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.