Everything we do as humans is viewed through the lens of psychology, and it’s not subtle either. You won’t have to go far to find examples of this in action: Reality TV behemoth Big Brother frequently invites behavioural psychologists to analyse the actions and interactions of the people living under the microscope, as it were.
While this use of psychology serves a very entertainment-driven focus, businesses and brands have been using psychological factors to direct a lot of their decisions for a long time. You don’t have to have a degree in social sciences to use some of these tactics to motivate your staff, we’ve many years experience in both design and production of office screening and we want to share 3 killer concepts that will definitely boost productivity.
Consider your colours
There’s more than a few idioms we use that involve colour. Seeing red, feeling blue, green with envy. Colour is commonly associated with specific feelings, and there’s been many studies that back up the notion that certain colours can evoke a certain response. Of course context matters, and we all perceive colour differently, but research seems to universally agree that red can represent power and strength, green depicts balance and calm, while yellow is commonly associated with optimism.
Use it: Want to spread a positive message? Make yellow a dominant colour in your office screens!
Shaping up
Everything is made up of a series of shapes, but when we hear the word it’s really common to just picture one or two based on geometry. Some of the most recognisable brands can have their logos analysed against the backdrop of shape psychology, and plenty of scientific research has validated this approach to design. For example, circles can be associated with wholeness and continuity, while triangles are often said to represent dynamism. Squares are the most commonly seen shapes and are commonly associated with feelings of strength and reliability.
Use it: Screening doesn’t have to be boring. If you want a more contemporary feel look at screens with more shape such as curved, wave or even a mixture of styles!
The Gestalt Principles
While this collection of theories goes back many years, it can still be defined as a relevant part of modernity. Gestalt principles examine how the human brain makes connections between visual elements. This can be either based on proximity, similarity, closure, continuation or figure/ground (the idea that in a visual there are some elements that the brain immediately sorts as ‘background’ and others that are pushed forward as the ‘figure’. These principles are used a lot in logo design and examples of it are plentiful.
Use it: Understanding that the brain could wrongfully group visual content together can be a useful tool in when designing your office layout.
Sources
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
https://tubikstudio.com/knock-design-into-shape-psychology-of-shapes/
http://www.flintriver.co.uk/the-psychology-of-shapes-and-symbols-in-graphic-design/
http://coglode.com/gem/von-restorff-effect
http://3.7designs.co/blog/2012/08/10-psychological-principles-to-design-with/