Week in Review: Colorful discussions

A big thanks to everyone who participated in our live webinar and ensuing discussions on Twitter and Facebook. We were blown away by the positive response and thoughtful dialogue about the social issues that interest you and how you would like your loans to encourage education, sustainability and equality. If you missed it, you can watch a recording here.

Our next webinar -- this Thursday, May 3 at 9 am PST -- will take a closer look at how Kiva is selecting Field Partners and posting loan products that help give a voice to the world's poorest, most vulnerable and disenfranchised borrowers. We look forward to keeping the conversation going. Sign up to attend the webinar here.

With that in mind, I want to talk about colors. Did you know that McDonald’s chose its famous colors to encourage people to eat quickly, or that people are more productive in blue rooms? Well, what if we used colors as a vehicle for change?

Some organizations are already using color to successfully communicate their messages. Red elicits AIDS awareness, pink makes me think of breast cancer, and we hope green makes you think of us!


The recognized authority on color, Pantone, wants graphic design students to explore the positive influence of color on social change. Partnering up with San Francisco’s Academy of Art, Pantone recently announced their “Color in Action” project.

Eight student teams have set out to answer questions like:

• How can the use of color be used to lower aggression and teach tolerance in schools?
• How can color be a positive force to define a nation and its people?
• How can color enhance the lives of people who are visually impaired?
• How can color help strengthen and promote the concept of fair trade?
• How can the use of color prevent the extinction of rare species?

As one Academy of Art instructor described, “Today, we’re teaching students that it’s not enough to create just beautiful things. We want them to also think about how to create the conditions and experiences that shape them.”