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European Journal of Education Studies
ISSN: 2501 - 1111
ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
© 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 353
doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1249188
Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018
COLOUR IN FASHION:
EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
Sophia Leticia Obeng1,
Daniel Kwabena Danso2,
Jonas Abora Omari3,
Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor4
i
1,2Department of Fashion Design and Textiles Education,
University of Education, Winneba (Kumasi Campus), Ghana
3Department of Industrial Art, Faculty of Art,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
4Department of Religious Studies,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Abstract:
Colours have much impact on users – either positively or negatively – when they are
used for fashion objects. This paper is purposed to identify major ways in which fashion
designers in tertiary institutions within Kumasi metropolis use colours for their fashion
objects and the effects of the colours on their clients. Qualitative research approach was
employed for this research. Specifically, the descriptive research method was adopted
for the study. One hundred and fifty (150) respondents with fashion design and textiles
background from three public tertiary institutions offering fashion design and textiles
as programme of study in the Kumasi metropolis of Ashanti region, were purposively
sampled for the study. Identification, beautification and communication, constituting
92.0%, 84.7% and 84.7% respectively of the 150 respondents, ranked as the top three
purposes for which people use colours in fashion goods. Interior decoration,
communication, designing textiles and enhancement of the aesthetic appeal of clothes,
representing 100%, 92.7%, 92.7% and 92.7% respectively were found to be the highest
positive impact of colour in fashion. In the study, 85.3% of the respondents stated that
some colours cause people to have low self-esteem while 62.0% of them said some
colours cause people to feel lazy. It is recommended that people should select colours
wisely to enhance their images.
Keywords: colour, personality, fashion, fashion objects, colour psychology, colour and
religion
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
COLOUR IN FASHION: EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 354
1. Introduction
Colour is part of our daily lives. People use colours to express themselves and their
emotions, to adapt to weather conditions (e.g. dark colours are used in winter to absorb
the heat better while light colours are used in the summer to stay fresh), and also to
simply help themselves feel confident with their bodies and appearance. Research
indicates that over 80% of visual information is related to colour: that is, colour conveys
information. It identifies a product or a company, as well as the quality of the
merchandise and much more (Pride & Ferrell, 2003).
The colour is the sight sensation produced in the retina by the visible light rays
that is the electromagnetic irradiation of 380-760nm wave length. According to this
definition, colour is a feature of neither the sensation-producing light nor the light-
emitting object, but it is a psychic experience produced by electromagnetic irradiation
(Smederevac, Mitrovic, Colovic, & Nikolasevic, 2006).
The spectrum may be divided into several segments, which when collected
together regardless their number, again produce the white light. If the spectrum is
dispersed through a prism into three equal segments, three primary colours are
obtained. The first colour classification includes the primary and complex colours.
Colour can influence consumers’ purchase decisions, how they see things, their
emotions, and thus it is integral to marketing. Colour photographs are commonly used
in advertisements because they are thought to have superior attention getting
properties (Meyer-Levy & Peracchio, 1995). For this reason, it is extremely important to
understand how colour affects attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Marketers can then apply
such knowledge to develop effective promotional strategies and tactics. For instance, a
package can be designed to appear taller or shorter: e.g., light-coloured packaging may
make a package appear larger, whereas darker colours may minimize the perceived size
(Pride & Ferrell, 2003). The right colours communicate meaning and please the eye,
whereas the wrong colours can be unpleasant and even unsettling. As a functional
component of human vision, colour can capture attention, relax or irritate the eyes, and
affect the legibility of text.
Colours can also influence customers’ emotions-positively or negatively. Pride
and Farrell (2003) reiterate research has shown a consistent association of colours with
certain feelings and experiences. For example, the colour ‚Blue‛ is soothing and
associated with wealth, trust, and security, whereas ‚Red‛ connotes excitement and
stimulation.
Understanding how involved consumers become in their apparel choosing in
terms of colours - that is, their attachments to them- provides a deeper understanding of
the dynamics of consumer behaviour and the nature and role of the product category of
fashion. Evard and Aurier (1996) found involvement to be at the heart of the ‚person-
object relationship‛ and the relational variable most predictive of purchase behavior.
Contemporary fashion research indicates consumers are often distributed across a wide
range of fashion consciousness and behaviours. The highly fashion involved consumer
has historically been important to fashion researchers and marketers because fashion
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
COLOUR IN FASHION: EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 355
involved consumers are seen as the drivers, influentials, and legitimists of the fashion
adoption process (O’Cass, 2000).
There are a surprisingly small number of studies investigating the correlation
between the individual colour preference and the personality. According to Luscher
(1971), who advocates in his thesis that the subjects with similar colour preference may
have similar personality traits, the subjects’ psychological reactions/attitudes to the
primary colours (blue, red, yellow and green) reflect their basic psychological needs.
When, for example, someone does not like red, he/she unconsciously reflects anxiety
(Zuckerman, 1991). Eysenck postulated that the introverts, unlike the extroverts, are
preoccupied with their own thoughts and emotions, so they choose a social
environment that allows them to achieve a medium level of the optimal excitement
(Kandinski, 2004).
Ghanaians have been using colours to complement their beauty and occasions.
For example, the use of arrays of colours displayed during festivals by the chiefs,
queens and other ranking personalities in the society are the typical examples of the use
of colours by Ghanaians. The use of colours in religious bodies in Ghana, especially the
liturgical colours of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches and their colours that
help in distinguishing between the hierarchical ranks among their clergymen, are other
examples of the usage of colours in the society. Fashion designers also select colours for
the manufacturing of garments and other fashion products for use by the public.
In other cases, customers make their own selection of coloured fabrics for their
conversion into garments by designers. It is found, however, that quite a number of
fashion designers and users of the fashion objects do not have in-depth knowledge on
colours and therefore do not make the right choice for specific occasions and
personalities.
As a result, designers often produce coloured fashion articles which do not fit the
intended occasions and personalities. Also, due to lack of knowledge on colours and
their usage, consumers do not select the colours for positive impact on their
personalities.
The research, therefore, primarily investigated into the selection of colours for
use in fashion design objects for use by particular personalities and their impact. It is
also aimed to provide information to fashion designers and the public to make right
decisions in the selection of colours for use in fashion.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Fashion
Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear,
accessories, makeup, body piercing, or furniture. Fashion refers to a distinctive and
often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses or to prevailing styles in
behaviour. Fashion also refers to the newest creations of textile designers
(www.fashion.news, 3/29/2012). The more technical term costume has become so linked
to the term ‘fashion’ that the use of the former has been relegated to special senses like
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
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European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 356
fancy dress or masquerade wear, while ‘fashion’ means clothing more generally,
including the study of it. Although aspects of fashion can be feminine or masculine,
some trends are androgynous (Cumming, 2004).
Fashion is a subject of vital interest in the urban centres of the world, fashion
matters enormously, especially to the youth. Fashion is an international language and
global business. It is also a popular career option and one of the most oversubscribed
fields of higher education (Jones and Sue, 2011).
Fashion refers to a style that is popular at a time. Miniskirt and platform shoes
and both styles may be in fashion depending on their current acceptance by consumers
(Diamond & Diamond, 2007). Fashion has the power to transform an image and make a
social statement. To some, fashion is an artform and to others, it is almost a religion.
However, for most people, it is a method of utilizing clothing, accessories and hairs to
show or hide a person’s self. One can use fashion to disguise his or her true self
conservation in vamp clothing. Fashion statements can be made with clothes,
accessories, shoes, hair, makeup, and even cellphones. Designers can greatly influence
the direction fashion will go (Nellis, 2010).
2.2 Colour
Colour is comprised of visible light; objects absorb different wavelengths and the colour
that we see is the unabsorbed light reflected back to the eye. As light enters the eye, it
interacts with receptors in the retina (also referred to as cones) to produce vision and
colour. These receptors send information via the optical nerve to the thalamus region of
the brain, where all sensory impulses converge (Mahnke, 1996), synapses fire and
information is then sent to the visual cortex. In effect, the eyes and optical pathways
merely transfer light information to the brain where sensory experiences of colour are
interpreted. As such, the brain acts as a translator between light and colour perception,
mediating our responses to colour information. New developments in understanding
visual perception have been made possible by advances in technology, and although a
large portion of our knowledge regarding the mechanics of colour vision was
developed in the last century, it has been a topic of interest to scholars since antiquity.
2.3.1 Uses of colours
According to Bennett (1991), colour is a powerful and important communication tool,
and it is tied to religious, cultural, political and social influences. By stopping to
consider what each colour represents and is linked to in the ‘real world’ we can make
informed design decisions that ensure we appeal to our target audience. Without this
consideration, we run the risk of offending the very people we are designing for.
A. It affects your mood
Most of us have a favourite colour or prefer some colours over others. This is because
colour can affect our moods so we surround ourselves in the colours that have a
positive impact on our mood. Red can boost your energy, yellow often makes people
feel happier, and blue is proven to bring down blood pressure and slow your heart rate
which is why it is often associated with being relaxing. If you combine the happiness of
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
COLOUR IN FASHION: EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 357
yellow and the relaxing feel of blue you get green, a very pleasing colour for many
people. Mental health units are known to use pastel tones on their walls so that patients
feel calm, happy, and relaxed. Walls that are beige with a pink tint combined with mint
green floors are a popular combination as it is said to create a soothing, harmonious and
calm area. At the other end of the spectrum, literally, schools tend to use bright colours
that appeal to children (Wilson, Centerbar, Kermer & Gilbert, 2005).
When choosing colours for your next design it is important to consider how they
will combine and sit with the other elements on the page and what impact that will
have on the mood of your audience.
B. Colours communicate invisibly
Kandinsky (1994), one of the first pioneers of colour theory and a renowned Russian
painter and art theorist, believed that the following colours communicate the following
qualities:
Yellow – warm, exciting, happy
Blue – deep, peaceful, supernatural
Green – peace, stillness, nature
White – harmony, silence, cleanliness
Black – grief, dark, unknown
Red – glowing, confidence, alive
Orange – radiant, healthy, serious
C. Colour has cultural significance According to Petterson (2004), different colours
mean different things in different places. This is extremely important for designers to
know because without an awareness of the cultural significance of a particular colour,
you risk offending your entire target audience. Purple, for example, is a colour of
mourning in Thailand. In western culture however, it is associated with royalty, luxury,
wealth and sometimes magic. The brand colour for Thai Airways is purple. On first
glance this seems like a huge error on their part because as mentioned above, purple is
a colour of mourning in Thailand. It is most likely, however, that the Thai Airways
website isn’t aimed at locals but at tourists, therefore if westerners view the site and see
purple it will associate Thai Airways with values such as luxury and comfort. Other
examples are:
In western cultures black is a colour of mourning;
In Japan, however, it is a colour of honour with white as the colour of mourning;
Red in the west represents danger, love, passion;
In India it is a colour of purity, in China it is a colour of good luck and in South
Africa it is a colour of mourning;
Yellow represents courage in Japan, mourning in Egypt and hope in the West.
D. Colour can be inspired by our surroundings
We live in a colourful world, a world that acts as the perfect inspirational trigger for
design (Bell, 2004). The best thing about looking to the environment for design solutions
is that the palette is always changing, from autumnal oranges to cold winter blues. So
where better to look than out of your window is to take in the colours and then apply
them to your designs. Drawing inspiration from nature for your designs also makes you
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
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European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 358
look at the world differently. Normally, we whiz by from place to place but you notice
the finer details and undiscovered gems when you actually stop to take it in.
E. Colour has political associations
Individual political parties are associated with one colour or another. Depending on
whom your audience is, this might prove to be valuable information when designing.
The association between political parties and colours isn’t a new connection but it is
often taken for granted. In the UK, for example, the following pairings exist:
Labour – Red
Conservative – Blue
Liberal Democrats– Yellow
The Green Party – Green
If a colour is representative of a political party then the values and behaviours
that the party is known for can be suggested through the use of this colour.
Red is often linked to socialism and communism
White has links to pacifism and the surrender flag. In contrast to this, black is a
colour that is used in conjunction with anarchism.
Working class Nazism is associated with the colour brown as the South Africans
known as the ‘brown shirts’.
A design with one of these colours as the dominant shade may well hint at a
right wing or a left wing preference or at extreme behaviours (Birren, 1956).
F. Religion can be linked to colours
As with politics, colours are representative of certain religions. So as not to
unintentionally offend anyone through your designs, some examples of these
colour/religion associations are:
Green is considered to be the holy colour of Islam
Judaism is represented by the colour yellow
In Hinduism, many gods have blue skin
White is linked to peace across many religions
Again, this may only be necessary information if you are designing a site that has
specific links to religion but it also emphasises that a thorough knowledge of your
audience is a fundamental part of the design process (Birren, 1956).
In Christian religion, it is found that colours have much symbolic significance in
the churches. They suggest the majesty of the feast or signify the sentiment of the
special occasion for which a particular service is celebrated (Lang, 1989). The Anglican
Church, for example, uses the following colours, among others, with symbolic
significance and also for particular occasions (Anglican Lectionary, 1997):
White is a symbol of purity, joy and bright light of truth and used in occasions
such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Trinity Sunday,
Transfiguration, All Saints Day, Baptism, Marriages and Feast of Dedication of a
Chapel.
Violet (or Blue) is a colour of penitence and expectations. It is used during
advent and from Ash Wednesday until the day before Palm Sunday. It is also
used during funerals.
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
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Red is a symbol of blood and also represents the Holy Spirit. It is used on
Pentecost Sunday, for Confirmation, Ordination and for Feast of Saints venerated
as martyrs.
Green is the common colour mostly used on all days outside the two great
festival periods – Epiphany and Pentecost.
Additionally, the hierarchical ranks among the clergy in the episcopal churches,
especially, are better identified for recognition by the colours of garments they use.
Bishops in Methodist, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, for instance, are allowed
to use purple clerical shirts but clergymen below that rank are not permitted to wear
clerical shirts of such a colour.
G. Age affects people’s colour preferences
Colour expert Faber Birren carried out many studies into this area and in his book
Colour Psychology and Colour Therapy, he states that for both genders, blue and red
‚maintain a high preference throughout life‛. He found that yellow is popular with children
but as they move into adulthood it shows less popularity. Birren found that ‚with
maturity comes a greater liking for hues of shorter wave lengths (blue, green, purple) than for
hues of longer wave lengths (red, orange, and yellow).” Another factor that influences
people’s colour preferences is that throughout their life, there will be social and cultural
changes and this can directly impact on their favourite colours. Some knowledge of
what colours certain age ranges prefer can be valuable for designers. If you were
designing a website for a toy store or a children’s TV channel, then knowing they prefer
bright colours and yellow in particular would help with your design decisions.
Likewise, if you designed a website for a charity whereby the audience was to be the
older generation then blue, green or purple might be ideal, based on Birren’s findings.
Colour is a complex subject with many strands and it has the power to subliminally
convey values and stories.
2.4 Fashion, Colour and Personality
Physical appearance is one domain that people frequently use to formulate impressions
of others. Physically, attractive people are helped, trusted, and preferred as employees
or mates (Buss, 1995) to a greater degree than less attractive people. Additionally,
individuals may consciously or unconsciously manifest aspects of their personalities
through their physical appearance. For instance, one argument against forcing children
to wear school uniforms is that uniforms suppress their freedom of expression and
individuality. Transgendered peoples’ use of clothing to express their gender-identity is
another example. Observers can form judgements based on a target’s conscious clothing
decisions or behavioural residue that reflects one’s appearance. Gosling, et al. (2002)
proposed a model to explain how individuals can influence the environment around
them and how that individual expression in physical environments provides valuable
information that observers use in forming their impressions. According to this model,
there are four mechanisms that link individuals to their environments.
The first two mechanisms describe the more conscious efforts of clothing
selection and are categorized as identity claims: self-directed and other-directed.
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
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Individuals may choose clothing (e.g., a t-shirt with cultural symbols or icons) that (1)
makes statements intended to reinforce their self-views or (2) communicates their
attitudes and values to others. The third and fourth mechanisms describe how aspects
of personality unconsciously permeate our clothing selection. These mechanisms are
identified as interior and exterior behavioural residue. Behavioural residue refers to the
physical traces or activities that an individual conducts in his or her environment
(Gosling, et al, 2002). Observers can use this residue of repeated behaviours to form
impressions of personality. An individual’s clothing may contain (3) residue of
behaviour conducted while wearing it (e.g., grass stains in the knee area of a woman’s
jeans). This residue not only reflects past behaviours, but one can imply future
behaviours as well (e.g., gardening). Behavioural residue may (4) leave the space in
which it originally occurred. Observers can make inferences about an individual’s
behaviour that occurred entirely outside the surroundings in which the clothing is seen.
From the behavioural residue, observers infer dispositions and personality traits.
Gosling et al.’s (2002) model explains how an individual’s clothing choices may
consciously and unconsciously reflect elements of his or her personality traits.
However, one might argue that daily selection of clothing is not an expression of
personality but is instead determined by its function (e.g., cold weather or important
meeting). The process of selecting personal attire occurs in stages and includes the
decision to purchase a particular clothing item, the anticipation of potential
environmental conditions, and the freedoms or restrictions of various social conditions.
Personality can influence choice of attire at any stage in this process.
An individual has a wide variety of clothing styles to choose from: professional,
casual, stylish, or comfortable attire. In selecting clothing, an individual might choose
an outfit that fits his or her social or environmental needs: a well-pressed suit and
powerful tie for an important board meeting; a t-shirt and jeans to run errands; a flashy
blouse and mini skirt for a night in the town; or sweatshirt and jogging pants for a cold
day’s morning run. An individual also might adjust other aspects of his or her
appearance such as hairstyle, jewellery /accessories, or whether to reveal tattoos and
body piercings.
2.5 Colour and Personality
The colour is an important aspect of our efforts to create our personal environment we
like. There are a surprisingly small number of studies investigating the correlation
between the individual colour preference and the personality. According to Luscher
(1971), who advocates in his thesis that the subjects with similar colour preference may
have similar personality traits, the subjects’ psychological reactions/attitudes to the
primary colours (blue, red, yellow and green) reflect their basic psychological needs.
When, for example, someone does not like red, he/she unconsciously reflects anxiety
(Gérard, Gautier, Jappé & Vavasseur, 1993). Eysenck postulated that the introverts,
unlike the extroverts, are preoccupied with their own thoughts and emotions, so they
choose a social environment that allows them to achieve a medium level of the optimal
excitement (Smederevac, Mitrovic, Colovic, & Nikolasevic, 2006).
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
COLOUR IN FASHION: EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 361
The studies of the effect of colour on excitement have shown that there is a
correlation between colour preferences and personality traits. More precisely, the
introverts prefer ‚calm‛ colours (such as blue), because they reduce the excitement,
while the extroverts prefer ‚exciting‛ colours (such as red), as they increase the
excitement level (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007). A study in which hue (but not brightness or
saturation) was varied showed that more extroverts than introverts preferred warm
colours (Gérard, Gautier, Jappé & Vavasseur, 1993). In his careful analysis of the effect
of permanent observation of coloured surfaces through psychophysical functions,
Gerard reported a significantly weaker excitement under the blue than under the red
and white light. Subjects who scored high on the manifest anxiety scale were
significantly more excited under the red light and calmer under the blue light as
compared to the subjects with low manifest anxiety score (Gérard, Gautier, Jappé &
Vavasseur, 1993).
The high structural mode of colour application has been established to be in the
positive correlation with the socially reserved style of behaviour and in the negative
correlation with extroversion. However, the looser application of colours is not
necessarily in a close correlation with extroversion (Gérard, Gautier, Jappé &
Vavasseur, 1993). Lange and Rentfrow suppose that similar personality traits may be
reflected through diverse colour preference patterns, e.g., the high creativity might be
associated with the yellow or red colour preference at the first place, and the blue
colour preference at the last place (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007). The history of the
psychological studies on the relationship between personality and colour has been
partially reviewed by Schaie, who suggested that the colour shades in the spectrum
order from red to violet represent a series of emotions, from excitement, unrestraint,
direct and prolonged impulsive discharge (red), over calmness (green), to anxiety and
concern (violet). The correlation of the violet colour and concern and tension has been
supported by the findings of a great number of psycho-pathological groups. Birren has
reported an association between the warm colours and energetic and excited moods
and between the cool colours and passive and calm moods (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
A. Red
You are extroverted and optimistic. You are action oriented and physically active. You
like to be the centre of attention. You are ambitious and competitive. You have a
passion and enthusiasm for life and are not afraid to pursue your dreams and goals.
You are impulsive. Patience is not one of your strong points. You can be aggressive and
easy to anger, often exhibiting a violent temper. You do not hold a grudge. You can be
somewhat of a know-it-all, not wanting to appear unintelligent or ignorant (Mehta &
Zhu, 2009).
B. White
You are neat and immaculate in your appearance, in the presentation of your home
almost to the point of being fanatical. You are far-sighted, with a positive and optimistic
nature. You are well-balanced, sensible, discreet and wise. You are cautious, practical.
You tend to have a great deal of self-control. You are confident, poised and self-assured
when at your most positive, but can also be very choosy and fastidious when the mood
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strikes. You can be very critical of yourself and others. You are self-sufficient and a
loner. You may appear to be shy, but you do have strong beliefs about most things and
love the opportunity to air those beliefs (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
C. Black
Prestige and power are important to you. You are independent, strong-willed and
determined. You are non-emotional and give the appearance of a dignified and
sophisticated person who is in total control - this is often a front as you may feel quite
insecure. You like to keep people at a distance. You may be looking for protection from
any negativity that surrounds you. You hold things inside and are not good at sharing
things with others. You are methodical in your work, making sure everything is
completed as required, down to the last detail. It may be a colour of comfort to you,
allowing you to retreat and hide from the real world (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
D. Yellow
You have a happy disposition and are cheerful and fun to be with. You are creative,
often being the one who comes up with new ideas. You tend to have your head in the
clouds much of the time. You analyze everything, all the time, and are methodical in
your thinking. You are impulsive and make quick decisions, but often, out of anxiety,
jump in too quickly and rush things. You have a strong independent streak in you, and
are selective with your choice of friends. You tend to hide your emotions, putting on a
brave face in times of adversity. You have a modern outlook. New technology does not
faze you. You communicate well on a mental level with like-minded people, but can
become bitter and sharp-tongued if crossed. You are good at networking and getting
information out of others. You can be stubborn but dislike pettiness and spitefulness of
all kinds. You are good at anything that involves the mind, rather than physical
pursuits (Gage, 1993).
E. Green
You are practical, down-to-earth person. You are stable and well balanced; you are
kind, generous and compassionate. You have a great need to love and to be loved and
you tend to wear your heart on your sleeve- you are an open book. You have a need to
belong. You are at home in any social situation. You have high moral standards and
doing the right thing is important to you. You like to be accepted, appreciated and
admired for the good you do in the community as well as in your family life. You are a
loyal friend and a faithful partner, gentle but not passionate. You are strong-willed and
do not like to be told what to do by others. You do like to win arguments and do not
concede defeat easily. You are not a risk-taker and not action orientated, rather more of
an observer. Detail bores you. You process information quickly and prefer to develop
an idea, organize a plan and then delegate the rest to someone else (Gage 1993).
F. Blue
You are conservative, reliable and trustworthy - you are quite trusting of others
although you are very wary in the beginning until you are sure of the other person. You
are not impulsive- you always think before you speak and act and do everything at
your own pace in your own time. You take time to process and share your feelings. You
are genuine and sincere, and you take your responsibilities seriously. You have a deep
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
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European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 363
need for peace and harmony in your everyday life. You appear to be confident and self-
controlled, but may be hiding your vulnerable side. You are generally fairly even-
tempered, unless your emotions take over - then you can become either moody and
over-emotional, or cool and indifferent. You are sensitive to the needs of others. While
you are friendly and sociable, you prefer the company of your own close group of
friends. You are a rescuer and love to be needed. You can be rigid, you like to stick to
what is familiar to you- you stubbornly do things your way even if there is a better way.
Untidiness and unpredictability overwhelm you. You do not like to draw attention to
yourself. You make a loyal and faithful marriage partner and you are an honest,
trustworthy and sincere friend. You are aware of others feelings and sensitive to the
moods of others. You are approachable and friendly, always making people feel
welcome in your life. You have a thirst for knowledge in order to gain wisdom and
appear knowledgeable in whatever area interests you (Mehta & Zhu 2009).
G. Pink
You are loving, kind, generous and sensitive to the needs of others. You are friendly
and approachable with a warmth and softness others are drawn to. You have a
maternal instinct, with a need to protect and take care of others. You are very much in
touch with your femininity this includes men who are in touch with their feminine side.
You are romantic and sensual and sensitive. With your optimistic and positive outlook
on life, you see the good in everyone. You are methodical and organized, although you
can sometimes be rather flippant when the immature girly side of pink appears. You are
refined, reserved, calm and non-violent which may give the impression of shyness
(Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
H. Grey
You are neutral about life, often to the point of being indifferent. If you love grey, you
are trying to protect yourself from the chaotic outside world, even to the point of
isolating yourself from others. It is important for you to maintain the status quo - you
prefer a safe, secure and balanced existence and never desire much excitement. You will
usually compromise in order to keep the balance and stability. You are practical and
calm, do not like to attract attention and are simply seeking a contented life. You are the
middle of the road type, cool, conserved, composed and reliable. You are a hard worker
who just gets on with the job that has to be done. You tend to be indecisive, lacking
confidence - a fence-sitter who finds it difficult to make choices in most situations in
your life. You like to be in control of your emotions and avoid experiencing emotional
pain by shutting off from your emotions. You tend to make fair and balanced
judgements, and may be a good critic, because of your emotional detachment. You
prefer to not get involved - you are quite independent and may be quite individual in
your attitude, although you lack imagination and creativity (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
I. Brown
Having a personality colour brown means you are honest, down-to-earth and
wholesome, with both feet planted firmly on the ground. You are steady and reliable
and quietly confident. You are friendly and approachable, genuine and sincere. You
have a keen sense of duty and responsibility. Family and family life is extremely
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important to you. You like physical comfort, simplicity and quality. You are a loyal and
trustworthy friend, supportive and dependable. You are sensitive to the needs of
others. You are sensual, warm and supportive. Others are comfortable in your presence
and find it easy to open up to and confide in you. You are hard-working, industrious
and reliable. You take life seriously but have a subtle dry sense of humour. You like a
structured life with everything in its place, although you are not a perfectionist by any
means. You are materialistic, appreciating quality in everything a comfortable home,
the best food and drink and loyal companionship. You may suppress your emotions at
times, retreating from the outside world. You feel uncomfortable about losing control
but will work hard to change a situation that seems unjust or unfair. You have a strong
need for security and a sense of belonging, which is why your family is so important to
you. You can be quite contemplative, working out problems and becoming quite
absorbed until you find a solution. You have a warm and encouraging manner that
gives reassurance to others. You do everything in moderation and with restraint (Lange
& Rentfrow, 2007).
J. Purple
Having a personality colour purple or violet as your favourite colour means you are
sensitive and compassionate, understanding and supportive, thinking of others before
yourself. You are a gentle and free spirit. Your feelings run deep and you can be quite
sensitive to hurtful comments from others, although you would never show it. People
are drawn to your charismatic and alluring energy. You are usually introverted rather
than extroverted and may give the impression of being shy although this is not the case.
You are creative and like to be individual in most of your endeavours, including your
dress and home decoration - you love the unconventional. You are idealistic, and often
impractical, with a great imagination, you tend to look at life through rose-coloured
glasses. People who don't understand you sometimes think you are eccentric because
you spend so much time in your fantasy world. You inspire others with your creative
thinking and your ability to deal positively with adversity. You are very intuitive and
quite psychic. You are a generous giver, asking for little in return except friendship.
You can be secretive, with even your closest friends not really knowing you well. You
dislike responsibility and have difficulty dealing with real day-to-day problems. You
dislike being part of the crowd. You don't like to copy others and you don't like them to
copy you. You are a visionary, with high ambitions, dreams and desires, and a
compulsion to help humanity and to improve the planet earth. You often hold positions
of power because you are visionary, but you delegate to others all the minor details that
you aren't interested in. You like to have the best of everything, so you aim high. Being
the free spirit you are, you love to travel to experience different cultures and meet new
people. You are a good judge of character and sum others up quite quickly and
accurately, although you usually see the best in everybody. Time means little to you
and you are often late for everything. You trust the flow of the Universe to take care of
everything. You can sometimes appear arrogant and conceited if operating from a
negative perspective. You can be selfish and self-indulgent as you don't like being
imposed upon by others beliefs and regulations (Lange & Rentfrow, 2007).
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2.6 Effects of Colour on Personality
Judgements about colours are frequent in the market place. Consumers often buy
products in the colours that they find most pleasing at the time of purchase and,
knowing that, firms often rely on colours to appeal emotionally and aesthetically to
consumers. Colours are powerful signals, in part, because of their readily accessible
emotional tones. Indeed, research has shown that colours are associated with and
inducers of specific emotional states (Valdez & Mehrabian 1994). Colour signals an
emotional tone. More saturated and lighter colours are perceived to be happier, more
exciting, and purer (i.e., most often, positive emotions), whereas more muted and
darker colours tend to be more strongly associated with sadness, distress or disgust
(i.e., most often, negative emotions). Contrary to the common belief that a colour’s
emotional tone (or colour tone) is determined primarily by hue (e.g., yellow is happy,
blue is sad), the strongest determinants are actually saturation (i.e., the apparent purity
of the colour) and lightness (Valdez & Mehrabian 1994).
People’s perception of a colour’s emotional tone is surprisingly consistent across
age groups and cultures (D'Andrade & Egan, 1974). Developmentally, children as
young as three years old have shown to make associations between colours and
emotions similar to those made by adults (Zentner, 2001).
Surprisingly, colour tone explains little about colour preference (Terwogt & Hoeksma
1995). For example, bright yellow is the happiest colour, yet among the least preferred,
whereas blue is often linked with sadness, yet among the most preferred (Palmer &
Schloss, 2010).
Colour is an important part of human perception. Many everyday objects have
been designed to convey a message through colour. The way that colours effects
psychological processing has not been fully explained. In particular, past studies on the
effect of colour on cognitive tasks have presented contradicting results (Mehta & Zhu,
2009). These studies have often only assessed two of the three primary colours at a time
and still had contradicting results. Most studies focus on comparing red to either blue
or green. The results from the studies have been a mix with some of the studies
showing red to enhance cognitive task performance over blue or green and the other
studies showing the opposite effect. Mehta and Zhu (2009) explain these results through
achievement motivation theory. Different colours enhance different achievement
motivations, which can then affect the performance on different types of cognitive tasks.
For colour to affect the performance on cognitive tasks, Elliot and Maier (2007) state six
premises that must be met.
First, colour should be able to carry a specific meaning. If colour were merely for
aesthetic purposes then it would not have influence over psychological functioning.
Second, the meaning of colours is based both on learned associations and on biological
responses. For example, in an academic setting, red is often coupled with mistakes. A
teacher corrects a paper in a red pen; this is a learned association. Biologically red can
be a signal of danger as in some cases of an ape’s attack readiness (Maier, Elliot, &
Lichtenfeld, 2008). Blue is more often associated with openness and peace instead of
danger (Mehta & Zhu, 2009). The third premise is that the perception of colour alone
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will cause evaluative processes. Evaluative processes are defined as determining
whether a stimulus is harmful or hospitable (Elliot & Maier, 2007). Fourth, these
evaluative processes, which are caused by the perception of colour, influence motivated
behavior. Colours with a positive association would trigger an approach motivation,
while colours with a negative association would trigger an avoidance motivation. The
fifth premise is that the influence of colour on psychological functioning is implicit and
automatic. The activation of the motivation behaviour takes place without awareness.
The sixth premise is that the meaning and effects of colour are based on context. In
different contexts, a colour can have different associations. Within an achievement
setting, red is associated with danger and mistakes. If you are in a social context, red
can be associated with romance and will then have a more positive association (Elliot &
Niesta, 2008).
Moods and emotions are a conscious way to evoke the approach and avoidance
motivations. They both have been shown to have influence on cognitive task
performance. (Baldwin & Meunier, 1999). Positive moods have been shown to increase
the performance on some cognitive tasks and to decrease the performance on others.
Being in a positive mood has been shown to enhance tasks that involve creativity, and
those that involve the recall of happy memories. The feelings of happiness tend to
increase the tendency to generate free associations and can then increase the ability to
solve insight problems (Kuschel, Forster, & Denzler, 2010). Positive mood has been
shown to impair cognitive tasks involving assessing memory, deductive reason, and
planning. It is hypothesized that positive mood enhances tasks because it increases a
person’s ability to reinterpret material and switch between cognitive sets. Positive
mood may increase the load on working memory, which causes poorer performance on
cognitive tasks. (Baldwin & Meunier 1999), show that positive mood can both enhance
and impair cognitive task performance. On creative tasks, positive mood enhances the
performance, while on more detail-oriented tasks, positive mood inhibits the
performance. Kuschel, Forster, and Denzler (2010) explain these results through the
cognitive tuning model. This model suggests that an individual’s internal state informs
them about their current situation, whether it is dangerous or safe, and can then convey
the processing requirements for that situation. Negative states signal a problematic or
dangerous environment and will then convey a more systematic and detail-oriented
processing style. While in this processing style, each solution that could change the
situation would be carefully assessed and less creative thinking would be used because
untested solutions could act to make the current situation worse. On the other hand,
positive states signal a safe environment and will convey a more risky processing style.
It is thought that internal knowledge structures desire to be enriched with new
information and this can lead to more creative thinking. Mood is one influencer of
cognitive tuning, but it does not always have to be a conscious signal that an individual
is aware exists (Kuschel, Forster, & Denzler, 2010).
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3. Methodology
This study adopted the qualitative research design. Qualitative research, according to
Bell (2012), is more concerned about understanding individuals’ perceptions of the
world. It doubts whether social ‘facts’ exist and questions whether a ‘scientific’
approach can be used when dealing with human beings. She, further, says there are
occasions when qualitative researchers draw on quantitative techniques, and vice versa,
and depends on the kind of data required. Punch (2005: 28) adds that ‘qualitative
research not only uses non-numerical and unstructured data but also, typically, has
research questions and methods which are more general at the start and become more
focused as the study progresses’. Descriptive research technique was specifically used
for this study.
Purposive sampling technique was used to sample one hundred and forty (140)
fashion design students and ten (10) fashion design lecturers from three public tertiary
institutions in the Kumasi metropolis of Ashanti region for the study. A total of one
hundred and fifty (150) respondents were used. The numbers of respondents selected
from the three educational institutions were: 50 students and 4 lecturers from
University of Education, Winneba (Kumasi-Campus); 40 students and 3 lecturers from
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi; and 50 students and
4 lecturers from Kumasi Polytechnic (now Kumasi Technical University).
Questionnaire that comprised of open-ended and closed-ended questions was
used as the data gathering instrument. The data gathered were analysed and presented
in tables and figures with their frequency and percentage values and also in descriptive
forms, where necessary.
4. Results and Discussion
4.1 Overview
The study seeks to determine the effects of colour in fashion on personalities in the
fashion industry in Ghana. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) respondents were
given questionnaire to answer and the responses received were analysed and presented
in the form of tables and figures.
4.2 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
The analyses of the bio – data of respondents in Table 1 shows that out of the 150
respondents who were studied, 77.4% of the respondents were of the age group 25-34
years, and the rest of the respondents were in the age groups of 18-24years, 35-44 years
and 45 years and above. It was also revealed that 54% of the respondents were females,
while 46% of them were males. Also 84.7% of the respondents were Christians and all
the 150 respondents have tertiary education background. Again 84.7% of the
respondents were single, and 15.3% of the respondents were either married or divorced.
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Table 1: Respondents’ demographic data
Respondents characteristics
Frequency (N)
Percentage (%)
Age Group
18-24 years
25-34 years
35-44years
45years and above
Total
21
116
11
2
150
14.0
77.4
7.3
1.3
100.0
Sex
Male
Female
Total
69
81
150
46.0
54.0
100.0
Religious Background
Christian
Traditionalist
Muslim
Others
Total
Educational Background
Second cycle
Tertiary
Total
127
0
23
0
150
0
150
150
84.7
0.0
15.3
0.0
100.0
0.0
100.0
100.0
Marital Status
Single
Married
Divorced
Widowed
Total
127
12
11
0
150
84.7
8.0
7.3
0.0
100.0
4.3 Knowledge on colour and personality in fashion
Table 2: Ranking of knowledge on colours in fashion
Factors
Frequency (N)
Percentage (%)
Low
11
7.3
Moderate
46
30.7
High
93
62.0
Total
150
100.0
As shown in Table 2, 93(62.0%) of the respondents were ranked high while 46(30.7%) of
them were ranked moderate and 11(7.3%) of the respondents were ranked low. This
means that according to the analysis of the data collected from the respondents’
majority of them had knowledge on colours in fashion. Also when respondents were
asked whether they know and understand the meaning and impact of colours in
fashion, all the 150 respondents indicated that they understand the meaning and impact
of colours in fashion.
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Table 3: Colour must be considered when making decision on fashion
Factors
Frequency (N)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
94
62.7
Agree
45
30.0
Neither Agree nor Disagree
11
7.3
Disagree
0
0.0
Strongly Disagree
0
0.0
Total
150
100.0
Table 3 reflects that 94(62.7%) of the respondents strongly agreed with the fact that
colour must be considered when making a decision in fashion, 45(30.0%) of them
agreed to the above statement. This data collected shows that majority of the
respondents strongly agreed with the fact that colour in fashion must be taken into
consideration when making decision on fashion while the minority (7.3%) neither
agreed nor disagreed with the view that colour must be considered when making
decision on fashion.
Table 4: How colours are used in fashion
Factors
Strongly
agree
N (%)
Agree
N (%)
Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
N (%)
Disagree
N (%)
Strongly
Disagree
N (%)
Total
N (%)
For beautification
82(54.7)
45(30.0)
23(15.3)
0(0)
0(0)
150(100)
For identification
58(38.7)
80(53.3)
12( 8.0)
0(0)
0(0)
150(100)
For therapy
46(30.7)
48(32.0)
44(29.3)
12(8.0)
0(0)
150(100)
For communication
82(54.7)
45(30.0)
0(0)
23(15.3)
0(0)
150(100)
For protection
82(54.7)
34(22.7)
22(14.7)
12( 8.0)
0(0)
150(100)
For creating illusion
71(47.3)
68(45.3)
11( 7.3)
0(0)
0(0)
150(100)
For religious purposes
58(38.7)
57(38.0)
23(15.3)
0(0)
12(8.0)
150(100)
For symbolism
104(69.3)
34(22.7)
0(0)
12(8.0)
0(0)
150(100)
For charming and
invoking powers
58(38.7)
35(23.3)
34(22.7)
11(7.3)
12(8.0)
150(100)
For correcting figure fault
70(46.7)
35(23.3)
23(15.3)
22(14.7)
0(0)
150(100)
For attraction
93(62.0)
57(38.0)
0(0)
0(0)
0(0)
150(100)
The data from the survey, presented in Table 4, also reveals the following in
relationship to colours used in fashion. It shows that above (50%) of all the respondents
agree or strongly agree with the factors. For example, for beautification (84.7%), while
15.3% neither agreed nor disagreed. For identification (92.0%), for therapy (62.7%) while
29.3% neither agreed nor disagreed, for communication (84.7%) while 15.3% disagreed,
for protection (77.3%), for creating illusion (92.7%) and for religious purposes (76.7%)
while 8.0% strongly disagreed. For symbolism (92.0%), for charming and invoking
spiritual powers (62.0%) while 8.0% strongly disagreed, for correcting figure fault
(70.0%) while 14.7% disagreed, and for attraction (100%). It is deduced from the Table 4
that the idea of attraction is the most outstanding factors that respondents consider for
the use of colours in fashion. This factor is followed by identification purpose, creation
of illusion and for symbolism which are also on the same level in terms of ranking. It is
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0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Very
Important
Important Neutral Less
Important
Not
Important
127
11 12 0 0
frequency
Level of significance
Significance of Colours
found in the Table 4 that comparatively the concept of charming and invoking spiritual
powers, correcting figure faults followed by the idea of therapy are the factors least
considered for use of colours in fashion.
Figure 1: The level of importance of learning of colours in fashion
The analysis of the factors also revealed that when respondents were asked how
important they consider the learning of colours in fashion, 127 respondents out of 150
consider it very important. This means the majority (84.7%) of the respondents
indicated that they consider learning colours in fashion as very important whiles the
least were neutral (Figure 1).
4.4 Attitudes toward colours and personality in fashion
The analysis of the attitude of respondents toward colours and personality in fashion
was presented in terms of frequency (N), (always =1, occasionally = 2, and never = 3).
The results for how often the respondents consider colour when choosing a particular
fashion are as follows: 115(76.7%) respondents said they always consider colour when
choosing a particular fashion object while 35(23.3%) respondents said they occasionally
do that. With the question of how often the respondents consider personality when
choosing a particular fashion, the data collected were: 93(62%) respondents chose
always, 46(30.7%) respondents also chose occasionally whiles 11(7.3%) respondents
chose never. This implies that majority of the respondents are in the favour of the
consideration of colour, as well as personality of the user, when selecting a particular
fashion object.
The analysis of the factors also reveals that majority of the respondents were of
the view that colour and personality have influence on fashion (Strongly Agree = 46.0%,
Agree = 46.7 and neither agree nor disagree = 7.3%). There were no responses for
disagree and strongly disagree. This, therefore, means that over 80 % of the respondents
indicated that both colour and personality are important factors to be considered in the
choice of fashion products.
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4.5 Positive effects of colour on personalities in fashion
Table 5: Positive Effects of Colour on Personalities
Factors
Yes
No
N
%
N
%
Helps to correct figure fault
105
70.0
45
30.0
Enhances the aesthetic appeal of clothes
139
92.7
11
7.3
For enhancing self-image
127
84.7
23
15.3
For indicating ranks and classes
104
69.3
46
30.7
For designing textiles
139
92.7
11
7.3
For interior decorations
150
100.0
0
0.0
For the celebration of particular events
138
92.0
12
8.0
For effective communication
139
92.7
11
7.3
The results from the analysis of the factors responsible for the consideration of the
positive effects of colour on personalities in fashion show that among all the factors
surveyed, the respondents indicated over 50% level of agreement to all the statements
that were used as the effects of colours on personalities in fashion (Table 5). That is over
semi-quartile (1/2) of the responses by the respondents were Yes as shown in (Table 5).
The highest agreement rate were found in statements such as for decoration (Yes
=100%), enhances the aesthetic appeal of clothes, for designing textiles and for effective
communication (Yes = 92.7% each). However, the lowest Yes response rate was found in
the statement: for indicating ranks and classes (Yes =69.3%). This means that among the
statements considered, the respondents were likely to have indicated that ‚for
indicating ranks and classes‛ is least positive effect of colour on personalities in fashion.
From inferences, it can be said that the information here agrees with Pride and Ferrell’s
assertion that colour conveys information, identifies a product or a company,
determines quality of a merchandise and much more (Pride & Ferrell, 2003).
4.6 Negative effects of colour on personalities in fashion
Table 6: Negative effects of colour on personalities
Statements
Yes
No
N
%
N
%
Some colours have effect on blood pressure
48
32.0
102
68.0
Some colours cause people to have low self-esteem
128
85.3
22
14.7
Some colours make people lazy
93
62.0
57
38.0
Colours can cause a person to have a negative mood
150
100
0
0.0
Some colours absorb more heat into a wearer’s body and cause
the person to grow weaker
150
100
0
0.0
From the data collected on the negative effects of colour on personalities in fashion,
Table 6 presents that 48(32%) respondents said Yes whiles 102(68%) respondents said
No on the view that some colours have effect on blood pressure. One hundred and
twenty-five 125(85.3%) respondents said that some colours cause low self-esteem. For
the case of some colours influencing people to be lazy, 93(62%) respondents answered
Yes whiles 57(38%) answered No. On the statements that colours can cause a person to
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have a negative mood and some colours absorb more heat into a wearer body and cause
a person to grow weaker, they all responded Yes 150(100%). From the analysis of the
statements on the negative effects of colours on personalities in fashion, the respondents
indicated that the highest ranking effects among the statements are colours can cause a
person to have a negative mood and some colours absorb more heat into a wearer’s
body and cause the person to grow weaker (Yes = 100%), while least ranked negative
effect was some colours have effect on blood pressure (Yes = 32.0%). This is shown in
Table 6. From the Table 6, the higher the Yes value in percentage form, the more
negative effect that statement has on personalities in fashion and vice versa.
4.7 Suggestions to help people choose the right colours for fashion products
According to the survey, some of the suggestions that were stated by the respondents in
order to help people choose right coloured fashion products for use are: Customers or
users should communicate with the designers to help choose colours that suit them;
there is the need to teach more colours in schools; factors such as occasion, age, time,
and weather should be considered for the selection of fashion goods; public education
about colours and their meanings and what they stand for must be given to people;
designers should be more open to the general public to help wearers to approach them
for selection of appropriate colours for use; people should be educated on the
importance of colours correctly; customers should be able to know and appreciate
colours and be able to differentiate them; designers should learn more about colours;
there should be education on how people should choose colours; colour must match the
occasion; and additionally, wearers should avoid the use of too bright colours that may
draw people’s attention whenever they are at particular places.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 Conclusions
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of colour in fashion on personality;
to find out respondents’ knowledge on colours they wear; to identify ways in which
colour is used in fashion; to find out positive and negative effects of coloured fashion
objects on selected personalities in the Ghanaian community and to provide means of
enhancing the effective use of colour by personalities in Ghana with regards to fashion
design objects.
In order to achieve this, the researcher identified respondents’ knowledge in
colours. It was found out that most (76.7%) of the respondents always considered
colours for their clothes selection, (23.3%) of the respondents occasionally considered
colours for their clothes selection. Also, all (100%) the respondents showed that they
understand meaning and impact of colours in fashion, while in terms of knowledge
ranking on colour, report showed that (62.0%) of the respondent were ranked high,
(30.7%) of them were ranked moderate and (7.3%) of the respondents were ranked low.
Again, the researcher investigated how the colours were used in fashion on
respondents and it was found out that those factors with high ranking the idea of
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attraction is the most outstanding factors that respondents consider for the use of
colours in fashion. This factor is followed by identification purpose, creation of illusion
and for symbolism which are also on the same level in terms of ranking. Comparatively,
the concept of charming and invoking spiritual powers, correcting figure faults
followed by the idea of therapy are the factors least considered for use of colours in
fashion.
The analysis of the statements responsible for the negative effects of colours on
personalities in fashion shows that respondents indicated that the highest ranking
effects among the statements are colours can cause a person to have a negative mood
(Yes =100%) and some colours absorb more heat into a wearer’s body and cause the
person to grow weaker (Yes = 100%), while least ranked negative effect was some
colours have effect on blood pressure (Yes = 32.0%).
Finally, according to the survey, some of the suggestions that were stated by the
respondents to help people choose right coloured fashion products for use are:
Customers should communicate with designers to help choose appropriate colours for
use; there is the need to teach more about colours in schools; religious bodies should
teach more about colours used in their worship for more effective positive impact on
personalities; colour must match the occasion; and avoid using too bright colours that
may draw people’s attention whenever the user is around.
5.2 Recommendations
Based on the findings and the results of the research, the researchers recommend that
policy makers in fashion should make good use of this research report to aid in the
design of good intervention measures and policies that could enhance colour choice and
selection in the fashion industry. The research document should also serve as manual
for individuals and resource persons in especially apprenticeship units and other
sectors of education to adapt and implement good practices that must be used by
teachers and fashion designers in order to improve upon choice of colours for more
positive effects in the fashion industry.
Symposiums and talk shows should be organized to draw more attention on
knowledge of colours, their proper uses, and how they can affect people's personalities.
Also, before anyone will be admitted into a fashion institution or gain employment into
a fashion industry, that fellow must be tested on colours.
In order to reduce high blood pressure, doctors should advise their patient to
avoid the use of red (warm colours) but rather they should use blue (cool colours) to
reduce the high blood flow.
In order to increase productivity at work places, the employers should use colours that
will motivate workers to work and should also paint the working premises with colours
that, comparatively, prevent laziness.
As safety measures for farmers and hunters the Ministry of Agriculture in Ghana
should advise hunters and farmers to wear green colours when going to the bush for
protection.
Sophia Leticia Obeng, Daniel Kwabena Danso, Jonas Abora Omari, Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor
COLOUR IN FASHION: EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 6 │ 2018 374
Furthermore, researchers in future can increase the sample size and extend the
exercise to include the whole of Ghana.
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