4 Strategic Blueprints: Apply Our Colour Method to Your Project
Go beyond abstract theory and see how well‑considered colour strategies make a difference in practice. These are not random examples, but the logical outcome of a strategic model. Discover how you move from a typical “Challenge” to a successful “Result” by following our steps.
Summary
Discover how a strategic colour palette transforms an anonymous outdoor space into a cherished and functional place. We show you inspiring, realistic scenarios that serve as starting points for your own projects, from play areas to transit zones. How do you translate this inspiration into a watertight design that is both technically and financially feasible?
From Concept to Reality: Colour That Works
A vision on paper is one thing; a vibrant, functioning public space is the ultimate goal. Colour is often the deciding factor that makes a design succeed. It is the silent director that determines how a place feels, how it is used, and how it is remembered.
Be inspired by these four familiar scenarios. They illustrate how a strategic and context‑aware approach to colour leads to outdoor spaces that are not only aesthetically compelling, but also socially and functionally performing.
Strategic Simulation 1: The Neighbourhood Square
From Anonymous Spot to Vibrant Heart
The Challenge: An ordinary, somewhat windy square in a diverse neighbourhood, used mostly as a thoroughfare. There is little interaction among residents, and the place lacks a warm identity.
The Colour Solution: Instead of standard grey furniture, the benches’ frames were chosen in a soft, light sand colour. This feels friendlier, and the high light reflectance also ensures the seats remain cooler in the summer sun. The wooden seat surfaces add extra comfort. Low seating and play elements were given accents in bright blue and sunny yellow, which serve as visual anchor points for children and emphasize the playful character of the place — analogous to effective colour use in a schoolyard.
The Applied Strategy: Using a heat‑stress‑reducing colour with a high SRI value for a bench is a core principle. The colour accents intuitively delineate zones. Both strategies are treated in depth in the whitepaper.
The Result: The square becomes inviting. Young families, seniors and youth all use the space interchangeably. The colour accents have given the place a recognizable and optimistic character, reinforcing social cohesion in the neighbourhood.
Strategic Simulation 2 : The Transit Hub
From Chaotic Transfer to Safe Haven
The Challenge: A busy transit point at the city edge where bus, tram and bicycle parking converge. The space is visually cluttered and, particularly after dark, feels confusing and unsafe.
The Colour Solution: A calm and uniform base palette was selected. All structural elements — poles, shelters, frames — were given the same matte grey‑green colour, which immediately brought visual calm. The contact surfaces, such as bench seats and handrails, were given a contrasting, warm ochre yellow. This high visual contrast makes them perfectly visible for everyone, even in poor weather or for people with low vision. Subtle LED lighting was integrated into the backrests to softly illuminate contours at night.
The Applied Strategy: This success is no coincidence. Two key principles from the whitepaper are applied here:
- Visual Calm through a uniform base palette.
- Maximum Safety by an LRV contrast of more than 30 points, in accordance with ISO standards.
The Result: The hub is transformed into a readable and intuitive space. Travelers find their way more easily, and the sense of social safety has increased significantly, especially for women and youth. The place is no longer a stressful transfer, but a comfortable pause.
Strategic Simulation 3: The Campus
From Lost Green to Inspiring Workspace
The Challenge: An unused rooftop garden or anonymous green strip on a university campus. There is a clear need for more informal study and meeting spaces outdoors.
The Colour Solution: The colour choices were directly linked to the university’s corporate identity. The picnic table frames were done in the deep blue house colour, while the tabletops were executed in light pastel turquoise to avoid disturbing glare on laptop screens. Large modular seating elements in the faculty’s accent colour delineate zones and create a dynamic landscape, supporting wayfinding on campus.
The Applied Strategy: Here the principle of “City & Campus Branding” is combined with functional requirements. The whitepaper explains how to design a colour palette that both reinforces identity and maximizes user comfort.
The Result: The outdoor space becomes a full extension of the campus. Students and staff use it intensively to work, eat and relax. The furniture acts as a subtle yet constant bearer of campus identity.
Strategic Simulation 4: The Care Garden
From Green to Healing & Recognizable
The Challenge: A sensory garden at an assisted living facility that is indeed green, but offers insufficient cues and recognition for residents with dementia or visual impairment.
The Colour Solution: Here a palette combining calm and readability was chosen. The base of the furniture received a soft, natural terracotta hue. Crucial elements offering grip, such as the ends of armrests, received a bright, contrasting colour accent. Confusing red‑green combinations, which are hard for many with colour blindness to distinguish, were deliberately avoided to create a truly inclusive sensory garden.
The Applied Strategy: This design follows inclusive design guidelines. Avoiding confusing colour combinations and applying the 30‑point LRV rule are essential. The whitepaper compiles guidelines and example values for these contexts.
The Result: The garden is a safer, more inviting environment. The clear visual anchor points help residents orient themselves and increase their autonomy and freedom of movement. The garden is not just a place of rest, but also a therapeutic instrument that contributes to well‑being.
Inspired? Transform These Examples into Your Own Success Story
These projects are not accidental. They are the result of an underlying strategy in which colour, context, material and user are perfectly aligned. The whitepaper “Colour That Performs” gives you the complete methodology and technical knowledge to replicate these successes in your own projects.
Further Reading
- The Argumentation Guide Learn how to objectively substantiate and defend your colour choice with clients.
- The Myth-Buster Debunk the most persistent misconceptions about the cost and maintenance of colour in public space.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You make a square more lively by using colour functionally to define zones and create a positive atmosphere. Use warmer, lighter tones for seating elements to stimulate lingering, and playful accent colours for play zones. The Servibo design vision holds that colour is a strategic instrument to positively influence social behaviour, a concept we clarify with examples.
In a care garden, bright, contrasting colours on crucial contact points (such as armrests) combined with a calm, natural base palette work best. This increases recognizability and safety. The Servibo approach for care environments focuses on creating visual anchor points, with the principles in our guide helping to make the right functional choices.
You improve safety by applying high visual contrast to waiting benches, railings and platform edges so they remain clearly visible. The Servibo strategy for transit zones combines this with a calm base palette to avoid visual clutter. How to determine the right contrast values is explained in the whitepaper “Colour That Performs.”
You use brand colours effectively by applying them consistently but in moderation — for example, as accent colours on furniture frames. This strengthens identity without becoming garish. Within the Servibo methodology, it is important to combine this with functional requirements, such as selecting a light colour for tabletops to prevent glare on screens.
For a schoolyard, bright, energetic accent colours are very suitable to delineate play zones and create a joyful atmosphere. The Servibo approach recommends balancing them with calmer base tones for zones where concentration or rest is desired, and always choosing robust, safe materials.
You ensure this by choosing base palette colours that harmonize with the dominant tones of surrounding facades and paving. A thorough context analysis is your first step. This analysis method is a fundamental part of the Servibo methodology, detailed in our guide.
Other Questions?
Do you have additional questions or would you like personal advice on the application of add-on benches in your city or municipality? Our team is ready to think along with you and recommend the right solution. Click below on Contact Us and discover how together we can future-proof your public space.