Want to Spur Creativity? Just Add Purple!

Color is about more than interior design and fashion; it is used for marketing products from diapers to diet soda, from office supplies to electronics, from bargain buys to luxury investments, color sells. The key is to learn how to use color to your advantage as it is often a subliminal influence. Once you know the psychology and the cultural differences you can layer hues from light to dark, subtle to bold, to achieve the desired response.

Purple in the last few years has actually been called a neutral at times! It can be as black as aubergine and eggplant, as inviting as plum and amethyst, and as soft as pale lilac and ice lavender. It is the favorite color almost universally of teenagers, particularly now with the resurgence of tie die and all things retro.

Purple hues promote creativity and daydreaming and lateral thinking (purple prose). It is often the preferred color of creative types. (Yes, it is my favorite shade!) At the same time it is ideal in a bedroom as an antidote to insomnia. It is said that purple calms one’s internal dialogue, and slows the pulse and heart rate.

With royal associations and religious use (particularly at Easter), purple tints are often considered luxurious and for those of a free spirit. In recent years, a society of ladies over 50 has gained momentum and they are known as The Red Hat Society, wearing red hats and purple dresses. Their practice is based on a poem about wearing purple when a woman is 50.

Purple also suppresses the appetite; there are not a lot of purple foods on the market save for beets and eggplant. More often purple is considered the color of a bruised or unhealthy fruit or vegetable (not to mention human!) Once you have mastered the mystery of color, you can put the psychology to work for your success and even your profit.