colour psychology

Why Designers love The Little Book of Colour

When I first had the idea to write a book I wanted it to be for designers and creatives but I was told that was a no go. From the many conversations I had over the years, they told me they didn’t need a book on colour because they used colour intuitively. So when Penguin…

7 ways I use Colour & Design Psychology in my consulting

I’m always asked by designers and creatives how they can practically use colour & design psychology in their work. This question often comes because they design intuitively but they notice they can get a bit stuck when their client asks them to explain their decisions or how they have come up with their designs. They…

decorex design talks why do we need colour can we live without it karen haller

Join me at Decorex 2023

If you’re planning to attend Decorex London this year, you’re definitely going to want to make sure you come on Sunday 8th October as I’ll be part of an exciting panel discussion around Why Do We Need Colour – Can we live without it? The panel discussion will be chaired by interior designer and RCA…

Three nature-led trends worth investing in

When it comes to design work something I’ve been increasing noticing over the last several years are more and more clients asking for designs that will stand the test of time. Now, that idea is nothing new, clients have been asking for timeless designs for years. But the difference I’ve been noticing is they no…

Why you can’t learn colour psychology off the internet

I was recently interviewed on a podcast aimed at interior designers and the host said that she uses colour psychology in her design business. I was curious where she got her information from. And when I asked, she said, “I just google colour psychology”. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this and it’s a…

Why Twitter’s rebrand has alienated the market

If you haven’t seen it yet Elon Musk has rebranded Twitter, and the market isn’t happy about it. It’s not unusual for companies to do a rebrand or a brand refresh after a change of ownership and they want to put their stamp on the brand, they feel they have an outdated identity or they…

Three ways to stand out in the design world

These days there are thousands of designers in any industry, be it graphic design, interior design, product and textile design or styling. And with the internet, that means you are up against designers not just locally or even in your own country, but around the world. So that can leave you wondering, how do you…

Design Professionals, are you riding the colour wave?

Have you noticed that everything comes in cycles whether that’s fashion or design styles, economic or political ideologies, music genres, lifestyle attitudes? It’s the same with colour. Colour has ebbed and flowed over the decades with some being full of colour and others where it was almost non-existent. This ebbed and flowed is tied to…

Colour, it’s in our nature

There’s nothing like the buzz of Clerkenwell Design Week which was last week. It takes place annually in the Clerkenwell district of London, which is renowned for its concentration of design studios, architecture firms, and creative businesses. I love attending because it showcases the latest trends and innovations in the design industry, with a particular…

Is this really the world’s ugliest colour?

Back in 2016 Opaque Couche, otherwise known as Pantone 448 C, won the ‘ugliest’ colour crown after Australian research agency GfK Bluemoon came up with the colour in response to the Australian government’s plain cigarette packaging policy. Think brand colours have no influence? The Australian government had put a ban in place preventing companies from…