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June 2000
The information our brain receives from our eyes is an essential
element in shaping our moods, reactions and psychological well-being. The
potential effects of illumination and colour on our staff and customers
include changes in mood and emotional state, muscular activity, rate of
breathing, pulse rate, and blood pressure.
Keeping the preceding in mind, have a look about your pharmacy,
specifically at your dispensary. If you're like most North American
pharmacists, what you see is white: White walls, white shelves, white
fixtures, white counters—even white lab coats.
White is perceived as a safe colour and a clean colour (which is
undoubtedly why pharmacy originally used white). However, it is also a
colour that creates a psychological reaction of bored disinterest. "White
walls are an optical strain and psychological hazard," says Louis Cheskin,
the founder of the Color Research Institute.
Does that mean there is no room for white in pharmacy? Far from it:
White is an ideal background upon which you can add other colours—safe in
the knowledge that even after the careful addition of other colours, your
patients and customers will still have the impression that your pharmacy
is white—and clean.
Accent for effect Red is best used with black to bring out the depth of colour and when
deepened to burgundy it can denote maturity, elegance and affluence.
Burgundy is therefore an excellent choice for the cosmetics area.
Orange is usually associated with being happy and playful. Orange
products, however, are generally not taken seriously and therefore orange
is not recommended for expensive products or services. It is appropriate
for products and areas intended for children and adolescents or to denote
a feeling of affordability. Orange is a good choice to highlight a
children's play area or for the toy and games section. When orange is
softened to apricot or peach tones, the perception is one of nurturing and
affluence—great for the "baby needs" aisle.
Yellow in all shades refers to sunshine and warmth. It is perceived as
cheerful, warm and friendly. Yellow is a colour people cannot ignore, and
attracts more attention than red. The ultimate attention-grabber is yellow
and black. This may be due to our ancestral association with dangerous
animals, which also explains why yellow contributes to anxiety and
nervousness. So yellow is probably not the right colour for your waiting
or counselling areas, but an excellent choice for important signage.
Blue promotes thoughts of sky and water and is associated with
coolness. It is North America's favourite colour (about 35% of us prefer
blue to all other colours). Ever wonder why so many banks use blue for
their logos? Blue denotes serenity, trust, reliability, dependability, and
sincerity. Certain shades of blue have been shown to cause the brain to
secrete tranquillizing chemicals, making it the perfect colour for your
waiting and counselling areas.
Green is North Americans' second favorite colour. Most people associate
green with trust, freshness and nature, which explains why it's frequently
used in the natural products sections. Green can actually lower your heart
rate and certain shades of green make people feel "tended" and secure.
This was one reason for the emergence (in the 1930s) of "hospital green,"
which is also used in surgeries to compensate for after-image problems and
bright lighting. Unfortunately, overuse of "institutional green" in
hospitals, classrooms and offices has resulted in its demise.
We know that a judicious use of colour in our pharmacies can improve
the shopping experience for our customers and patients. But what about our
staff? Can our choice of colour influence productivity, morale or
dispensary error rates? Yes, if the colours promote fatigue, eye strain
and added stress instead of relaxation and health.
To improve the working and shopping environment of your pharmacy, and
reduce errors, consider the addition of colour. With the aid of an
interior designer, you can combine primary and secondary colours to
achieve a palette suitable to your individual tastes while remaining true
to the colours of your buying group or chain.
Excerpted from The Efficient Pharmacy: by Design
(a work in progress). Wayne Caverly is president, BakerAPS Canada and its
pharmacy design division AutoPharm. He is also executive director of The
Efficient Pharmacy Institute, senior editor of The Efficient Pharmacy
newsletter and a contributing author to the Pharmacy Management in Canada
textbook (2nd edition, 1998). ©Copyright 2000 Wayne Morgan Caverly.
Copyright © 2000; Rogers Media |