
Learn to make your space reflect your brand identity.
So you’re opening your commercial space, that’s great news! Most businesses set a strong branding direction with a logo and digital design guidelines (or at least, that’s the plan, right). How could you open your space and make sure it embodies your original direction without having your walls be the exact same screaming orange as your logo?
The answer lies within this here blog that we wrote especially for you.
Color in a commercial space is essential because it directly influences customer perception, employee productivity, and the overall success of the business. The importance of having the correct color palette is so that it accurately reflects your brand. Here are the top reasons:
Reflect your brand
- First: It sets the Brand Identity
• Colors are a powerful tool to convey a business’s brand message and values.

For example, bold reds and yellows evoke energy for fast-food restaurants, while soft blues and greens create calmness in spas or wellness centers. Consistent color choices reinforce brand recognition and trust.
2. Influences Customer Behavior: Colors can evoke emotions and influence buying decisions.
• Warm tones (reds, oranges) stimulate appetite, making them popular in restaurants.
• Cool tones (blues, greens) promote relaxation that includes medical, spa, healthcare or financial services.
• Time Perception: Certain colors (like softer tones) encourage customers to linger longer, while brighter hues can prompt quick transactions, which is helpful in high-turnover businesses (think of McDonalds original bright yellow paired with alert red)
4. Color Creates the Right Atmosphere
• The right colors can make a space feel inviting, spacious, or luxurious:
• Light, neutral tones create openness & allow for the accent hues to stand out without feeling overwhelming.
Its highly important to have balance with cools, warms and neutrals so even our subconscious feels comfortable in balance of both stimulation and relaxation.
5. Improves Navigation and Functionality
• In commercial spaces like hotels, hospitals, or malls, color can guide movement (it can even hide unsightly but necessary features) and create visual importance for focal points.
• Accent walls or distinct color zones improve wayfinding (this also works great in parking zones and self-checkout areas)
• Contrasting colors enhance visibility for safety and accessibility.
Color is Science
6. Understanding the hypothalamus

- Color physiologically affects our pituitary gland for up to 30 minutes. That means with the correct warm hues you can stimulate hunger, thirst or excitement. On the flip side if your goal is to calm and soothe you can utilize cooler or more muted tones.
7. Reflects the Target Audience
• Colors can cater to specific demographics. For instance:
• Trendy and vibrant tones appeal to younger audiences.
• Sophisticated palettes can attract more affluent customers.
8. Finally, Color Adds to Sustainability and Well-being
• Using eco-friendly tones like earthy greens and browns reflects sustainability values, which resonate with modern consumers.
Furthermore, selecting the right color palette requires a balance between psychology, brand identity, and functionality to create a lasting impression in a thriving commercial environment. Juice Hut owners who opened their first establishment had the design goal to mimic the juicy hues from their logo & fruit. We brought the clean greens mixed with woods and bright mango and banana hues that felt sweet yet healthy.

Hair and Color?
Color success comes in many different forms. Next up is the Santo Thomas Salon in Old Town San Diego designed by JG Color Studios. This client yearned for soft tones paired with a high contrast, mixed with textures to offer their clients a hair spa experience that appealed to both men and women. Utilizing elements like American clay and Stickwood on the walls, helped to buffer loud sounds & added visual depth. It pairs expertly well with the terracotta hues, buff tones and coral accents.
A very different approach
Next up! Occulto 477 is a speakeasy hidden behind a custom confessional door. Mystique, the undead, and the unknown looms all around as it is in one of the historically spookiest parts of town. Their guiding principle is to pay reverence to all that came before us. The design goal was to make you think for a second to confess your sins before entering inside this temple of cocktails.
We made it so that the walls looked like they had been painted and lived in for multiple generations (insert our faux finisher Colori decorative painting) and a true low lit moody space that entices one to order a bourbon & relax. This color evokes a feeling of obscurity and whimsy even further. Hang out here long enough and its possible that you’ll also finally start to feel tipsy. Wait… is that the color or the mezcal talking?
Our journey with color is ongoing as it truly affects us in ways we are just starting to understand. For many of you, this is simply the beginning. Lastly, If you find your self in a situation where your business meets the public, it’s important to keep what you learned here in mind. For those of you who are not color experts, you don’t need to worry. Instead, get in touch with us and we’ll help you to choose the best colors and set your space up for success too! We love to take the guess work out of everything with our compressive and compassionate design process.
Are you crafting a color story? Book a corporate color consult virtually here and email jen@jgcolor.com to book your in person appointment.
Talk soon! -JG
We are looking forward to adding color to your life!
Painting soon? Read all about it in our Zero VOC Hero blog…