PANTONE Guide to Communicating with Colour
“Our very survival depends on the ability to identify necessary objects or warning signals whether they are animal, vegetable, or mineral, and colour is an integral part of the identification process.”
By Leatrice Eiseman
Of all the forms of non-verbal communication, colour is the most instantaneous method of conveying messages and meanings. Before humans learned to appreciate the aesthetics of colour, there were far more practical aspects of communicating with colour. Our very survival depends on the ability to identify necessary objects or warning signals whether they are animal, vegetable or mineral, and colour is an integral part of the identification process.
Among other uses, colour stimulates and works synergistically with all of the senses, symbolises abstract concepts and thoughts, expresses fantasy or wish fulfilment, recalls another time or place, and produces an aesthetic or emotional response.
There is no better place to judge the effectiveness of colour than in the marketplace where it is a vital key in communicating a positive, enticing and irresistible image to a product. Often called the “silent salesperson”, colour must immediately attract the consumer’s eye, convey the message of what the product is all about, create a brand identity, and most importantly, help to make the sale. At the very least (as on a Web page or in a print ad), it must create enough interest or curiosity to induce the would-be buyer to find out more about the product (or service).
For truly effective marketing, package colours must satisfy a “wish fulfilment” or need that the product promises to fulfil. For example: products offering sweet taste or sweet scents should be featured in pink, peach, cream or lavender, while the promise of cool refreshment should be an icy blue, green or blue-green. Each colour family conveys specific moods and associations that become part of the symbology that is critical in marketing the product or company image.
The Colour Wheel
An important graphic tool for creating colour combinations, the colour wheel is a circular arrangement of the primary, secondary and tertiary colours. It visually illustrates colour “temperature” — warm vs. cool — as vital psychological components in delivering a specific colour’s message. Colours are perceived as warm or cool because of ancient and universal associations. Red, orange and yellow are associated with the warmth of fire and sun, while blue, green and violet connect in the mind’s eye with the coolness of the sea, sky, foliage and outer space.
Colour Factoid
Confining a colour to a particular feature or usage will give greater emphasis to that feature. Repeating a colour too many times can create a distraction or dilution of attention.
