Does the present moment have a color?
If so, what is it?
Is it affected by our emotions, thoughts, and/or the body’s physical condition? Or is it always the same color, but appears different to us depending on what we’re experiencing in the present moment?
When I initially asked this question, my first thought was simply: “white.”
According to Kenya Hara, one of Japan’s leading designers — as well as one of the world’s thought leaders on design, spirituality and emotion — “it goes without saying that colors can reflect our delicate feelings.”
I’d like to take that statement further to include thoughts, as well as what’s happening with our physical bodies (health, illness, youth, old age).
Mr. Hara goes on to say, “white can be attained by blending all of the colors of the spectrum together, or through the subtraction of ink and all other pigments. In short, it is ‘all colors,’ and ‘no colors,’ at the same time.” Which is why I perceive the color of now being white — before it is affected by an individual.
There is a word in the Japanese language, “kizen,” that refers to the latent possibilities that exist prior to an event taking place, which means white is the blank canvas (both literally and metaphorically) that becomes colored by the moment.
I find this concept interesting because it is a different way of checking in with ourselves to understand what we may be experiencing in any given moment.
It’s also an interesting concept to bring to our businesses — specifically to our web design, product design, and branding (online and analog).
IF our thoughts, feelings, etc. have a specific color — might some of the primal human experiences have the same color for most people? Blue for peace, red for pain/anger, grey for sadness, etc? And if this is the case, can we AFFECT the color of other people’s “now” — and in turn affect their emotions, thoughts, or even how they feel physically — by using a certain color or set of colors?
I’ve tested it, and I’ve seen that this IS possible.
Regardless of how much you buy into this concept, wouldn’t it be a good idea to examine your brand’s colors to see if they’re on par with the type of response you are trying to evoke from your customers and potential customers?
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