Written by Shelley Golden

We’re a year into COVID-19 and still working from home. I often get asked about the best color top to wear on Zoom calls. As a professional image consultant and Zoom makeover expert, I share with my clients that the most important thing about getting people to pay attention to you and what you’re saying is to help them focus on your face and your torso in the center third of your Zoom box.

Zoom as Art 

Stand out as much of you as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to wear a different color from your background—one that is brighter, more vibrant, or just plain different. Think of everything in your Zoom box, including yourself, like a painting with a foreground, midground, and background. You are always the main focus in the foreground. Having lived in Amsterdam for 10 years, I studied the Dutch Masters and the Impressionists and approach each Zoom makeover as an artist who is creating a painting. Draw the viewers’ eyes toward your face and body using color and contrast by creating a bullseye amongst your nice, neat, non-distracting background. This is the best way for people to pay attention to you, read your non-verbal communication, and increase engagement.

Solids and Patterns

Wear a solid color that is a different color than your background. You will act as a color block in the middle third of the Zoom box on your screen to attract the attention away from what is behind you and have people focus on you. I suggest avoiding large patterns such as checks, plaids, or abstract prints so you are not just another pattern in your painting. This makes it more challenging to focus on you. Eliminate any distractions that draw the eyes elsewhere. You want all the attention on your face and torso. After all, isn’t that what you’re aiming for?

Landscapes

Many people are Zooming from home, working from whatever space is available to them: dining room, living room, bedroom, garage, or even a converted closet. Most of these spaces have assorted pieces of furniture and other elements in the background. In an abstract manner, these background elements are part of your pattern. Be aware of the colors in your background to avoid blending in and not being front and center in your Zoom frame.

What colors work best on Zoom?

“No white!” You want your face and eyes to be the first thing people notice, not your clothing. The camera focuses on the white and light areas in your Zoom box and darkens everything else to adjust for the light…so don’t wear white! Avoid off-whites, light blue, pale pink, and ivory because they often appear white on camera.

“No black!” Or...other very dark colors. Black, navy, dark grey, dark burgundy, most brown shades will appear as black. Black makes you fade or blend into the background so you appear smaller. This detracts from the ability of others to read your nonverbal communication—unless you’re sitting in front of a solid white or light background.

The best colors to wear are bold, bright solid colors that contrast to your background. They are the reds, fuchsia, blighter blues, turquoise, teal, and purples. Small to medium size patterns are OK if you sit against a plain background.

Most people don’t have a large selection of bold colors in their closets. The color palettes of clothing available in the marketplaces now tend towards muted hues and greys. This is the Zoom dilemma. What to wear to improve engagement? It’s a bit of a challenge to find and use brighter colors. Be persistent and keep your eyes open for pops of color to wear while sitting in front of a populated screen. They will pay off in the end.

Be the “main event” in your Zoom box. So sit up, stand out, and be noticed.

*Executive presence expert, Zoom makeover expert, personal branding image consultant, and certified color consultant, Shelley Golden is the owner of Shelley Golden Style www.ShelleyGoldenStyle.com