They say colors can speak to us. If so, what do they say? Yellow beams and glows, broadcasting its message of cheer. Red can rage or rejoice, and green says growth. Then there’s blue, with its wide range of shades stretching from pastel to midnight.
Blue’s diversity is reflected in a vast spectrum of expressions and words, from I’ve got the blues and talking a blue streak to a blue moon, blue blood, blue-chip, and true blue. It might just be this extensive diversity and ever-present popularity that has Pantone naming classic blue as the color of the year for 2020.
What Blue Says to Pantone
Pantone Color Institute is an international design company that issues color reports and forecasts offering a global viewpoint on the movement of colors across time. For 2020, classic blue is the rainbow standout as the Pantone color of the year.
Designers picked this particular shade, saying “Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”
Pantone calls classic blue a strong, stable color, reliable and enduring, an anchor in rough seas. This resonant shade speaks to us with a quiet confidence about the values of faith, trust in others, and integrity. People describe it as serene, tranquil, secure, orderly, and even comforting. Others swear it increases creativity and facilitates communication.
Chromotherapy and Color Communication
Although many today believe that color can impact everything from mood to metabolism, there hasn’t been extensive empirical research on its effect.
In ancient civilizations, including the Egyptian and Chinese, color was used to heal. Even today, chromotherapy, the practice of using color to harmonize a person’s energies, is still practiced as an alternative therapy. In chromotherapy, blue is said to alleviate illness and remedy pain.
Some research supports this. Blue light exposure was shown to reduce blood pressure and drop pulse rate. Participants in a pilot study were exposed to 30 minutes of full-body light, and the resulting dip in blood pressure was equivalent to or greater than the effect of using typical blood pressure-lowering medications.
And many of us believe in the power of blue. According to Psychology Today, blue is the most popular “favorite color” of Americans and generally associated with trustworthiness. People swear it lifts anxiety, and anecdotal evidence suggests it just might. In countries from Scotland to Japan, authorities that installed blue-hued street lights encountered a reduction in suicide rates and street crime.
Making Blue Work for You
If blue can improve your mood, you can’t lose by incorporating this classic twilight-blue shade into your life. Marketing people know this and offer us a host of products, from towels to SUV’s, in this rock-solid shade.
To get the most from your blue, incorporate it into your personal space. Think classic blue for everything that has to do with your personal care, including exercise wear, yoga mats, and workout space.
Paint the wall you face as you exercise a luminous, deep-sky blue and stay aware of its resonance as you do your moves. Blue rugs, pillows, and throws cost little but add a reminder of tranquility. You can also treat yourself to new exercise gear in this endearing shade as well as a new workout routine with the MXYfitness home studio.
