Feng Shui in the Business World Part 2–Color Basics

In yesterday’s posting, Feng Shui in the Business World, I discussed the concept of Feng Shui and how it is the study of the environment upon the human psyche.  I also stated that with a few applications of Feng Shui to a business, you can change the overall feel of a business, or any aspect of the business (like perhaps an office or retail environment).  This, in turn, can help to attract customers and make customers feel comfortable at that business, or make the people within that business more comfortable and productive. 

While I will not go too in-depth in the Feng Shui principles, I will give a rundown of the basic colors and elements that can be applied immediately.  These colors and elements trigger certain areas of a person’s mind to inspire anything from building a relationship to spending money. 

(And yes, I do realize this is very different from what I usually do…but sometimes, the unusual works.)

The Color Wheel:

Picture from http://hella-blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/feng-shui-your-computer-for-ultra.html

Color / Element Breakdown:

• Red / Fire:  Adding red to an environment is supposed to encourage people to build good reputations and increase fame.  In some corners of Feng Shui, it is also said to help relationships.   Red is also known for increasing appetite, thus many restaurants use it in their décor.
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• Pink:  Variations of pink encourage relationships, perfect for anyone looking to build a stronger customer base.  Pink is also an excellent color for increasing feelings of love and affection. 
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• White / Metal inspires creativity and is the color that represents children.  If you want more creativity in your business, or you have a business with children as your clientele, adding white can have a positive influence. 
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• Gray:  Gray is the color purported to inspire travel, as is silver.  If you’re a travel agency, add silver accessories to your office to give it a feeling of being “Posh” and to focus your mind on travelling. 
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• Black / Water:  Black is the “Career” color, and water is the element associated with it.  If you need a jumpstart to your career, or would like to switch careers, something as simple as a fish tank in your office can get your mind focused in that direction, or using a black laptop. 
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• Blue / Earth:  Need to focus on building skill sets or a company’s knowledge base?  Blue is supposed to encourage the mind to be accessible to new data.  As for the earth element, a simple potted plant (with soil) has a two-fold benefit of grounding an environment, and enhancing the smell senses.  Blue is also supposed to be a good color for increasing health and strengthening families.   
• Green / Wood:  If you have a family business, green can help strengthen the family ties.  Or, if you have a business that targets families, adding green or wooden elements to the environment can help encourage feelings of familial accord.  Green is also purported to increase health and wealth as well. 
• Purple:  If you are looking for prosperity, whether in your business life, with money, or in relationships, purple is supposed to be the best color for all of these.  Is it any wonder that purple is often the color for royalty? 
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• Yellow:  Finally, yellow is said to increase healthy, but also wealth since it is the color of gold.  It is a color that is supposed to ground a person’s mind, thus Earth is also an element of this color. 

To use these elements to the best of anyone’s ability, you must figure out what you want from your business?  Do you want more customers?  More money?  More fame?  Better relationships?  Once you know and can say what your goal is, add the corresponding colors or elements to your environment.  It will help focus your mind and make it more receptive to ideas that may come your way.  If you want your customers to get a particular feeling when they are at your business, adding any of the above colors can give them that sense in a very low-cost, subliminal kind of way. 

Now, I fully realize that this is outside of the usual business advice…but honestly, what can it hurt?  If adding something as simple as a potted plant can focus your mind, why not spend the $3 it takes to get one?  Or, if painting a wall in your store green, gold or purple can make want to linger and spend money, why not do it?  A bucket of paint is around $15.  In my opinion, Feng Shui is a fantastic guide for “The Decorating Challenged” like myself.  It just makes things easier.