Best Colors for Productivity: How To Get Office Maximum Inspiration

Colors impact our perception in the subtlest of manners. The mere color of a dish can make it unpalatable or taste worse. If it can affect your perception of taste, there is no doubt of its effect on your productivity.

Clean and appropriately colored workspaces can boost productivity, inspire, and motivate a person. Getting through the workday may not be as hard if you've got the right color. But, what are the best colors for productivity?

What is the most productive color?

1. Off-white

Where white gives off a clinical and intimidating aura, off-white is softer and more welcoming. You retain the sense of a pure space without losing any of the warmth that you might require. A bonus is that it is easy to decorate! You could place a black office standing desk, and it would not look out of place.

2. Teal

Blue is one of the best colors for productivity. As a mixture of blue and green, it can boost motivation and productivity like no other color. Using it as an accent color for a wall is the best option.

Teal is usually used in spaces such as a lawyer's office as it works well in professional settings while providing a pop of color and productivity. A white office desk for home will go very well with the color teal.

3. Grey

Grey may not seem like the ideal office color for productivity, but you'd be surprised. Using a subtle shade can create a neutral environment that works well for a productive space. Again, using too much of the color grey can bring about feelings of melancholy that aren't great for productivity.

4. Blue-Grey

Blue shades stimulate the mind, which is why you'll see most social media apps with shades of blue. It keeps the mind alert and working, which is why a blue-grey shade works great for a professional space. They are a clean, professional, yet bright color. The shade is one of the motivation colors, getting your mind stimulated and motivated to do great work!

5. Brown

If you're looking for power, then brown is the color for you. From a productivity standpoint, brown is a mixture of red, yellow, and orange, which are all great colors to stimulate the mind. However, the colors individually may not suit the needs of the office space.

Brown is a color that exudes power and warmth, making it a great balance of productive colors such as orange and motivational colors such as yellow.

6. Pastel Yellow

Yellow is one of the most inspirational colours you can use for an office space. A pastel yellow especially boosts creativity and mood, thereby increasing productivity. The color works best for creative industries that need lots of ideas flowing at all times.

It doesn't hurt that that color works very well with colors such as white or brown. This makes it easy to style and decorate without being too flashy.

7. Green

Greens exude a sense of balance and calm. The different shades of green can significantly alter your mood and, thereby, your productivity levels. A rich green works best for financial offices or the healthcare industry, which requires balance and calm in equal measures.

When using any shade of green in an office or workspace, take a look at the kind of lighting the room offers. If you have a lot of light, then shades such as lime green will be too blinding. If you have a darker space, then a darker shade of green could further dim the room.

8. Purple

Purple is a very versatile color in terms of emotions. There are a number of shades that can be used to bring out different emotions and, therefore, levels of productivity in a person. Violets are seen as a more feminine color that is calming and soothing. It works great for spas and salons.

However, if you're looking to boost the mood, a brighter purple can energize you. Similarly, a softer purple can provide a regal and calm atmosphere. Depending on your office space, the correct shade of purple will boost productivity.

9. Orange

Orange is a mix of red and yellow, making it a high-energy and mood-boosting color. It is perfect for any office space that needs a pick-me-up. A bright orange wall accent or window frames can be the perfect way to energize a lazy afternoon without caffeine. It is an excellent productive color.

Orange is a very intense color, so painting all four walls might be a bit excessive. But, using it as an accent wall color works perfectly. If you're using orange for the accent wall, then keep in mind the other aspects of the room, such as the window frames. A clashing window frame can make the space seem jarring and ruin the effectiveness of the accent wall.

How to Choose the Best Colors for Productivity

When you ask the question 'what is the most productive color?' you're never going to get a positive answer. It depends on your taste, aesthetic, and requirements.

Choosing the best office colors for productivity entails not only painting the walls but also picking out the appropriately colored furniture. If the color of your furniture clashes with your walls, then the effect is lost.

Purpose

When choosing the best colors for productivity for your office,  think of the purpose and goals you're trying to achieve. Red is a color that boosts feelings of urgency, which can be ideal for sales. If there's a lot of thinking happening, then an emerald green may not be the best choice as it could affect your focus.

Lighting

When choosing colors for your office, take a look at the lighting as well. Having very dark walls could darken an already dark space, which does not bode well for productivity.

Endnotes

Colors affect every part of our lives. We have colors that bring us joy, alert us of danger, calm us down, and even boost our productivity. A lot of our perception is biased by the colors around us. There's no reason why it shouldn't do the same in office spaces.

A workspace requires productivity and motivation, and a boring, dull work environment isn't going to do well for morale. The use of color brightens up a space and boosts productivity. They're also just a lot of fun. There's no losing when it comes to color!