A great deal of research has been done over the years on the power of color to influence, to differentiate and to communicate. Color’s benefits have been well quantified when applied to sales, marketing and branding, but precious little research has been done on how these benefits apply to construction.

Let’s take a quick look at what some of the major printer manufacturers are saying about the benefits of color.  

One of the leading authorities on color is professor, author and color consultant J.L. Morton. She is a color psychology and branding expert with an architecture background. I came across her website Why Color Matters and found a wide range of educational materials and references. Under the Color Informs heading, she lists the remarkable percentages by which color can improve readership, learning and comprehension.

I also came across the website for the Inter-Society Color Council, which states a goal of “advancing the knowledge of color as it relates to art, science, and industry.” They have an impressive list of “member bodies” including a number of print-related associations, but not surprisingly, none from the AEC industry.

Many of the color resources I’ve come across reference the same handful of studies on the subject of the benefits of color. All of them are years old and completely unrelated to AEC. I’d love to see a major university undertake a new study on the benefits of color in construction, although I learned quite recently that these studies typically require six-figure sponsorships from private industry.

I had a fleeting thought last year about writing a research grant proposal to obtain a tiny slice of the billions of US stimulus dollars allocated to construction. A few hours of digging into the federal process sent me quickly packing and made me realize why such a huge percentage of the stimulus is still sitting on the table.

Anyone with ideas about how to get higher education institutions or federal agencies involved in funding and/or conducting research, please comment with your suggestions. Meanwhile, I am involved in some direct market research as well as some sponsored consultative research on the subject and will keep you posted on the progress.

Despite the limited research data, I am encouraged that my colleagues in the field are finding an increasingly positive response to the discussion about using color plan sets to improve project metrics. It’s hard to get a contractor’s attention when talking about reducing printing costs or improving document workflows. However, when the subject of reducing RFI’s or change orders comes up, they are all ears.