Color is Value.

Color, what an easy subject, isn’t it? Maybe the first we learn when we begin with the school. So many people will remember things they painted and filled with color to then look in the home fridge. However, years later the signature returns in the design career, but in this occasion with another character totally different, recognize the cognitive and sensorial values which represent the colors. How they make us feel and how brands (globals and locals) invest amounts of money to ensure that their color is unique on their market or in the entire world.

We are surrounded by colors and although each person interprets colors in a different way (based on their individual experiences) the psychologists of perception have years working on universal principles which align experiences to color patterns, and based on this “universal accords” which exist in each society, there are thousands of quizzes to buyers who bring theories and strategies of branding for the color to add a value to the product, or identify you better within your range (product line up)

Color is the first visual value to study the strategy of Brand Equity. And not only for the single distinction to recognize which product you usually buy (First point: ID) or multiple experiences that color can bring you (Second Point: Values). Color is the first thing that our mind shape when we mention a brand or product; the 1st data of information to read, our intellect or thought thinks firstly about the color and then in nano-seconds the figures appears (graphics or contours) of the logo and letters which form the name.

1. BY IDENTIFICATION:

When I was preparing for managing brand diapers “Pampers” asked us to study multiple product identification stories looking for those special cases where you have to guide buyers to quickly identify the product in store only giving the minimum keys. One of my favorites was the practice of listening as a woman asked her husband to pass by the pharmacy or convenience store to look for  a specific product, we had to be guided by phone and could only give 2 data … ((and as nowadays one brand may contain as many colors as varied is its family of products, made it even more difficult).
The two most relevant data on the results were first supply No. 1The color and No. 2 THE BRAND… Indications “buy a Pampers orange package ” were the most effective in the task of identifying the product on the shelf. The color becomes so important at the point of sale, that manufacturers of mass consumption products spend almost 15% of its production budget of packaging to establish not only a color code, but in the actual production of color within a company that guarantees them that color is unique and global. Much more complex than assigning a hue Pantone, hire specialized companies such as Sun Chemical, Siegwer, Flint Group for R & D (research and development) of unique pigments to achieve a specific color. Once they get produce that color is patented. This is how brands such as Ariel get their color “green Ariel” is unique and registered. There can be no other product in the same market category with “that” color. Colors to charters

2. BY ITS SENSORIAL / EMOTIONAL VALUES

A color can lead you to an emotional or rational mood in a flash. That’s a fact, (you can ask it to Enzo Ferrari). Colors lead to emotional and behavior moods; can motivate you to participate, to buy, to consume or simply value something in a scale of a percentage of quality. I am not going to talk about how Canadians learnt that painting their jails in pink, calmed their prisoners, I talk about that brands just like McDonald’s has posed a change so rotund in its strategy about the color (from red to green) to point to a European market with more environmental awareness and with this measure is achieving its goals better (that European consumers value more its restaurant’s as an option to eat healthy and responsible with the environment), that has spent all the money on information campaigns about the origin of the hamburger’s meat. Just a color change has achieved more advances on its European market than previous crossmedia campaigns that have had sown awareness.

In several marketing quiz about the color they comment that the first judgment that we establish to a person, brand or unknown product are valued in a 90% by its color in a subconscious way. In this quiz made by Xerox in 20013 the interviewed experimented:

• 92% believes that the color gives value to a product.
• 90% feels that the color attracted them in a positive way.
• 90% reminds the color immediately.
• 83% believes that the color makes them more successful.
• 81% value the color as a competitive differential.

A color can shape emotions, invoke you a memory to make you feel a smell or taste. Color can make your customers, consumers or users react actively or passively. On display campaigns (banners) color on a button can encourage your answer or registration. It can help to build a value, y something almost every low cost/basic line” products are supported in the combination. But “yellow+red” and the “Premium/top line” use the garnet/violet/gold. To support its communication. But these are mere clichés. The strategy of colors is deeper, it has to be logical and universal, and in many, many occasions they are given by your own consumers. It is a social factor.

QUESTION:

¿which is your brand favorite color?// which brand do you think it does not match its color? Or, which color will you dress in order to assist to your next work interview?

BRANDESIGN : DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR BRAND ı  Reference: HuffingtonPost