Leading paint brand Dulux Paints aims to increase colour awareness among Canadians as international Let's Colour Week gets underway.
As part of Let's Colour Week, structures around the world will simultaneously be infused with colour in an effort to transform grey spaces. In Canada, buildings to be painted include those of non-profit organizations in selected cities across the country.
Starting this year, Dulux Paints will invest $1 million worth of paint into communities across Canada as part of a unique campaign. The investment is equivalent to about 20,000 gallons of paint, enough to cover 140 football fields.
The paint investment in Canada is being divided among 230 Dulux stores from coast to coast and will be used to beautify the buildings of community, charity and non-profit organizations.
Each store will select a local organization to support along with the help of the community, including local designers and dignitaries. In Winnipeg, the Niigannaki Day Care Centre will benefit from this generous donation. Starting today, the centre, which was started years ago by four First Nation grandmothers to provide day care to aboriginal and underprivileged children, will be brightened with vibrant colours encompassing the traditional colours of the First Nations -- which include red, yellow, white and black.
At the same time, Dulux encourages Canadians to transform their own living spaces with colour to experience first-hand what a positive role colour plays in lifting one's mood.
When it comes to colour, Canadians have much in common with other citizens of the world. A recent survey conducted on behalf of Dulux Paints found that personal colour preference -- while differing slightly from one culture to another -- is similar across the globe.
The survey, involving respondents from 30 countries, "demonstrates colour preference varies more by gender and age than it does by geographic location," said Rob McDonald, marketing director for Dulux Paints Stores, one of the world's leading paint manufacturers, which has 230 locations in Canada.
The survey also found:
-- Blue, red and green are by far the most popular colours worldwide, with blue the winner.
-- Yellow, orange, brown and purple are the least favourite colours worldwide, with yellow, preferred by only five per cent of respondents, taking bottom spot.
-- Blue is the favourite colour of more than half of the world's people, with 42 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females citing blue as their top colour choice. It is the colour least disliked by most cultures.
-- Twenty-three per cent of people older than 50 prefer green, whereas that number drops to 14 per cent among those under 30.
-- Women have a larger preference than men for the red part of the colour spectrum, including purple.
-- Among males, 20 per cent associate purple with courage and bravery, yet 22 per cent maintain it is their least favourite colour. Among females, 23 per cent surveyed claim purple is their least favourite colour, while eight per cent say it is their favourite.
-- Orange is increasingly disliked by both men and women as they age.
-- When it comes to paint colour, the most popular hues sold in North America are beige and grey, whereas in Asia (India and China), people buy more yellow, pink and light blue tones for their walls.
"No matter what your colour preference, Let's Colour Week is all about the celebration of colour," McDonald said, explaining that as one of the world's largest paint brands, Dulux is passionate about adding colour to people's lives.
"It's about recognizing and using the power of colour to lift spirits and enhance living spaces -- both inside and out."
For more information about painting events during Let's Colour Week or to get involved in an event in your community, visit www.addingcolour.ca or call 1-800-387-3663.
