Color does affect different types of commercial businesses............so, how  can you best determine what colors work best for your building or business?  A good place to begin is to look  at how your property will  appear in the context of its enviornment.  Walk around your trade area to see what colors are working for other businesses.  You want to fit in, but you also want to stand out.

Consider the building's architecture.  Color can enhance or create attractive features and hide or mitigate unattractive ones.  What colors are used in permanent elements like the roof or stonework?  Would it make sense to "play off" colors by either replicating them or using coordinating or contrasting colors?

Building details are important.  If there are eye-catching details, such as columns, windows or trim, you might consider highlighting them, unless they are so dominant it could make the building look too busy.  If there are unattractive details like gutters and vents, painting them the main wall color will help them "fade into the woodwork."

Color can make building's proportions more attractive.  This is particularly true with the roofline.  Painting the eaves and fascia the same color as the walls will make a short building look taller, while painting them the same color as the roof will make a tall building look shorter.

If there is landscaping surrounding the building, make sure you take it into account.  What colors are the flowering shrubs and flower gardens?  What are the colors of the blooms on the trees in spring or the leaves in autumn?  Make sure the colors will work year round and not just in summer or winter. 

Often, the type of businesses that are conducted within a building dictates a color scheme.  A mall that has low-cost, fast-turnover retail shops usually calls for big, bright, primary colors.  On the other hand, higher-end merchandise is better showcased with subtle, muted colors.  Big discount stores and supermarkets tend to use bold, contrasting colors.  Electronic stores like to emphasize a sleek, high-tech feeling with metallic accents of black, white and gray.

One of the trends in office space designs is making complexes more familiar and homey.  When working with large spaces, the colors need to work with many different consituents.  In buildings where there is only artificial light, most tenants favor warm, neutral colors.  To break up the "beige haze," bright colors in corridors or on panels, doors and service areas can help.  Conference rooms often use warmer tones to increase the feeling of friendliness and cooperation.

Keep in mind that color is never isolated.  Many factors influence color selection--from climate and temperature to geographic location and building ordinances.  The most inmportant thing to ask is:  What is this color saying to my customer?  Whether you want to be perceived as elegant or basic, friendly or allof, there's a color that conveys the message you want.

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