How to Choose the Right Shade Sail Colour for Your Business?

Shade sails are functional, beautiful and offer great value for money. They protect outdoor spaces, allowing them to be useful all year round, rain or shine. Not only that, but they require minimal maintenance, are affordable and easy to install.

However, when choosing your perfect commercial shade sail, it can be tough to select between the multiple colour options. The colour of your sail will impact the overall look of your outdoor space and affect the UV rating. Here’s what you need to know.

How is UV Rating Affected by Colour?

The UV (Ultraviolet) rating, indicates how well a shade sail fabric will block radiation from the sun. UV ratings are ranked on a scale from 15 – 50, determined by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

Lower ratings allow a higher amount of UV rays to soak through the fabric, while higher ratings block more harmful rays. Darker coloured shade sails generally rank higher on the UV protection scale, because they absorb more light than lighter hues such as sky blue or white.

To keep your customers and team comfortable under your shade sail on a sunny day, darker colours are a better choice. Lighter colours are better suited for part shaded areas, such as in the shadow of a building, for example.

Tips to Choose the Right Shade Sail Colour for Your Business

While practicality is important when deciding on a colour scheme, you do need to choose a shade sail colour that reflects your brand and that is aesthetically pleasing. One key consideration is choosing between matching and contrasting colours, if you plan to install multiple shade sails.

Three colour combinations to consider include analogous, monochromatic and complementary. Read on to find out which is the best choice for you:

Analogous Colour Schemes

Analogous colour schemes are three colours that fall next to each other on the colour wheel. Examples include blue/green-blue/green or red/red-orange/orange. This colour scheme offers:

  • Calm, comfortable, aesthetics
  • Offers a natural look as many of these colours are found in nature
  • No clashing as analogous colours are variations of each other

Monochromatic Colour Schemes

Monochromatic colour schemes are made up of three tones of one colour. Examples include red/pink/maroon or black/white/grey. This colour scheme is visually cohesive and doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.

  • Creates a visually pleasing look
  • Can choose your favourite colour and variations of it
  • Put main brand colour front and center

Complementary Colour Schemes

Complementary colour schemes tend to be bold and lie directly opposite each other on the colour wheel. Examples include red/green, orange/blue and purple/yellow. These colour combos really stand out which is why sports teams and businesses often go for this option. The complementary colour scheme could be right for your shade sails if:

  • You want to get noticed and be different
  • You want to create a memorable brand
  • Your business is high energy, rather than relaxing (e.g; gym, kid’s playground or Mexican restaurant)