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Lighter. Softer. More complex. Those are the words being used to describe the 2002 Consumer Colour Directions Palette from the Colour Marketing Group. This group is an international association of colour designers who identify and forecast colour trends as much as three years in advance.
Why would you need this information? Have you ever heard "If it doesn't sell - it's the wrong colour"?
Would it be valuable for you to learn about colour so you are more comfortable in creating your new product line or choosing stock for your store? Doing displays? Advertising?
Deciding on what colours is the one thing we all have in common when making choices. It is also an area in which many of us have the least amount of confidence - even though colour surrounds us and plays a major part in our lives.
How can you make colour work as an important and effective marketing tool?
Colour creates an impression and it elicits a response.
What makes them buy the product?
McDonald's colours - primary, lots of orangey reds -hurry up and eat, get out so we can sell more burgers!
Colour - your most important and effective marketing tool
Remember colour is the most important aspect of any product. Consumers make a decision about colour in about 60 seconds. The right colour brings them a step closer to buying. The wrong colour turns them away completely. Consumers will compromise on pattern, but rarely on colour.
Vital to communicate to your consumer what you are all about
Immediately attracts the consumers eye
Communicates enough to create interest or curiosity
Conveys the brand's message
Creates an identity (Think about your theme, what are you? Crisp contemporary or sophisticated minimalism (Shoe store with 12 shoes on display)? Lush traditional or nostalgic country?
Helps make the sale
Words stimulate the left side of the brain; colour simulates the right side of the brain.
Draws out our interest, gets shoppers into the store, makes people pause and compare - colour induces us to buy.
Millennium Colours of 2002
Red:
Red rules! Red is the colour that calls on the most powerful emotions; either love or hate, red is the guru of our deepest feelings. It is the dynamic motion of flames, the colour of blood. It is everything that means life to us. Full of ego and inner flames, it is our life force. Red takes .03 of a second to capture our attention. Add black and it becomes very upscale. Moving to the blue tones, Claret, Merlot and Burgundy. Influenced by the world market, Moroccan red, Italian red, Chinese red.
Watch for the enduring trend of patriotism to come to Canada - red and white wins!
Nationalism vs. Globalism. Red demands a response -it wants to fight, call to action.
Red/pink and red/orange combinations (Rosa Roja)
Pink:
Depending on its strength, pink can make us feel young and joyfully alive or gentle and calm. It's innocent and playful and is often associated with the feminine side of our nature. (The wrong colour to paint a sporting goods store). It is calming, but not for long, about 15 seconds. Pink trends - Coral, combined with the hot orange trend.
Pink also represents garishness (a nice world for tacky) and a devil-may-care attitude.
Careful "hot-pink" is an oxymoron. (Langostino)
Orange:
Warming and uplifting. Orange relates to our lifecycle as the colour of fall, symbolic of the end of life. Energising; revives youthful spirit. Orange is becoming a high-end colour. With orange a big colour, copper is the new metal. Optimistic - the future is bright - future is orange
Orange, as clay (terra cotta) has a primitive side reminding us of our ancient forefathers.
You can smell orange, taste orange - delicious and inviting.
Very popular in the European market
Orange stimulates the appetite more than any other colour does. (Tiger Lily) Tangy, bright, clear orange
Yellow:
Yellow is the sun. It relates to intelligence, random thought and innocent happiness. Cheerful, friendly and warm. Yellow is most liked by North American consumers. Used with black will jump (also means dangerous). Empowers. Yellow ochre is creative and busy - like a bumblebee. Creamy yellow is a comfort
colour.
Associated with "higher powers", of things greater than us mere humans. For the Egyptians the sun god RA ruled, for the ancient Greeks, Apollo's chariot blazed across the skies.
Used with blue for the French country trend (Lemon cello) Eureka, strong cool yellow. Pineapple, very pale luminescent
Gold:
There is an Old World reverence and true depth of emotion about the colour gold, it represents wealth, luxury, desire, satisfaction and intimacy. Gold is the wedding ring, the tie that binds, lifelong love. It is the finest we have to offer and represents our highest achievements.
With gold we think of wealth, luxury and desire, yet it is also related to satisfaction and intimacy.
Green:
Life, newness and birth. Whimsical and fun, green stimulates conversation. Deep, light, bright, extreme. Provides energy and balance. Green is soothing, calming and restful. Associated with life itself, green represents newness and birth, as with the trees of the forest, green grass of the fields.
Green is nature's background colour that makes all the other colours more vibrant and alive.
Adds class -higher price points.
Top selling colour of the 90's. Consumers will not let go of green.
Now a more softer and more greyed green. (Gingko, Mesa Verde)
Turquoise:
This high-powered colour isn't as restful as green and blue, but vibrant and spirited. Teal and aqua are making a comeback. Blue-greens are the most non-gender specific.
It represents movement, athletic tension while reminding us of the opulence of a palace and of ancient intrigues.
It is the meeting of green palm trees, white sand, blue skies in a turquoise lagoon in the tropics. (Fathom)
Blue:
We are surrounded by blue. We live on a big blue marble consisting of sky and sea.
Sky - dependable, loyal and constant. Sea - cool and soothing. Serenity, solace and peace An anti-stress colour. Blue is the soft lapping of waves or the running of a mountain stream. As the air we breathe, blue is fresh and vital, reminding us of a clear day in the sun under azure skies.
Colour for the new millennium - what lies ahead?
Blue and white - clean and hygienic greener blues, more complex -is it blue? Is it green? (Oxygen, Blue Bayou)
Purple:
Combines the excitement of red and the tranquillity of blue. Brings to mind royalty and ancient civilizations. It's the colour of the Muse, of soothsayers and prophets regal and majestic. Quirky and artistic. It is clairvoyant and psychic, headstrong and powerful. Sensual, spiritual lighter versions more feminine, deeper values more masculine. It is also the colour of sorrow and passion intertwined, as in death and the resurrection.
Purple has reached mass appeal and acceptance. Essence of Lilac, very pale, botanical blue with a hint of lilac
White:
Pure and heavenly. Innocent, cleanliness and the absence of pain. Creates eyestrain and headaches when used on walls. Often used in combination to emphasis or contrast. Pure white captures attention.
Has associations of an upward "heavenly" motion and is pure as the driven snow.
It is inviting as pure white cotton sheets on which to lay our troubles and our tired bodies.
Black:
Is the "forever" colour, forever night, forever formal, forever faithful. It's a colour that can inspire fear through its association with nothingness but can also feel calming due to its solid and orderly appeal. It is the colour of remembrance. Colour of mourning.
Nothing wishy-washy about black. Ultimate power message -also colour of mourning.
Elegant and sophisticated.
In food packaging consumers will pay more. Subliminal message: you are getting more for your money.
Without black everything would be flat.
Grey:
Grey can feel warm or cold, or no temperature at all. It represents the rock and therefore is solid and supportive. Grey is neutral and nameless. Grey tries to fit in but does not bring attention to itself - the colour of the wallflower.
Grey is also the colour of wisdom and longevity. (Moon shadow)
Beige:
It is the great balancing act that allows other colours to come out and play. A classic, dependable colour. Weathered over time but lasting forever.
Beige is the arbitrator, forming new unions. It is the colour of non-colour, the sameness of a desert lulling us to sleep through its unchallenging nature.
Brown:
Mother earth, the protector. Security and contentment. It's the cosy colour, enveloping us in its strength and allowing for rest and recovery. Brown shelters us from the storms of life. Reminds us of hearth and home. Organic and earthy.
Intense, rich, robust.
Coffee, chocolate - upscale, social and comforting.
Brown diamond -a clear topaz brown (Chocolate Raisin, Sycamore)
Other colour trends "Colours that do stuff"
Colours that change -- pearl, shimmer, colour shift, refractive, flip-flop colour
Phosphorescent - glows in the dark
Photo-chromatic (thermo-chromatic) responds to heat or cold.
Multi-lens technology -holographic and multiple vantage points.
Metallics:
Silver and gold -classics
Burnished, hammered, textured and antiqued
Copper and bronze - part of the orange trend.
Copper is uptrending; mixed metals with copper the hottest trend
Transparent Colours:
Another interesting direction is the use of transparency and translucence.
Vellum papers, frosted translucent packaging, shimmer and sheens without being garish.
Glass flowers
Clear, watery and icy
Fluorescent:
We see it 75% sooner than ordinary colours. Holds message two times longer. 59% come back for a second look. Safety factor, visual locator.
2002 colours are 'elemental'
Can be loosely grouped into three main families: Fire, Earth, and Water.
Fire:
Rosa Roja: A multicultural, non-synthetic red with a strong Latin influence. A romantic red that comes alive for both men and women.
Langostino: Bridges orange, pink and red, yet it's softened and veiled.
Tiger Lily: A complex and multidimensional orange combining the vibrant florals of nature with the satisfying glow of a quiet fire.
Lemoncello: The hybridisation of nature and technology into a sophisticated yellow, with a calming green influence.
Earth:
Gingko: The botanical green of dried grasslands, bridging the fresh excitement from mustard greens with the relaxing feel of a forest's treasured mosses.
Mesa Verde: The return of true green, heralding a move away from recent acidity lime-greens. Strongly influenced by an undertone of blue, it is natural and refreshing.
Chocolate Raisin: With its blending of brown into black, this saturated hue has a strong horticultural influence. It is complex, captivating and elegant in its richness.
Sycamore: The evolution of a classic neutral brown. Edgy but luxurious.
Water:
Oxygen: A blue sky as seen through glass block. A breath of fresh air representing a silver influence on aquatic blues.
Blue Bayou: The shift of classic navy towards an updated technoversion of blue with a metallic, watery sheen.
Fathom: A key bridge of green into blue, it addresses the continuation and evolution of teals inspired by blue. Its sophistication completes the mind's need for peace and serenity.
Moon Shadow: Provides a respite from technology and reflects our fascination with atmospheric greys. A hueful neutral that allows other colours to retain their individual appeal.
Colour - your most important and effective marketing tool! Give more thought to colour today…
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