Without color, the blue planet would probably be black and white and arguably a spinning planet with no zeal.
To a brand, color gets the job done halfway when attracting customers and keeping them. If executed well, it psychologically puts a brand in control of the customers’ decisions and actions; swaying their emotions and making them do what the brand is inclined to. May sound manipulative but rather it triggers and encourages engagement, helping customers choose a brand as a preferable deal from others on the shelves.
In a study that depicted the correlation between our day to day activities and color, it was grasped that since color psychologically brings meaning to many of our daily activities, it should play an active role in packaging, branding and marketing. The study ultimately advocated for blending colors’ connotations with packaging designs and graphics so as to clutch the attention of customers and influence response.
For many brands, packaging is the most important aspect in sales. We can however, not shy away from the fact that color is exclusive and leans on personal experiences. This way, brands will make precise choices when packaging and solely pick colors with the right but universal subliminal messages that would trigger swoon-worth inspirations on buyers.
Alongside illustrations, graphics and copy, colors in packaging filters out the intended communication a brand would wish to pass to buyers. In a competitive retail space where standing out gets you profits, the packaging colors should be impressive and at the same time uncharacteristic, breaking away from the norm.
From a study, it was noticed that customers making right off the bat decision when purchasing a product attributed their 90% of snap judgment to the packaging color of the brand. Interesting enough, 85% of the buyers mentioned that colors primarily influence their attempt to purchase products from the shelf with 80% citing how colors help them recognize a particular category of item.
For instance, picture the color yellow, what will definitely come to your mind is a dishwashing liquid or citrus. And what about green; lemon-lime comes to the picture. With such set recognizable color connotations and psychological embodiment, categories of products can easily be recognized, but to set them apart and potentially be a candidate for a first-sight purchase, blending the color might help to create such a unique statement.
Principles to follow when selecting a color scheme
As much as there are no definitive guidelines for selecting colors, there are particular factors that have been noticed to provide more appealing results when choosing colors. Company, designers and brand marketers may consider the following principles to even out their odds in the retailing field.
Maintain relevance
Colors have meaning, and business owners should be keen in choosing colors that are more appropriate to their brand in order to portray the intended message that the public can relate with the product. A mismatch of colors with the intended use will leave your product hanging high and dry on shelf.
Think about your target market
Brands offering services or products should be keen about how they present them to their end-customers. When packaging, color should be appropriate to the kind of target market and thus encourage likeness. For example, the color pink is more linked to ladies than men and even though blue may be universal; it has a stronger connection to men than ladies. Also, men prefer bold colors with touch of blackness while ladies are inclined to tints of colors with touch of whiteness.
To add to that, business owners should keep in mind the culture of their target market and choose colors that are fitting and persuadable.
Distinguish colors
Two colors may be different but if they share the same tone, they become more similar. Contrast sets them apart and an easy way to do this is by turning them into grayscale. Differentiating colors singles out essential elements of a package.
Employ consistency
This will build up identity of a brand. Take for example the Coca-Cola Company has solidified its identity with their consistent red color and the white swirl trade mark. Besides, maintaining consistency of color schemes in packaging can increase familiarity of a product and even gain trust and loyalty from customers hitting two birds with one stone.
Simplicity
By and large, people relate more with simple colors because it is indulgent to the eyes. When selecting color schemes, a brand should try using 2-3 opposing and complementary colors. This way, a package can be understood easily. Just like too much spices in a meal, too many colors clouds the message meant to be passed, and shunning away buyer’s attention.
Research and test colors
The target market is the receiver of a product and service. If the color of the packaging doesn’t fit the brand’s identity with their personal feelings and culture, a disconnection will ensue creating confusion and eventually failure. To prevent this, research and test your colors using mock-ups and inviting participants or observing shelf shoppers before launching the package.
Insatiable colors go unnoticed especially when the blend is all wrong and the packaging hasn’t been researched on.
To lure potential customers and clients, brands need to get things right with color as it affect human behavior, triggers emotion and influence human perception; therefore becoming an effective asset for marketing agencies, packaging systems and labelling companies.
In a nutshell, brands should upscale their creativity and cement effective packaging through collaboration with designers, digital printers and other resources whilst picking up colors that connect and invoke engagement.
Remember, just like the logo, a company can be identified with color in the years to come.
