2007, Natalie Angier
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/science/06angi.html?_r=0
As it happens, red is an exquisite ambassador for love, and in more ways than people may realize. Not only is red the color of the blood that flushes the face and swells the pelvis and that one swears one would spill to save the beloved’s prized hide. It is also a fine metaphoric mate for the complexity and contrariness of love. In red we see shades of life, death, fury, shame, courage, anguish, pride and the occasional overuse of exfoliants designed to combat signs of aging. Red is bright and bold and has a big lipsticked mouth, through which it happily speaks out of all sides at once. Yoo-hoo! yodels red, come close, have a look. Stop right there, red amends, one false move and you’re dead.
Such visual semiotics are not limited to the human race. Red is the premier signaling color in the natural world, variously showcasing a fruitful bounty, warning of a fatal poison or boasting of a sturdy constitution and the genes to match. Red, in other words, is the poster child for the poster, for colors that have something important to say. “Our visual system was shaped by colors already in use among many plants and animals, and red in particular stands out against the green backdrop of nature,” said Dr. Nicholas Humphrey, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and the author of “Seeing Red: A Study in Consciousness.” “If you want to make a point, you make it in red.”
Whatever the primary spur to the evolution of our rose-colored retinas, we, like most other animals with multichromatic vision, have learned to treat red with respect. “In the evolution of languages,” Dr. Humphrey writes, “red is without exception the first color word to enter the vocabulary,” and in some languages it’s the only color word apart from black and white. It’s also the first color that most children learn to name, and that most adults will cite when asked to think of a color, any color.
Red savors the spice of victory. Analyzing data from Olympic combat sports like boxing and tae kwon do, in which competitors are randomly assigned to wear red shorts or blue, Dr. Russell Hill and his colleagues at the University of Durham in Britain found that the red-shorted won their matches significantly more often than would be expected by chance alone. What the researchers don’t yet know is whether the reds somehow get an subconscious boost from their garb, or their blue opponents are felled by the view.
Given red’s pushy reputation, design experts long thought people felt uncomfortable and worked poorly when confined to red rooms. But when Dr. Nancy Kwallek, a professor of interior design at the University of Texas at Austin, recently compared the performance of clerical workers randomly assigned for a week to rooms with red, blue-green or white color schemes, she found that red’s story, like the devil, is in the details. Workers who were identified as poor screeners, who have trouble blocking out noise and other distractions during the workday, did indeed prove less productive and more error prone in the red rooms than did their similarly thin-skinned colleagues in the turquoise rooms. For those employees who were rated as good screeners, however, able to focus on their job regardless of any ruckus around them, the results were flipped. Screeners were more productive in the red room than the blue. “The color red stimulated them,” she said, “and they thrived under its effects.”
And the subjects assigned to the plain-vanilla settings, of a style familiar to the vast majority of the corporate labor force? Deprived of any color, any splash of Matisse, they were disgruntled and brokenhearted and did the poorest of all.
Color Has a Powerful Effect On Behaviour, Researchers Assert
By Lindsey Gruson, Published: October 19, 1982
http://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/19/science/color-has-a-powerful-effect-on-behavior-researchers-assert.html?pagewanted=all
When children under detention at the San Bernardino County Probation Department in California become violent, they are put in an 8-foot by 4-foot cell with one distinctive feature - it is bubble gum pink. The children tend to relax, stop yelling and banging and often fall asleep within 10 minutes, said Paul E. Boccumini, director of clinical services for the department
Color Psychology in Marketing
by Derrick Daye
However, the effects of color differ among different cultures, so the attitudes and preferences of your target audience should be a consideration when you plan your design of any promotional materials.
For example, white is the color of death in Chinese culture, but purple represents death in Brazil. Yellow is sacred to the Chinese, but signified sadness in Greece and jealousy in France. In North America, green is typically associated with jealousy. People from tropical countries respond most favorably to warm colors; people from northern climates prefer the cooler colors.
In North American mainstream culture, the following colors are associated with certain qualities or emotions:
Red –excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger.
Blue –(listed as the most popular color) trust, reliability, belonging, coolness.
Yellow –warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness
Orange — playfulness, warmth, vibrant
Green — nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance
Purple –royal, spirituality, dignity
Pink — soft, sweet, nurture, security
White –pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild.
Black –sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery
Gold — prestige, expensive
Silver — prestige, cold, scientific
Market researchers have also determined that color affects shopping habits. Impulse shoppers respond best to red-orange, black and royal blue. Shoppers who plan and stick to budgets respond best to pink, teal, light blue and navy. Traditionalists respond to pastels – pink, rose, sky blue.
The Psychology of Color in Branding and Marketing
Gregory Ciotti, 2013
http://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/
Certain colors do broadly align with specific traits (e.g., brown with ruggedness, purple with sophistication, and red with excitement). But nearly every academic study on colors and branding will tell you that it’s far more important for your brand’s colors to support the personality you want to portray instead of trying to align with stereotypical color associations.
Consider the inaccuracy of making broad statements such as “green means calm.” The context is missing; sometimes green is used to brand environmental issues such as Timberland’s G.R.E.E.N standard, but other times it’s meant to brand financial spaces such as Mint.com.
And while brown may be useful for a rugged appeal (think Saddleback Leather), when positioned in another context brown can be used to create a warm, inviting feeling (Thanksgiving) or to stir your appetite (every chocolate commercial you’ve ever seen).
It’s the feeling, mood, and image that your brand creates that play a role in persuasion. Be sure to recognize that colors only come into play when they can be used to match a brand’s desired personality (i.e., the use of white to communicate Apple’s love of clean, simple design).
The
books you sell might be designed in bright, primary colors (reds,
blues, yellows) to appeal to the children who use them. However, your
marketing materials (including the website) should be designed with
grandparents/parents in mind and thus you might decide to go with blues
(trust, reliability), pinks (nurture, sweet, security) and yellows
(happy, playful) as your pallet of choice - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
The
books you sell might be designed in bright, primary colors (reds,
blues, yellows) to appeal to the children who use them. However, your
marketing materials (including the website) should be designed with
grandparents/parents in mind and thus you might decide to go with blues
(trust, reliability), pinks (nurture, sweet, security) and yellows
(happy, playful) as your pallet of choice - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
So
with that in mind, you might be selling books for children but you are
marketing to grandparents and parents. The books you sell might be
designed in bright, primary colors (reds, blues, yellows) to appeal to
the children who use them. However, your marketing materials (including
the website) should be designed with grandparents/parents in mind and
thus you might decide to go with blues (trust, reliability), pinks
(nurture, sweet, security) and yellows (happy, playful) as your pallet
of choice. - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
So
with that in mind, you might be selling books for children but you are
marketing to grandparents and parents. The books you sell might be
designed in bright, primary colors (reds, blues, yellows) to appeal to
the children who use them. However, your marketing materials (including
the website) should be designed with grandparents/parents in mind and
thus you might decide to go with blues (trust, reliability), pinks
(nurture, sweet, security) and yellows (happy, playful) as your pallet
of choice. - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
So
with that in mind, you might be selling books for children but you are
marketing to grandparents and parents. The books you sell might be
designed in bright, primary colors (reds, blues, yellows) to appeal to
the children who use them. However, your marketing materials (including
the website) should be designed with grandparents/parents in mind and
thus you might decide to go with blues (trust, reliability), pinks
(nurture, sweet, security) and yellows (happy, playful) as your pallet
of choice. - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
So
with that in mind, you might be selling books for children but you are
marketing to grandparents and parents. The books you sell might be
designed in bright, primary colors (reds, blues, yellows) to appeal to
the children who use them. However, your marketing materials (including
the website) should be designed with grandparents/parents in mind and
thus you might decide to go with blues (trust, reliability), pinks
(nurture, sweet, security) and yellows (happy, playful) as your pallet
of choice. - See more at:
http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2011/07/06/the-impact-of-color-on-consumer-buying/#sthash.mUAfm0bV.dpuf
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