

Yellow is associated with optimism, happiness, and enlightenment. For this reason, a nurse may wear a yellow scrubs uniform. It’s a bright colour that grabs attention. For this reason it’s most frequently used in hi-vis jackets and vests. However, it can be quite tiring to the eye and it has negative associations like aggression, frustration, and danger. 

Pink

Pink is associated with love, kindness, hope, creativity, and femininity. Light shades of pink often have a calming effect on people. However, it can be polarising with some people thinking pink is childish, meek, or weak. 

In a workwear context, pink could be the colour of scrubs or a button-down shirt in a corporate setting, or the colour of a themed/seasonal uniform such as one for breast cancer awareness. In Japan, pink is associated with springtime because it’s the colour of cherry blossom petals.

Cool colours: what green, blue, and purple uniform colours mean

Cool colours have shorter wavelengths than warmer colours, which means that they’re often associated with being more relaxing than warm colours since they’re easier on the eye.

Green

Green is associated with nature, growth, life, health, and safety. It’s seen as a lucky and relaxing colour. Because of traffic lights, green is associated with “go” and success, so it’s often seen as a motivational and optimistic colour. Culturally it has associations with Ireland, so you’ll see green a lot around St Patrick’s Day. However, there are negative associations such as the expression “green with envy”.

In a workwear context, you might see green military uniforms (typically olive green),  retail uniforms (such as the uniforms we designed for Dunelm), railway uniforms, restaurant uniforms, and cafe uniforms. 

Blue

Blue is associated with calmness, trust, reliability, and knowledge. As a Coventry based company, it would be remiss of us if we don’t mention the origin of the expression “true blue”, which comes from Coventry blue cloth, “as true as Coventry blue”. It’s a popular colour, as it’s the most common answer for favourite colour. As universally loved as blue is, there are some negative associations such as sadness and it being an uncommon colour in food.

It’s really no surprise that blue is a common uniform colour being common in police and security uniforms, navy uniforms, healthcare uniforms, maintenance and cleaner uniforms, corporate workwear, automotive uniforms, cabin crew uniforms, and hospitality uniforms.

Purple

Purple is associated with luxury, creativity, wisdom, magic, and power. Historically it was only seen in wealthy people’s clothing because of how rare natural purple dyes are. In the US, the highest honour for bravery in military service is the Purple Heart. Much like pink, purple is a polarising colour because of its rarity giving it an exotic aura, so critics may see it as elitist. In some European cultures, purple is associated with mourning.

Purple uniforms are not so common, but there are a number of brands that have purple logos to signal prestige or sophistication.

Neutral Colours: Black, White, Grey, and Brown/Tan

In general, neutrals aren’t as polarising and are often used as the base colour of a uniform because they complement other colours and are easy to combine.

Black

Black is a powerful, authoritative colour, or rather the absence of colour if we’re thinking scientifically, as it’s the result of the absorption of all wavelengths of visible light. Black is associated with elegance and mystery, but on the flip side of the coin it is associated with negative feelings like mourning, depression, evil, and fear. There are many expressions and idioms that mention black.

Because of how slimming and universally flattering it is, it’s versatile and often used as a main colour in a variety of uniforms. Black may look simple, but when styled well it looks beautiful. It is also a great colour for hiding stains, making it relatively easy to maintain.

White

White is often associated with purity, peace, and cleanliness, but it can also be associated with blandness or coldness. As the opposite of black, it is the combination of all the colours in the spectrum. Just like black, it’s the opposite neutral and it goes with everything, so it’s no surprise that many uniforms are white like lab coats or dress shirts for work. The issue is that it can easily be stained and white clothing requires special care to keep it in tip-top shape.

Grey

Right in between black and white are many shades of grey. It has associations with being nuanced, dignified, and authoritative, but it can also be seen as old-fashioned, dull, or sombre. In the 1960s, hippies would refer to conventional types as greys, as in they wore grey suits to their middle class jobs. Grey uniforms are often worn in more professional office settings or by security guards or people who work in hospitality. To make a uniform with a grey base more lively, you could add accent colours.

Brown/Tan

Brown signifies stability, warmth, and reliability, which are great characteristics to have as a business. Lighter browns like tan or beige are a marriage between the brightness of white and the warmth of brown. Similar to grey, it can be seen as bland or predictable. In business settings, brown is seen as more casual, but when styled right it can look professional. Famously, UPS delivery driver uniforms are brown and they’re one of the top courier companies worldwide.

Learn how colour can make your team Work Smarter®

Is the science behind colour interesting to you? Interested in seeing how this science along with our Science of Uniform® can transform the image of your company, leading to happier, more productive employees; reduced uniform costs; and higher profits? Contact us today for a consultation to help materialise your business goals.