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Why are colors important in public spaces?

There's a reason why you don't see hot pink road signs and lavender symbols anywhere. Read this blog to find out why.



Man and woman at subway train platform

A day in your life goes like this: leave the house, ride the train, and take a brief 5-minute walk to where you work. In between these mundane activities, you manage to stay within the yellow-painted strip on the subway platform while waiting for the train, and you even disposed of your Tim Hortons cup into the blue recycling bin at the sidewalk of your office building. You did a great job, nonetheless, you’re so used to these things that you probably didn’t even think twice before doing them. We’ll make a wild but accurate guess that you’ve never wondered why the platform strip is yellow or why the bin for recyclables is blue, among other things related to the colors you unconsciously interact with every single day.


Believe it or not, there’s a scientific reason why you responded the way you did, as colors with universally perceived meanings are chosen to represent structural and interactive elements in public spaces. Psychologists study how our visual perception of color connects with our behavioral and emotional perceptions, and depending on the colors’ hue, saturation, and relativity to light, they can have different symbolisms despite having a few similarities. For example, the standard, saturated shade of red that is most commonly used and identified in society means love and passion (hence, its association to Valentine’s Day). But if we were to modify this red and say, make it lighter or darker, the meaning becomes different altogether. Take burgundy and magenta, for starters. Burgundy can be associated with elegance, class, and dominative power, while magenta can exude a warm, friendly, casual vibe. Both are in the red spectrum, but their shade and tint make them individually distinct from the other.


Burgundy and magenta room decoration

With color psychology and association as a reference, architects and urban planners become better equipped in designing public spaces that are perceivable, safe, and accessible by everyone. In their book, “Color Communication in Architectural Space”, IACC Salzburg – Germany professors Gerhard Meerwein, Bettina Rodeck, and Frank Mahnke talked about how colors serve as an informative and communicative tool in urban planning and architecture. “[Colors] crucially influence the statement, effect, and acceptance of objects and space. We are all influenced by colors and have a lively relationship with them. Colors affect us and our emotional world, even when we do not consciously perceive them” (G. Meerwein, B. Rodeck, and F. Mahnke, 2007). These experts are able to identify which color is the most suitable for a particular structural element, based on how the people will interact and respond to it.


They also explained how colors contribute to the overall atmosphere of spatial structures and establishments. “Based on their symbolic meaning and associative effect, colors are able to symbolize functions, thereby giving each building and space utilization an appropriate purpose-oriented atmosphere that corresponds to the users and activities that [should] take place in a given space” (G. Meerwein, B. Rodeck, and F. Mahnke, 2007). And for the architects and urban planners to successfully generate the desired reaction and action to their public space designs, they must be reminded of the colors’ relationship with the physiological and psychological requirements of the groups of people who’ll benefit from the designs. This is crucial, especially in a time when private and public entities push for inclusive and universal designs to make society barrier-free.


Woman in wheelchair crossing pedestrian lane

The City of Toronto’s Chief Administrator’s Office developed the Accessibility Design Guidelines that can be used as a reference in developing public spaces, and this is a prime example of an initiative that pushes for barrier-free environments. It includes design specifications for persons who rely on visual and tactile cues in an open environment such as texture and most especially, color. In developing color schemes, the guidelines state that a color’s intensity and contrast in comparison with other adjacent colors must be distinguishable and legible, especially by seniors and people with low vision. Examples are white or yellow on black, purple, or any other dark background. The guidelines also specified that color contrast on the signages can reflect 70% of light, and the finishes should be matte to minimize glare. Putting guidelines like this into extreme consideration assures that public spaces are inclusive for everyone.


To give you additional factors and considerations in choosing colors for public space, we interviewed Arch. Jay Pito, an architect who has years of experience designing open spaces for residential and commercial establishments managed by a real estate giant in the Philippines. "I believe there are only two considerations in making or developing color schemes for public spaces. First, make sure the colors you use are easy to notice, most especially if they entail caution. Also, we do this if we would try to portray something symbolic where want to draw attention [to]. Second, depending on the situation, and if we want colors to blend with the environment, make them subtle to give a more holistic approach to the whole setting. This makes people focused and aware.


"Example would be a train station, wherein everything you see are either metallic or concrete. Here you become aware of your surroundings and you start to focus on anything that will lead you to a certain direction you want to go to because while everything in the subway itself is gray, you would easily see signs that are in blue, yellow, or red, which all represent entrances, exits, staircases, and other signages. Thus, in other words, we use subtle colors to draw more focus on bright-colored cautions or symbols in public spaces."


Below, you will find the most notable and identifiable examples of colors in public space.


1. Blue

Reserved parking for persons with disabilities

Goal: to inform

Associated with: designated areas for persons with disabilities, markers for nearby services and attractions such as hospitals, gas stations and rest stops


2. Green

Green bike lane

Goal: to connote movement

Associated with: bicycle and motorcycle lanes, location distance reminders, especially in major highways and expressways


3. Yellow

accessibility tiles in pedestrian crossing

Goal: To give caution

Associated with: accessibility tiles and ramps in pedestrian walkways and hazardous vehicular intersections, danger or warning signs


Arch. Pito also added how the considerations mentioned above add up to how colors play an important role in designing public spaces. "Like how companies use color as a marketing tool, colors also help in making public spaces safer and accessible. If you notice in most signages for traffic and pedestrians, the use of bright colors such as red and yellow make the signs more perceivable to the eyes, making people more aware of the signs and what is in their environment. But sometimes, the critical relationship between colors and public spaces are forgotten." With these in mind, it's safe to say that it's important for everyone to be made aware of the colors applied in open environments where interaction is an automatic requirement because these colors have different meanings. Whether you're a motorist or pedestrian, you can be assured that your safety is prioritized because the architects, planners, engineers, and workers had you and your well-being in mind when they developed the public spaces you're interacting with every single day.


When strategically executed and placed, colors transform into a one-of-a-kind language that everyone understands when they are associated with public spaces like signages, designated lanes, and way-finding tools applied in maps and transportation. So the next time you spot a red "stop" sign, a yellow strip that says "do not cross", or a green pedestrian pathway, you can distinguish the differences between all of them and what they're meant to represent, right off the bat.


To learn more about accessibility in public spaces, visit the official website of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

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