Many of us are inherently drawn to certain colors, and this is especially true for creative types whose careers often revolve around visual choices. There are five favorite colors that are especially common amongst creative people, says Michelle Lewis, a color psychology expert and author of Color Secrets. She’s also the founder of The Color Institute and ColorAnalysis.com, which help people across industries use color to their benefit.
“Research has shown that certain colors directly support the kind of relaxed, expansive mental state where creative thinking thrives,” says Lewis, adding, “You don’t accidentally stumble into flow in a chaotic, visually aggressive environment. You cultivate it.”
She has seen the color choices cultivated in recent years leaning towards a sense of tranquility, even as our world seems to be speeding away from that.
“Cross-referencing color trends across film, fashion and interior design over the past two years with Gallup’s global emotional data, which has tracked world stress at record highs, a clear pattern is emerging,” she tells Parade. “The world’s most creative people are reaching, almost universally, for calm… because in a world that is overwhelmed and overstimulated, calm is the creative act.”
And, according to Lewis, there are several specific colors that reflect that creative desire for serenity.
Related: These 3 Favorite Colors Are Often Linked to Emotional Intelligence, According to a Color Analyst
What Does Color Psychology Say About Creativity and Artistic Individuals?
Lewis explains that creative people are “wired for sensitivity” and that “color psychology tells us that this sensitivity shows up directly in their color choices.” When examining creative work, wardrobes and spaces, she believes that their color choices “are rarely accidental.”
She adds that those looking to unlock their own creativity can start by examining the colors around them.
“Are they working for you or against you? Because your nervous system already knows the answer,” she notes. “Color psychology just gives you the understanding to implement it.”
Related: Color Psychologist Says if Your Favorite Color Is Pink, You Likely Have These 7 Traits
Is There a Link Between Creativity and Color Preference?
Lewis says that the connection between color preference and creativity “is more biological than most people realize.”
“Color preference among creatives is less about what looks good and more about what works, what regulates [and] what opens the mind rather than closes it down,” she adds.
Currently regulating the creative space are colors that evoke “the kind of calm” that makes creativity possible, she states.
5 Favorite Colors of Creative People, According to a Color Psychologist
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1. Green
“In a world running on empty, [green is] the color of balance and regeneration,” says Lewis. She cites the Elphaba greens of Wicked and Charli XCX’s neon green BRAT album as recent creative examples. The passion for green stretches into our current timeline as well, with Behr’s color of the year for 2026 being a smoky jade.
Related: Color Psychologist Says if Your Favorite Color Is Green, You Likely Have These 7 Traits
2. Blue
According to Science Daily, a 2009 study from the University of British Columbia found that tasks completed on blue computer screens produced more creative outputs, and Lewis says the color is closely linked to creativity.
“Blue is the color that creates the internal conditions where creative thought actually happens,” she shares. She says that it’s been shown to help “by slowing the nervous system just enough to let original thinking surface.”
She adds that the hue “has anchored film palettes and fashion runways consistently, because creatives know blue is how you access your mind in a noisy world.”
3. Orange
“Orange is the color creatives reach for when they want to invite people in,” Lewis tells Parade.
The hue has gotten even more attention in recent years, with Pantone’s 2024 color of the year being “Peach Fuzz” and trend forecaster WGSN naming “Energy Orange” as a key trend color for 2027.
Lewis says that orange “doesn’t just energize the person using it; it changes the energy of everyone around them.”
4. Purple
“Purple dominated graphic design, branding, film and interior design throughout 2024 and 2025,” states Lewis. She adds, “Creatives understand what it does; it pulls an audience into a deeper experience of the world.”
In 2025, she notes that PPG Paints named “Purple Basil” the color of the year. And MarthaStewart.com proclaimed purple as the interior design trend of 2025—plus, who could forget Olivia Rodrigo making it her signature color for her first two albums?
Lewis says purple is often used to “represent something just beyond the ordinary—exactly where the most creative minds live.”
Related: Color Psychologist Says if Your Favorite Color Is Purple, You Likely Have These 7 Traits
5. Red
Lewis says that in 2025, red was the most popular color used across 25,000 logo designs, per the design platform Looka. And that’s seemingly intentional.
“Creatives don’t reach for red passively,” she notes. She calls it “a declaration,” aka a color choice for “when they’re ready to make something that demands to be seen.”
Related: Here’s What Every Mood Ring Color Actually Means, According to a Color Psychology Expert
Are There Specific Colors Linked To Repressed Creativity?
The antithesis to creativity is “when color disappears entirely,” says Lewis. She adds that “colorless, visually flat environments measurably suppress cognitive performance and emotional engagement.”
Indeed, research from Istanbul Technical University found that “the absence of color affects emotional well-being and physiological responses.”
“The deeper issue is… when people are cut off from color, in their environment, their wardrobe, their creative spaces, their learning—they’re removing one of the most powerful neurological activation tools available to the human brain,” Lewis explains. “Creativity doesn’t thrive in a vacuum. It needs stimulus, warmth and signal. A life drained of color is quietly draining our creative potential.”
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Sources:
- Michelle Lewis is a color psychology expert and founder of The Color Institute and ColorAnalysis.com. She’s also the author of Color Secrets.
- “State of the World’s Emotional Health 2025”, Gallup.
- University of British Columbia. “Effect Of Colors: Blue Boosts Creativity, While Red Enhances Attention To Detail.” ScienceDaily, 6 February 2009.
- Istanbul Technical University. “The Impact of Monochrome Virtual Landscapes on Human Perception and Emotion.”
