If you operate a business in the Naples, Florida, area, decision-making is a constant. Among all the decisions you’ll have to make for your business, at some point, you may need to choose exterior and/or interior paint colors for your commercial building. It might be an easy decision if you decide to just repaint with existing color schemes. However, if you want to update the look of existing facilities or need to paint a newly constructed building, you must make some choices.

With more than 30 years of commercial painting experience in Naples and Southwest Florida, FCI Painters can help you with this decision-making exercise. In many cases, a commercial building is among the first things a customer or client sees when conducting business with you. Thus, you should want your commercial space to make an excellent first impression. And, in deciding on the right colors to help your building convey a great impression, you’ll need to consider lighting, branding, color psychology, building purpose, and other factors.

First Things First

Before considering paint colors for your commercial building, know that your exterior paint choices may be constrained by the Naples Building Code, which notes that colors “contribute significantly to the visual impact of the building on the community.” Specifically, the code dictates that exterior colors must be “compatible with surrounding buildings.” Exterior color schemes cannot “attract undue attention” or cause the building to appear as a sign.” Given these directives, your exterior paint color choices will likely need to be from among pastel hues.

Consider Lighting in Your Decision-Making

Because light affects the appearance of colors, you should test potential paint samples accordingly. Experiment with how paint options look under both natural and artificial lighting at different times of the day to see how the lighting enhances or diminishes the color. If the building exterior’s nighttime appearance is essential, you should also see how any exterior lighting will change the color’s tone.

Choose Color Choices That Enhance Your Brand

If you have distinctive brand colors, you may want to highlight them with your chosen paint colors. If you don’t want to specifically use the brand colors, consider paint hues that can help emphasize them. Like examining how the colors react to different lighting, you should contrast any paint options with the brand colors to find ones that best complement them. While conducting this exercise, you might find that some paint options clash with the brand colors, which you do not want to see on your commercial building’s exterior or interior walls.

Consider the Psychology of Color

As you may know, the atmosphere created with color can influence people’s moods and emotions. Naturally, you want your commercial building to positively influence your customers, clients, and employees. To the extent possible, you might also want it to express the tenets of your business. Thus, here are the qualities that specific colors tend to convey:

• Grey—a neutral color associated with peace of mind, serenity, and professionalism.
• Blue—is associated with trust, dependability, efficiency, and authority, with light blues recognized for having a calming influence.
• Green—a symbol of growth and renewal, it’s associated with sustainability and eco-friendliness.
• Red—this bold color is associated with passion and energy. In general, red hues are too intense for the primary exterior color but can work great for some interior purposes, trim work, doors, and other building highlights.
• Yellow—is believed to stimulate happiness and related positive emotions and is conducive to effective communication.

Different Colors for Distinct Commercial Purposes

Depending on your business, clients, and workforce, you might want your chosen paint colors to support its commercial purpose. For example, retail settings are more conducive to bolder, vibrant colors than healthcare settings, which need to convey calmness and professionalism. Here are some paint color considerations to factor in with the following commercial operations:

• Office Buildings—your choices will largely depend on the type of business you conduct, with a conservative business—banking, accounting, law, etc.—likely calling for a more neutral palette than a modern or creative operation like technology, advertising, marketing, design, media, etc.
• Warehouses and Factories—While you might think that neutral colors work best, researchers have determined that they can make employees depressed and stifle productivity and engagement. Along with using color to promote productivity and employee mental health, color choices should promote safety by enhancing visibility and organization.
• Retail Operations—While your product line might influence color choices, know that vibrant colors can help energize customers and influence them to make purchases. Reds and oranges are attention-getting, blues can signify that your products are reliable, while green can highlight the eco-friendliness of your products.

Choose the Perfect Paint Colors with Naples-Based FCI Painting

Choosing the perfect exterior and interior paint colors for your Southwest Florida-based commercial building can prove frustrating. With the need to conduct so much other decision-making with your business, do you really need the aggravation? If not, then consider turning the job over to the experts. With more than 30 years of helping Naples-area businesses beautify their buildings, contact FCI Painting today at (239) 435-1001.