How Colour Communicates Meaning

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 were are designing for.

Most of us have a favourite colour or prefer some colours over others. This is because 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 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 user bright colours that appeal to children.
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.

In the same time colour has Cultural Significance. 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 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.

However, colour is a complex subject with many strands and it has the power to subliminally convey values and stories.

Working in the Land of Smiles

There are a number of issues for expatiate executives working in Thailand, especially those who have had no work exposure in Asian countries. These issues arise primarily because of cultural differences between the East and West. For example, in Asian working culture it is rare to see direct confrontation between employees and among the management. In the West, it is normal practice to question your superiors. In Asia (certainly in Thailand, although each Asian country has its own business practices and taboos), junior executives and employees rarely question their superiors and never openly. This is considered disrespect.

If you are working in an international organisation, assimilation will be easier because people in the organisation generally have experience working with expatiates and are used to Western management models. That said, the following tips and information may be useful:

Never shout at your staff especially in front of others. Politely ask them to repeat what you said to ensure mutual understanding –English is very much a second language for Thais and it might be that your staff does not understand you clearly, but also does not want to disappoint you by showing it. Thus, it is better for you to recap. Always treat your staff politely. If youneed to give them negative feedback, do it in private. Be aware of kreang chai culture. This is a difficult Thai behaviour trait to explain but let me give an example. You ask one of your staff no work overtime due to a heavy work load. Unfortunately, it happens to be his wife’s birthday and he promised to take her out that evening. He does not refuse your request because he feels kreang chai as his superior requested him to help and he feels he obliges to do it even though he knows it will create a problem with his wife. Kisses, hugs and familiar touches are a no-no with female staff. Practice your wai. This is the traditional Thai greeting and a way to show respect to elders. Wai by placing the palms of your hands together and raising your hands to the face or forehead.
Learn to say Dawasdee and smile a lot! A friendly greeting will charm your staff and earn their respect. Learn to speak some Thai and don’t be shy about practicing it. Your staff will appreciate the effort (and guide you) and you’ll get more out of your time in Thailand as a result.

Thai Culture and Customs

As with living in any ‘foreign’ country, one can either adopt the ethos and way of life of the locals, or associate mainly with other foreigners (known collectively as ‘farangs’ here). But whichever group you fit in with, your life will be made easier if you know what is, and what is not accepted by Thai society generally. Probably the most memorable of Thai customs is the “wai”. This is generally the action of placing the palms together similar to that of prayer for Christians, and often accompanied by a bow. The height of the hands and the depth of the bow are determined by the perceived status of the people involved in the greeting, farewell or acknowledgement. The wai is a sign of respect.

Worth noting for couples; whilst affection in public is common between friends, it is less easily accepted between lovers. Of course, in westernized areas, these types of rules do not apply. Thai belief is that the feet are the dirtiest and lowest part of the body, and the head the highest, both spiritually and literally.
Thus it is not considered acceptable to touch a Thai on the head, nor to put one’s feet at a level which is higher than someone else’s head. These rules are even more important when one of the parties is considered to be of lower social status. These attitudes also affect the way that Thais sit on the floor, you will notice if you are observant that they do so with feet pointing away from other people, often tucked under or behind them. It is also customary to take off your shoes before entering a house, shop or temple, and to avoid standing on the threshold. Buddhist Monks hold a special status in Thai society. You will see them around Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, swaddled in bright orange cotton, with bald heads. These monks are prohibited from association of any kind with women, to the extent of women not even being allowed to hand a monk an offering. They must place it at his feet. Only enter a temple if you are dressed appropriately, for men and women this means covering up. An over-riding principal of Thai life is “jai yen” or cool heart. For many Westerners, this is an almost impossible attitude to adopt in certain chaotic conditions, especially in Bangkok.
Nevertheless, it is considered bad form by Thai nationals, for one to lose one’s cool in public. So letting rip at the tenth inefficiency or stupidity in one day is futile and will get you absolutely nowhere with Thais. A far healthier attitude, although somewhat difficult for most Westerners, is just to accept that this is the way things work or don’t work here.

Replacement of Western culture

In the old days, Thai people ate with their bare hands. And there was no specific time to have meals. After that Thai people started to use a spoon and fork as a tool for eating food. The reasons behind this campaign were to show civilization and to prevent germs existing on the hand from getting into the body. Nowadays, not only the way of eating, but the choice of food also has changed. Namphrik-plathu, a traditional Thai dish is replaced with salad and soup for some city inhabitants. Moreover, most teenagers prefer chips to Thai desserts because of the value of modernization.
Greeting is another issue that was changed Thais use "wai" as a way to greet each other. It is done by placing two palms together in front of the chest. At present, handshake is frequently used, especially in business circles. However, most Thais still "wai" each other and say "sawatdi", (meaning hello) at the same time. When answering phone calls, "sawatdi" is supposed to be used, but at present most people say "hello" instead.
Moreover, the adoption of Western value that emphasizes on sexual equality has resulted in changing attitudes and practices towards women. Thai women were encouraged to receive education, to go out to work and to enjoy social benefits like men. More women have engaged themselves in working outside instead of waiting for their husbands' earnings. A husband is expected to have one wife at any given time and it is all right for women to get divorced and remarry. However, most Thai wives still take the responsibilities of doing household chores and taking care of children no matter whether they work outside their houses or not.
However, the adoption of Western culture also has both of advantage and disadvantage. It depends on how we adopt in our life which is suitable for our culture.

Cosplay in Thai!

Do you know what’s the coolest trend right now? Forget about leggings, polka dot prints or customised t-shirts and don’t even think of brand name stuff. The coolest trend right now is Cosplay!

Cosplay originally arrived in Thailand along with the J-Wave of Japanese dramas and musicians that hit these shores about five years ago. Since then, many Japanese companies, a Japanese language institute, and The Technology Promotion Association, have used Cosplay competitions as a part of their events. Boom even produces a weekly comic for all J-Fans called Festival Japan. Cosplay is now the biggest attention grabber in the comic as Thai youngsters have suddenly become crazy for Cosplay.
In the beginning, Cosplay was just a hobby that allowed the kids to show off their own elaborate creations, see others’ ideas and take lots of photos. It has now grown into big business. As the trend has exploded into Thai shores or some style one smart Thai entrepreneur has opened an outlet catering to the demand from the Cosplay youth as well. I think for Thai teens there are many reason that teenager want to dress as Cosplay such as they are in love with games and animation and being able to dress up like their favorite characters is the next step. They can use the creativity and apply it to what they wear, it’s such a pleasure.
At present time, some parents are more open-minded and support their kids; some even shop for their kids. It’s good for teenagers to have opportunity to express their personality and be more confident. They can be what they want to be in the Cosplay world.

Halloween Party make me crazy!!!

On last Saturday was Halloween day, I also surprise that many people asked me Where will I go in this night??? Why I have to go out in Halloween night and celebrate. Sometime I may think like old Thai people, I think that Halloween is celebration of western culture but it also influence on Thai culture as well, especially Thai adolescent.
Many places in Bangkok hole up the celebration such as pub and restaurant, especially Silom Soi4 ,a stree of bar, restaurantd and clubs, is the scene for a massive Halloween street party in Bangkok: although Halloween celebrations abound in Bangkok, this one is the queen. For people who love go out at night, will also love this night as well because they will dress like ghost that day can not do in dairy life.
At Bangkok University they also have celebration and many activities on that day. I went to BU but I did not dress like ghost, unfortunately, I stayed in the library for whole day with disturbance sound from that celebration.

Thai life style and online system.

Are you familiar with using internet? Nowadays many businesses try to use technology to support their customer. We can order some product through online shopping and also pay money by using online as well. If you surfing internet, you will see many websites that you can order the product such cosmetic, clothes, book, condominium or car. My companion always orders her cosmetic through online website and she asks me to buy some cosmetic with her.
Actually, I am a new generation but do you believe me I never order product by using online shopping. In my opinion, I think online shopping is an innovation for Thai people, some people in Thai unfamiliar with this shopping style. I am working at bank institute, and my company also encourages the employees to use online banking as well. However, I often use online banking for inquiry my statement but if I want to do more I still use traditional banking (go to branch’s counter) as same as many Thai people.
Nevertheless, we have to take a long period to encourage Thai people to adopt their life style with innovation such an online. Do you agree with me???

Vegetarian Festival

At this time whatever we go, we will see yellow flag: the symbolic of Kin-J or Vegetarian Festival. The festival originates in the 19th century; this annual event is conducted by the locals of Chinese descent who engage in a ten-day vegetarian diet. As I told you form previous blog, in Thailand there are many Chinese live here and they also influence on Thai culture. Thus, many Thai people also believe that eat vegetable do not eat meet or pork, it is goodness. For Chinese community not only eat vegetable but also there are merit-making ceremonies at local Chinese temples as well as processions of ascetics performing extraordinary feats. During the 9-days period, the devout Chinese Buddhists dress in white attire, convert to vegetarians and observe the ten rules in order to purify their minds and bodies. In my opinion, this culture quite similar to Thai people’s nature who love to go to temple and make merit. Thus, it’s not surprise!! There are many of Thai people also engage in a ten-day vegetarian diet as same as Chinese.

Personal Space and Culture

We define personal space as the area surrounding a person that he or she considers his territory or domain. Crossing or entering someone else’s personal space creates discomfort because people feel the physical intimacy exceeds the relational intimacy. Keep in mind though, too much space can cause discomfort and indicate rudeness as well. The size of the personal space bubble varies by culture and situation.

Americans usually have larger personal space boundaries than people from other cultures. If you notice someone backing up a little while talking to you, don’t step toward them as they most likely feel uncomfortable with the lack of distance between you.

Under certain circumstances people can accept having their personal space entered without experiencing discomfort. Examples might include romantic encounters and crowded subways or events. In business environments people typically maintain more personal space between them than in social situations. Also, personal space boundaries between a man and a woman usually remain larger than those between two women. Especially in Thai culture, if a man and a woman are not a couple, they will aware for personal space. Actually, I don’t know why? May be it’s like our traditional that Thai people to do this pattern.

However, people who live in highly populated areas often have a smaller personal space bubble than those who live in less populated areas. People of higher status or wealth usually have larger personal space bubbles as well.
Finally, how about you…Do you think space is important when you communicate with people?

Some confuse about body language!!

Lastest class as I remember, we learned about non verbal communication. Many people ask me that what is the most important between verbal communication and non verbal communication, for me I think it's equally and not only Thai people who usually use both of these communication types but also use in worldwide. First of all we should that non verbal communication (body language) is gesticulation, postures, facial gestures and next expression we sense and do mostly unintentionally.

Few people concentrate to non verbal communication and expression. Non verbal expression can say about us much than we wish. From this reason is necessary to concentrate on control of non verbal communication. It is importing to we think about gestures, which gestures are suitable and unsuitable. We can practise some suitable gestures.

However, different country also different meaning about non verbal communication as well. If you loo at above picture, this is a man who show his forefinger up and cycle it around. In Thai if you do this action in resturant many people know that mean "Check bill" in contrast if you do this action in Chiness culture people will know it mean that "One more" so you will get same your order again.

Thus, befor you use body language in different culture...should be careful becouse it also different meaning as well.

Chiness community

Nowadays, Chaina influence in many area. If you go aboard you will notice that there are some ares of Chiness people or Chiness community. We called "Chaina Town". In Thailand we know as "Yaowarat". Yaowarat is the area of Chiness community and also there are a lot of Chainess culture happen there.

Chinatown is a colourful, exotic and busy area, packed with market stalls and probably the greatest concentration of gold shops in the city. The Chinese community still continue their own traditions and religious practices, and the area is quite unlike the rest of Bangkok.

However, the Chinese community in Bangkok, descendants of early traders, have been living in Thailand for generations, and generally consider themselves very much as Thais; most can no longer speak any Chinese. The area has a somewhat seedy historical reputation for large numbers of opium dens, brothels, pawnshops and a fondness for gambling that used to prevail.

Today, gold shops and pawnshops are still very popular in Chinatown, and can be found almost anywhere and everywhere. Drug dealing, prostitution and gambling (all now illegal in Thailand) are also still thought to be widespread in this area - although they are not likely to be very noticeable to the average visitor. So don't expect to see any go-go bars in Chinatown!

Kimchi as a side dish.

During meat what kind of side dishes do you love? Chili, ginger, cucumber or fish sauce? In general most of Thai food also have side dishes for tasty of meat.

Korea also has one favorite side dishes as well. That is "Kimchi". Most peculiar about Korean cuisine is the way of pickling instead of cooking vegetables. Kimchi also means pickled vegetables and they only specify the preparation if it is other than pickled.

Koreans are likely to eat pickled vegetables every day, commonly for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the cold Korean winter kimchi can last for many months. However, in the tropical Thai climate kimchi should be and is prepared only several days before consumption. The pickling process takes about 12 to 14 hours. Almost all available vegetables can be pickled but the most common in Korea are cabbage, turnip, and cucumber. The seasoning is chili, garlic, onion, ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and salt.

Kimchi is most peculiar to Korean cuisine, it's rather the Korean habit of preparing meat as barbecue (in Korean: bulgogi) that has appealed to a large number of gourmets around the world.

Spaghetti for Thai people

Do you love spaghetti?

On last Saturday, I read a newspaper and saw one scoop about restaurant. That is Spaghetti House at Thonglor. As everyone knows spaghetti is the famous menu of Italian. If you don’t like to eat international menu, you may don’t like spaghetti menu.

Spaghetti House makes me wonders about its menu because each of menus was adjusted especially for Thai people who love to eat spicy dish. Moreover, Spaghetti House creates many fusion food menu and also mix with Thai ingredient such as Spaghetti with Crispy Fish, Spaghetti with Spicy Seafood, Spaghetti with Salted Fish, or Spaghetti Chili Sauce with Fried Baby Clams.

After I read this column I can notice that not only people who have to adapt themselves with culture but also impact on food as well. From this case, it shows that even Spaghetti House has Italian menu as a main dish like Spaghetti but they can apply their famous menu with Thai culture as well.

Post by^AomAme^

A new therapy....

A new therapy by using fish! A new way to make you relax!

At Cafe De Spa: Fish-inspired spa delivers relief for tired feet.

Say goodbye to dead skin

Cafe De Spa was launched in Thailand in December of years 2008, the branch of Cafe De Spa at Lat Phrao 71 has proven to be extremely popular and three more branches have since opened at Sukhumvit 23, Suan Lum Night Bazaar and the Mengjai Intersection.

Actually, the fish spa very popular in japan and japanese people like this new therapy.

Khun Jiramet, one of the owners of the business, was responsible for the idea, having first experienced it in Japan. After conducting a good deal of research, Cafe De Spa exposed that doctor fish would be the best fish for providing the nibbling. Sometimes the doctor fish was referred to as nibble fish, the Garra Rufa are a form of freshwater fish that can be found in a number of different habitats, including lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams. The species used at Cafe De Spa is native to the Middle East, particularly within the Tigris-Euphrates basin, as well as being found further north in rivers in Iran, Iraq, southern Turkey, Syria and even Pakistan.

However, this kind of spa to be able to bring relief to sufferers of a number of skin disorders, including psoriasis, neuro-dermatitis and eczema. The research discovered that the fish are now a far more common sight at spa and health centers across the globe, while Cafe De Spa has really established itself as the leading brand for this kind of treatment in Thailand.

Thus, if you don’t know where you will go on this weekend I recommend you to try a new kind of therapy such fish spa. Let’s try!!!!

AomAme^_^

Welcome To My World!

Hi everyone my name is Ame or you can call me aom-ame. I just creat my first blog and want everyone to join and share in my world. So first of all I should introduce myself a bit before go to my world.

Name: Werawan Janleart
Nickname: Ame
Age: 25 years
Culture: Thai

Education Background:
2002-2005 BA Marketing, Bangkok University





Work Background:
I am working at TISCO Bank for 3 years and I rotated to any department with my boss.
Thus, I have chance to get any experiences from my jobs as the detail in below:

February 2006 to January 2007:

Marketing Staff in Internet Trading Department of TISCO Securities Company Limited.

February 2007 to May 2008:

E-Channel Officer in E-Channel Department of TISCO Bank Public Company Limited.

June 2008 to present:

Team Management as a Trainer Supervisor in Corporate Contact Center Department of TISCO Bank Public Company Limited.