Creativity and the Color Gray

The communications department, where I work, probably contains the most creative people in the building. Writers, graphic designers, radio producers…we all have to come up with creative ways to get our message across. This is probably a reason why many people in Communications are discouraged that all our walls are a flat gray color. One guy though, says that he read something somewhere that suggested that the color gray is actually very conducive to creativity. No one believes him, but I think he might be right.

The people who argue against him are actually proving his point. Because every time the topic of wall color comes up, suddenly everyone who is unhappy with the shades of gray has several ideas on how they would improve it. "We could make this wall dark blue! We could hang colorful pictures up above the cubicles! Let's paint geometric shapes of various sizes and colors for a modern feel!"

Why gray? Why don't the other colors inspire? White is pure and unapproachable--any mark becomes a stain. Black is defiant and oppressive--do anything to it and no one will notice. The other colors of the rainbow all invoke different emotions—the red's and the yellows are aggressive, they say "work! work! work!" The greens and the blues are more laid back—"take it easy," they say, "it's all cool." More than any other color, gray calls out, "do something with me! I'm boring! Make me beautiful!"

Far from being unimportant, the gray walls of the Communications department are the catalyst of all creative thought. They cause us to think of the "what if's" and the "wouldn't it be neat's." They are untarnished sheets of pure potential.

That, and gray paint is cheap.