The Science of Colors: Why Red Uniforms Are The Best Choice for the Service Industry

[caption id="attachment_1107" align="aligncenter" width="441"] Image source: Youthedesigner.com[/caption]   You're out shopping and you find a great shirt that you really like, but you just can't decide between two colors. After mentally debating for a while and asking your shopping buddy which color looks better, you finally make the plunge and purchase the shirt. We've all been there before -- picking the right color for an outfit can be tricky. It's not a big deal when you shop for yourself because buying the wrong color just sets you back a few bucks. Selecting the wrong color for your custom embroidered uniform, however, can be devastating. The last thing you want to do is order several hundred uniforms and then later decide that you picked the wrong color.   So, what color is right for your company uniform? If your company helps customers relax then obviously you should go for a soothing color... but which one? Blue is calming, but so is green... And then you've got brown, which is a reliable and down-to-earth color. Which one is right for your business?   I touched on the different colors briefly in an earlier post. That article serves as a great crash course into the different colors, but today we're going to take a much more in-depth look into meanings behinds each color. Hopefully, this information can help you select the perfect color for your company uniform.  

Red

Red is a warm color that is bright and passionate. It provokes feelings of energy and excitement. Lighter shades of red become increasingly more feminine, while darker shades of red become more luxurious and romantic.  

Best Industries for Red Uniforms

Ask yourself this basic question: do you want your employees to appear energetic and fast-paced? If the answer to that question is "Yes," then you might want to consider a red uniform.   Food Industry   Nobody wants to have a lazy, slow-paced waitress. We expect servers in a restaurant to be energetic, fast-paced, and efficient. Red uniforms will make your waitstaff appear enthusiastic and eager. Think back to those old drive-in diners with car hop girls. Their eye-catching red uniforms were perfect for their fast-paced jobs.   [caption id="attachment_1055" align="alignnone" width="681"] Image source: Commons.wikimedia.org[/caption] Service Industry   The same rules that apply to the food industry also apply to the service industry. There's a good reason why bellhops wear those bright red uniforms: it makes them appear energetic.   [caption id="attachment_1054" align="alignnone" width="590"] Image source: Blogto.com[/caption] Businesses Related to Romance   When a love-struck guy goes to order flowers or chocolates and set up a romantic date for his special gal, he expects to see lots of red, pink, white, and black. The last thing he would expect is employees walking around in blue or green uniforms. Stick with red if your business markets to lovey-dovey couples.   Entertainment Industry   Every wonder why red is such a popular color in casinos? Dark red is a luxurious color that fits in with expensive casinos, but it also makes people excited and more eager to gamble. Casinos are all about being active and taking risks rather than being cautious and conservative, so red is a perfect color choice.   [caption id="attachment_1056" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Image source: Carefreetrip.com[/caption]

Worst Industries for Red Uniforms

  Health Care   If your business is all about making people feel better, then the last thing that you would ever want to do is get red uniforms. Red has been known to increase blood flow and make people excited. It's hard to reassure family members or get a sick person to rest if your bright red uniforms are increasing their heart rates.   Transportation   We expect transportation companies to be fast-paced, so naturally red would be an excellent uniform color, right? No, not exactly. We do want our planes to arrive on time, but the one thing that customers care more about than speed is safety. Nobody wants their airline pilots to cut corners and speed things up. You should probably avoid red and other warm colors if you're in the transportation industry. Stick with more stable and reassuring colors, like blue or black. These Australian stewardesses break the mold with their vivid red uniforms.   [caption id="attachment_1057" align="alignnone" width="995"] Image source: Worldscrews.blogspot.com[/caption] Security   We learned from Star Trek that wearing a red shirt on an away mission is a death sentence. Even if your employees don't run the risk of battling evil aliens, there are other reasons why you'd want to avoid red shirts in a security business. We count on security officers to be active and high-energy when the bad guys show up, but the other 99 percent of the time we want to be reassured by the presence of a strong, reliable security force. Avoid red uniforms for individuals in security and surveillance  such as home security technicians.