Color is an important part of our daily lives. Rooms are painted various colors to bring out certain feelings and emotions. We all use colors in our lives, even those that are not decorators. Teach others about the history of colors, color psychology, color symbolism, the value of color, as it is affected by various lighting choices. You could charge $50 per person for a two-hour class.
In teaching your classes, you can include information on the use of colors not just in our immediate environment at home and work, but also in clothing and packaging choices and it's subtle meanings across different cultures. Your class could have between fifteen and thirty people and easily be held at a local library, community center, or school.
You will certainly want to familiarize yourself with all of the latest information and studies involving color psychology and pass on this information to your students, both verbally as well as with printed overviews of the information presented with reminders of what they should keep in mind when making their color choices.
While we are surrounded, each and everyday, by an amazing spectrum of colors, many are unaware of the effects it has on both themselves and others in the same environment. For those about to make major color decisions such as the choice of color for an important room within their home, or the reception area of their business, or perhaps the color of the structure itself, they will want to be armed with this information. Depending on the business a person is in, they will want to be sure to communicate the right message, by color, to their customers. Do they want to communicate that they are a quick, busy, highly energized service that will provide a quick turnaround, or do they want to soothe and comfort their customer or client?
Brides planning the biggest day of their lives will surely want to be informed on how their color choices will affect their guests and their own enjoyment and memories of the day as well. Is a black and burgundy color combination classy and sophisticated or will it subtly bring friends and family attending the reception down?
As you see, your class will appeal to a large spectrum of people – from the average homemaker planning a color scheme for her living room and foyer, to the decorator with a large client list wanting to be well educated on their choices that will affect the environments they create. Small business owners would certainly want to make wise choices, both in the environment they construct for their customer base and their employees, as well as smart choices involving packaging and advertising.
You could easily advertise such a class using flyers placed in grocery stores, medical services buildings, art stores, health food stores, libraries, and community center bulletin boards. Be sure to make the particulars of your upcoming class known to as many people in the art and decorating community as possible. This may include online art and decorating related message boards and chat rooms.
At the conclusion of your class, you may want to offer copies of popular books at a small profit for your students to do further research in the field of color study. Possible choices might include:
"Luscher Color Test" by Max Luscher
"Language of Color" by Dorothee Mella
"Color, Environment, & Human Response" by Frank H. Mahnke
"Color: The Secret Influence", Second Edition by Kenneth R. Fehrman and Cherie Fehrman
"Designer's Color Manual: The Complete Guide to Color Theory and Application" by Tom Fraser and Adam Banks
"Color Codes: Modern Theories of Color in Philosophy, Painting and Architecture, Literature, Music, and Psychology" by Charles A. Riley II
After you have taught your class, you will likely receive word of mouth referrals from your well-educated students who have learned an all-new appreciation for color and its' effects, this will help you fill your next class!
Resources:
http://www.colorquiz.com/
http://www.iscc.org/
http://www.colour.org.uk
September 30, 2008
