‘Social’ Intelligence: Colour- Coding, Part One

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Have you ever wondered what colours to wear on an interview? On a first date? On a second date? On a ‘black tie event’?

I’m sure all of us had, at some point of their lives, done so.

In fact, I remember that on my first ever black tie event I wore a slick plain light grey suit and a dark red black- striped shirt with, well...a black tie.

Imagine my surprise when I walked in and almost drowned in a sea of tuxes and bowties.

‘You look just...fine.’, said a friend of mine with a fine blend of malicious sarcasm and genuine worry.

Had I not been such a misfit that night, though, I would have made quite a good impression as I had chosen quite a conservative, yet bold, colour combination.

And, you might think that it sounds ridiculous, but the colours you dress in can often be quite revealing of your character and aspirations.

Today, I’ll opt to provide you with a brief overview (a VERY brief overview, alas) of what most colours relate to.

Without further ado, let’s get to it:

(Source: << http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html >> )

Red

Colour of fire and blood, war and heritage. A very good colour to use if you want to grab someone’s attention (or everyone’s attention, really....); it makes you stand out rather than blend in with the background.

It, however, tends to shout at people, telling them that you want to be noticed and predisposes them to think that there is a reason for that.

Thus, wearing red can sometimes be quite dangerous, especially in your professional life, because it makes those around you expectant of you.

Orange

A very sunny and jovial colour, often associated with happiness and creativity.

Wearing orange tells people that you are easily approachable and happy to talk and listen to them.

It paints a friendly and warm image and is, thus, not a very appropriate pick for corporate events, etc.

Further to the above, do be careful as to what tone of orange you put on; dark orange can, for instance, symbolise deceit and distrust.

Yellow

The colour of sunshine, joy and energy; perfect if you feel like the ‘life of the party’.

Yellow’s also known to be the colour of intellect and to stimulate mental activity.

Be careful when using in professional capacity as yellow is sometimes viewed as ‘childish’ or even ‘infantile’.

Finally, as with orange, do be careful what type of yellow you put on; dingy yellow, for instance, stands for decay and jealousy.

Blue

Stands for the sky and the sea, assumes depth and stability.

As with red, it makes those around you quite expectant of you; people wearing blue stand out as trustworthy and loyal.

In the corporate world, blue is considered a statement of power and influence; do be careful when using it.

Combine with warmer colours such as yellow or red if you want to create a high- impact and draw attention quickly.

I shall continue boring you to death with the above next Saturday.

On a more serious note, however, it’s really quite important to know a thing or two about colours and how to combine them effectively.

I honestly wish the guy sat at the table next to me knew that.

Green trousers, pink shirt, red trainers and a blue Adidas cap.

I mean...for real...?