Have you ever been conscious of the color of the packaging used for your products? Colors have a great effect on people’s psychology, so the color of the packaging used can also affect sales. So, what kind of colors should be used to increase the consumer’s willingness to buy? In this article, we will introduce the laws of color for package design that sell well and the 4 major selling colors, taboo colors.
color rules for packaging design
In our daily lives, we perceive all kinds of colors visually, and they affect our minds and bodies. Among them, package design is an important factor that motivates customers to purchase products. The colors used and the arrangement of colors play a role in clearly conveying the product image to consumers.
By choosing the best design for your target audience, you can make your products more appealing and increase your sales. Here, we will introduce the influence of the color of the package design on the willingness to buy and the colors that are said to be taboo.
Effects of Color Psychology on Purchasing Willingness
Color psychology, which affects people’s psychological states by color, is often used in sales strategies. This is because choosing a color that matches the company concept will have the effect of appealing to the target customer segment. It also plays a role in establishing a brand image and differentiating it from the products of other companies in the same industry.
Although it is difficult to change the color of the product itself, it is possible to change the package freely to some extent. First of all, the eye-catching package gives consumers a concrete image of what kind of product it is, and depending on your ingenuity, it can also encourage purchasing behavior.
In the case of food, it is possible to enhance the ingredients by color and make them look delicious. Many of you may have seen tangerines sold in red nets at supermarkets, etc. This is a packaging method that utilizes the color assimilation phenomenon. If you put an orange mandarin orange in a red net, the color assimilation will occur, and a phenomenon will occur that makes it look sweeter and more delicious. The point is to choose a color that increases the consumer’s willingness to buy due to the effect of color psychology, while taking into account this phenomenon.
What are taboo colors
There are also taboo colors in package design colors, and it is necessary to recognize them as colors that should not be used depending on the product. The most obvious example is packaging design for food, where cool colors are taboo because they have the effect of reducing appetite. However, blue, which is classified as a cold color, is one of the four best-selling colors that will be introduced later, and is a popular color worldwide. Therefore, keep in mind that taboo colors differ depending on the genre of the product, and depending on the genre, it may also increase the appeal of the product.
Read Also: Color Impressions Are Not Universal! What Is The Image That Varies By Country?
What are the 4 major selling colors of package design?
Among the various colors, there are colors called “four major selling colors”. Here, we will introduce each of the four major sales colors for package design.
red
It is easy to imagine elements such as passion, strength, and excitement, and it has effects such as increasing energy, increasing appetite, and feeling warmth. In addition, it has a psychological effect that increases the willingness to buy because it works to lift the mood, and it has an image of celebration because it is often used for auspicious occasions. However, it may give a dangerous or offensive image, so you need to be careful how to handle it.
blue
Reminiscent of the sea and sky, it gives a feeling of coldness and cleanliness, and is a color that is loved all over the world regardless of age or gender. It also has a calming psychological effect, and is also sedative and sleep-promoting. Because it evokes an image of cleanliness, it is often used in the design of detergent packaging. It is also often used in the packaging of products that convey a refreshing image, such as cooling sheets for fevers and sports drinks.
black
It is a color that feels heavy and luxurious, and has the effect of making adjacent colors stand out. However, keep in mind that some people have an image of darkness and fear from black, and the impact is strong, so for better or worse, it makes the other person feel strength and awe. As a specific product, the product itself is often used as a package design for black items such as black coffee.
White
Recognized as a sacred color worldwide, it is often associated with images of purity and innocence. Although it is a color that gives a sense of cleanliness, pure white, which does not contain any other colors, evokes images of coldness and loneliness, and can also create a sense of tension. It is mainly used for package design of dairy products such as milk and yogurt, toilet-related products, and supplements.
Color differences in package design by target
Just as people have different tastes in food and hobbies, so do people’s tastes in colors. Therefore, you must choose a color that encourages purchasing behavior toward your company’s target. Here, we will introduce the differences in package design colors for different targets.
age
Color preferences are divided between men and women, but even among people of the same sex, color preferences change with age. Women in their 20s tend to prefer pastel colors such as pink, but women in their 40s and 50s tend to prefer chic and calm colors.
From this point of view, it will be necessary to clarify the age group of the company’s target and investigate the preferred color by limiting gender and age to some extent. However, if your target audience is a wide range of age groups or regardless of gender, you must choose shades that are popular among people of all ages.
area
Remember that even people of the same age have different color preferences depending on where they live. Orange is very popular in Europe and many people tend to like it as it is associated with harvest and fruitfulness. On the other hand, yellow is popular in the United States and Canada, and white is popular in Asian countries.
Also, compared to Japanese women in their 20s who prefer pastel colors such as pink, Chinese women in their 20s are said to prefer “earth colors” that evoke nature such as soil and plants. Also, even if you live in the same area, it is important to understand that the colors you prefer differ depending on the environment in which you grew up.
sociality
In general, package design colors are chosen in association with the characteristics of the product. For example, in Japan, red is associated with hot and spicy food, and blue is associated with cold food.
In addition, white goods and black goods are also products with established images. White goods, such as refrigerators and washing machines, are items that are necessary for daily life, so they are unified in a clean white color. On the other hand, black appliances are information-related products such as TVs and computers, and in many cases black is used. However, just because it is white or black does not mean that everything is unified, so try to choose a package design that matches your company’s target color.
Summary
In this article, we introduced the color laws of package design, the four major selling colors, and taboo colors. Package design is the first step in motivating consumers to purchase products, and it gives various color psychology depending on the selected color. In order to increase the consumer’s willingness to buy, it is necessary to create a package design that can associate the image of the product at a glance.
However, preferred colors differ according to gender, age, area of residence, and sociality. Also, while there are 4 major selling colors that are especially used among the many colors, let’s understand that there are colors that are taboo depending on the genre of the product.
