Exploring compatible facility colors and associated colors for outdoor recreational spaces

Many studies have demonstrated that people associate customary colors to buildings and facilities, and these colors significantly influence people's evaluations of the environment. However, whether customary colors also exist in the environments where building facilities have been installed is rarely discussed. Using correspondence analysis, this study explored the colors associated with five different outdoor recreational spaces (theme parks, national parks, recreational farms, riverside parks, and historic heritage sites) and fitted facility colors. The study acquired a valid sample of 103 college students and demonstrated that people judge colors in recreational spaces according to past experience and their impressions of the spaces. Hue, value, and saturation are not independent factors for color consideration; a color with a specific value and saturation is particularly suitable for some spaces. In addition, the color associated with an environment and the compatible color for facilities are not exactly the same. The possible factors that influence different environment colors and future research directions were also discussed. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 424-432, 2016