The 3 Mistakes That Put Your Project Budget and Reputation at Risk
A thoughtful color plan can elevate a project. But a small oversight in the design phase or specification can lead to unexpected costs, disappointing outcomes, and a shortened lifespan.
Summary
Discover the most common and costly mistakes in applying color in public space — from choosing based on a render to ignoring the substrate. We offer you direct, practical insights to avoid these pitfalls in your own projects. How do you ensure that a seemingly minor detail in your color choice doesn’t cause major, irreversible impact on the quality and usability of your design?
A Forewarned Designer Is Worth Two
Every successful public project is the result of thousands of well-considered decisions. Yet we often see projects, despite the best intentions, fail because of recurring, avoidable errors in color application. These mistakes often arise from time pressure, incomplete technical knowledge, or underestimating the impact of color on comfort, use, and maintenance. Below we detail the most frequent pitfalls. By recognizing them, you can proactively avoid them and guarantee the quality and durability of your project.
Mistake 1 - The Screen Trap
Choosing colors based on a digital render
What looks fresh and perfectly balanced on a calibrated screen can, in the harsh reality of Belgian or Dutch weather, appear disappointing or—worse—overly loud.
The Problem: A render can never simulate the dynamic influence of real daylight. The intensity of summer sun, diffuse light on a cloudy day, the shadows of surrounding buildings, and seasonal shifts in greenery all have a huge impact on how color is perceived.
The Consequence: Colors that clash with brick tones of façades, a bench that becomes unintentionally somber in shadow, or an accent color so vivid it disturbs the calm.
The Solution: Always demand physical color samples and test them on location at the project site. Evaluate them at different times of day (morning, midday, evening) and under varying weather conditions. Only in this way do you get a realistic sense of the final appearance.
Knowledge That Makes the Difference
Testing samples is crucial. The whitepaper “Color that Performs” offers a step-by-step guide for a thorough contextual analysis you carry out before requesting samples, so your selection is already attuned to the surroundings.
Mistake 2 - Insufficient or Wrong Contrast :
Prioritizing aesthetics over legibility
One of the most frequent mistakes is creating a beautiful tonal color palette that, in practice, becomes unreadable or even dangerous. A white bench on light-gray pavers may look minimalistic, but for someone with a visual impairment it is nearly invisible.
The Problem: Insufficient attention is paid to the Light Reflectance Value (LRV). This is the objective measure of how much light a color reflects, and is the basis for functional, visual contrast.
The Consequence: Handrails, steps, bollards, and benches that vanish into their background. This leads to reduced accessibility, tripping hazards, and an unsafe environment for many users. The legibility of the environment is compromised.
The Solution: Apply the rule of a minimum 30-point LRV difference between adjacent, functional elements, as recommended by Inter vzw and international standards (ISO 21542). Also combine color contrast with other cues like form or texture for maximum clarity.
Formulas for a Verifiable Specification
The 30-point rule is a powerful guideline. The whitepaper gives you example values and interpretations for LRV combinations. More importantly, it offers sample specification texts with normative references for your contract or Program of Requirements, so that bidders propose on equal terms and the requirement becomes verifiable later.
Mistake 3 - The “Forgotten” Substrate :
Specifying a color code but ignoring the system
One of the costliest mistakes is thinking that color is merely a thin topcoat. The quality and durability of the color fully depend on the compatibility with the substrate and proper pretreatment.
The Problem: A RAL code is specified for a steel product without imposing pretreatment requirements. The coating is applied on untreated or poorly prepared steel.
The Consequence: Within a few years, blisters form in the coating. Rust grows under the paint layer (under‑rust) and pushes it upward, causing flaking. This leads to expensive repairs or even full replacement — potentially up to 70% of the initial cost.
The Solution: Always specify the full system in your technical description. For steel products in our climate this often means a duplex system: first hot-dip galvanizing, then powder coating — depending on the corrosion class at the location. Also, demand that application be done by a company holding the correct quality certificates (e.g. Qualisteelcoat).
Knowledge That Makes the Difference
You now know that the substrate is crucial. The whitepaper “Color that Performs” includes a complete chapter on material technology, pretreatment, and coating systems. Within it you’ll find guidelines and normative references needed to set the right demands on the coating system and prevent these critical technical errors.
A successful project is no accident. It is the result of avoiding mistakes.
Protect your design, your budget and your reputation by arming yourself with the right knowledge. The whitepaper “Color that Performs” is an indispensable guide to recognize and circumvent the most common pitfalls.
Further Reading
- The Step-by-Step Plan: From Context to Specifications : discover the structured method for proactively avoiding these errors in your design process.
- The TCO of Color: How a Smart Specification Reduces Lifecycle Costs : link the cost of errors directly to the Total Cost of Ownership and build a rock-solid business case for quality.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The best method is always to evaluate physical color samples on the project site itself, at different times of day and under varying weather conditions. The Servibo approach holds that choosing a color based solely on a digital screen or render is one of the greatest risks for a disappointing outcome.
The most important specification is not the color code itself, but the full underlying system: material, pretreatment, and coating structure. In Servibo’s methodology, neglecting the system (e.g. specifying only a RAL code) is the most costly technical mistake that leads to early degradation.
LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value. It is an objective measure of the contrast between two surfaces. It is crucial for accessibility and safety, especially for people with visual impairment. Servibo’s vision of inclusive design integrates LRV guidelines as a fundamental performance requirement, a principle supported with normative references in our guide.
You prevent this by ensuring a sufficiently high reflectance contrast (an LRV difference of about 30 points) between the bench and its immediate surroundings (e.g. paving). The Servibo approach to accessibility is based on applying this objective data. Example values to correctly estimate these contrasts are included in the whitepaper.
Yes, absolutely. A wrong choice can lead to extra costs in multiple ways: through premature degradation if the coating system is incorrectly specified; through an unsafe situation requiring remedial work; or through a disappointing aesthetic result that devalues the project. The Servibo philosophy is focused on preventing these failure costs by making the right technical choices from the outset.
The most common mistake is specifying only a color code, without requiring proper pretreatment of the steel. This inevitably leads to under‑rust. The Servibo method therefore always stipulates to describe the full system. The building blocks for such a watertight specification are provided in our guide “Color that Performs.”
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.