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COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

Quality is not the only factor that sells products. Colour is a powerful and intrinsic tool used in retail to influence purchase behaviours, regardless whether the behaviour is impulse driven or not.

 

In psychological research carried out by Michael Hemphill published in the Journal of Genetic Psychology, his article ““a note on adults’ colour- emotion associations” published in 1996 explores the effects of colour on humans, on both physical and psychological levels. Within this Hemphill makes a statement that 85% of purchases are influences by colour within a retail surrounding.

 

Writer Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe found that there is a positive correlation between colours and the effects on humans – how colours forge meanings that react on emotion within our cognition which are later relayed on our shopper behaviours sub-consciously. 

The psychology of colour is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an in-depth study of colour and a topic usually left to psychologists, biologists, neurologises and physiologists to study research and analyse. However colour is all around us and as noted in Angela Wrights book ‘The Beginner’s Guide Colour Psychology’;

               

          “A world without colour is not just a drab and dreary

          world it is also a dangerous, unpredictable world in

          which it is easy to be poisoned "

 

This surely means that as designers we should have a cohesive understanding of the implications colours have on people, consumers and users of the retail and exhibition environment.

 

Studies into colours have highlighted that colours are a strong factor in ascertaining how we feel and this determines how we interact with objects on a physiological level.

 

To designers this theory may seem absurd, however is biologically recognized. It has been proven and linked that our association with colour can be strongly linked to evolution. An example of this is when we are shopping for fruit or vegetables in a supermarket; we look for the greenest vegetables and the brightest coloured fruit. This is due to the effects of evolution. We have been taught and learned to associate that this colour of fruit or vegetable is good for us, will keep us healthy and not make us ill, as opposed to one that is going grey. 

 

A lot of research has been conducted into how colours affect us emotionally but, it is not until recently that psychologist, behaviourists and scientists have looked at how colours affect us on a physical level and our behaviours.  This research into colour can determine how humans as consumers relate to colours and how this can trigger and emotional or behavioural shopping response on a purely psychological level. 

Sir Issac Newton

Colour was first coined by Sir Issac Newton in 1672 who demonstrated that colour is a refraction of light at different angles. Newton wanted to prove that light had coloured particles within it and it wasn't made up of light waves.Sir Issac Newton was working on an experiment where he was observing the effects of distilled light. When he shone white light and the particles travelled through the prism the light separated into different colours, red, orange, green, blue and yellow and violet.a process known as refraction.

 

Newton then organised these colours on a disc, or colour wheel on opposite sides, when the disc is spun the colours come together and to the human eye the only colour that is seen is White.

 

Newton also explained that the colour white was a pure colour that provides complete reflection, and black is pure absorption and can’s be split. 

 

Researchers who believed in the wave theory were adamant that light waves were formed of white light, and the reason that the colours separated through the spectrum was due to refraction of light, which is known to be a corruption in the glass, like a disturbance. They believe that the more compression within the light wave the more corrupted the outcome. 

 

http://the-colour-theory.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/bh.html

Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe looked at colour in an entirely different way to Newton. Goeth was a poet and researcher and was one of the first people to look at how colour affects people on physical and psychological level with an understanding of how it is reacted to by humans.

 

Goeth published his book “Goethe’s Theory of Colours” in 1810 which provides an understanding as to how colour is understood. He focused his research more on the “analytic treatment of colour” and as to how “phenomena are perceived”

 

Within Goethe’s book he explains that:

 

               “When the eye sees a colour it is immediately excited

               and it is it's nature, spontaneously and of necessity, at 

               once to produce another, which with the original colour,

               comprehends the whole chromatic scale”

 

This highlights that, through our association with colour on a daily basis by interaction through daily life we form emotions that correspond with the colours. It also exemplifies how we react emotionally to colours – ie: white is pure etc.. A lot of our associations which in turn create emotions are formed through our daily interaction with nature. Goethe explains this within his book using the description of the “Elementary Phenomena”. This defines the interaction and sense of sight as one of the primary senses which is affected by the stimuli i.e. colour which is how emotions are formed.

 

Unlike Newton’s colour wheel which consists of seven colours, Goethe’s consists of six colours which are placed in relevance to “natural order”. Goethe suggests for the eye to be distracted colours should contrast each other in colour harmony and splits colour into two sections a ‘simple colour’ and a ‘compound colour’ which need to work together for either one of them to stimulate the eye. He explains this in paragraph 50;

 

               “the colours diametrically opposed to each other in

                [the colour wheel] are those which reciprocally evoke

                each other to the eye. Thus, yellow demands purple;

                orange, blue; red, green; and vice versa: thus, again

                all intermediate gradations reciprocally evoke each

                other , the simpler colour demanding the

                compound and vice versa”

 

In part six of the book Goethe looks at the “effect of colour with reference to moral associations”. Within the book he explains that the most important part of the “elementary phenomena” is colour. He links colour directly with the emotions produced on the mind and how we react to it based on the effect they have on the eye as a primary factor without linking to nature or form of the object.

 

 

Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Colours

www.articlesandtexticles.co.uk

Unlike scientists Goethe who was a writer has taken a very poetic approach to colour treating it as an “element of art” as opposed to light waves and looking at how fast it travels. We as humans need colour as much as colour needs light for us to see it. This links very nicely with nature and the need for things that are trivial which we don’t look at closely and inspect. Throughout the book Goethe looks at the emotional state of colour and how some colour excites and others anger our state of being.  Goethe explains that in order for us to know how we will react to a certain colour we should be exposed to this colour alone, and surrounded by it. We should see it through a coloured lens and understand the hues within the colour. 

 

Goethe also denotes that the placement of colours within the colour wheel is due to their specific characteristics and meanings. He explains that the colours are allocated based on human cognition as follows:

COLOUR

MEANING 

RED / MAGENTA

ORANGE 

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

VIOLET 

UNNECESARY /  CAUSE UNREST 

MEAN / COLD / HAS A  PRINCIPLE OF DARKNESS / GLOOMY

USEFUL

GOOD / SERENE / NATURE OF BRIGHTNESS / LIVELY PURE / BRIGHT

NOBLE / CHEERFUL

BEAUTIFUL / GRAVITY / DIGNITY/ ATTRACTIVENESS

BLUE / RED 

DISTURBING 

Goethe’s insight into the prevalence of colour into our everyday life is based on the supremacy of eye sight. Throughout his book he stated that those who can see well are those who get the full advantages of colour. Goethe even goes as far as to say;

 

                       “Colour is the law of nature in relation with the sense of light. We must assume,

                        too, that everyone has this sense, that everyone knows the operation of nature

                        on it, for to a blind man it would be impossible to speak of colours”

 

If this is the case and the colours allocated based on human cognition as shown above then does this mean that the blind man can’t behold any of those listed characteristics? He can’t be noble or beautiful of good or unnecessary?

 

It is scientifically proven that if a person lacks one of their senses then the others are sharper and work harder to help them, but do they really lack in the beauty of nature if they cannot see colour but can none the less hear its signalled counterpart such as not being able to see the greenness of leaves in the summer but being able to hear them rustle and create music?

DEFINITION OF THE TERM COLOUR

When the word “colour” is searched in an online dictionary or in books there are many different definitions. Although all of them are deemed correct the one that I most relate to is:

 

1. The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.

 

Synonyms:

hue, shade, tint, tone, tinge, cast, tincture one, or any mixture, of the constituents into which light can be separated in a spectrum or rainbow, sometimes including (loosely) black and white.

 

The way we as humans process colour is through our eyes, many are familiar with the famous saying by Shakespeare;

 

                         “eyes are the window to the soul”.

 

The way we process light affects our soul and in-turn our emotional state and emotional response to the colours which is confirmed in the writings by Goethe.   

COLOUR AND MARKETING TO THE CONSUMER 

Colour is deemed to be one of the most effective tools in marketing and advertising to the consumer. Derrick Day conducted an investigation into phone directory adverts in 2007, this was to see which adverts were more likely to be read by the user. His findings showed that coloured adverts were by 42% more likely read as opposed to their back and white printed neighbouring adverts.

 

Through research it has been found that different types of consumers respond differently to colours.

·  Impulse buyers: red-orange, black and royal blue

·  Traditional buyers: pink, rose and sky blue

·  Budget buyers: pink, light blue and navy

 

It is hard to use the theory that all consumers that are traditional are to be affected by the colours listed, so this cannot be transferred nationally. We also have to take into consideration gender differences, age, economical factors, culture and social influences.

 

 

WHAT ARE COLOURS?

As above the first ever colour wheel diagram was invented was by Issac Newton in 1966 and since then there have been many variations. However what has not changed is the primary and secondary elements of colour:

http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

  • Primary Colours: Red, yellow and blue

In traditional colour theory, primary colours are the 3 true colours that can not be mixed or formed by any colour combination. All other colorus are produced by mixing from these 3 hues. 

 

  • Secondary Colours: Green, orange and purple

These are the colours produced by mixing the primary colours.
 

  • Tertiary Colours: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green

These are the colours produced by mixing a primary and a secondary colour. for this reason hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

RETAIL RELATIONSHIP

 

According to the picture illustration to the right on how colours affect purchases, it explains that

 

 

              "For retailers selling is the art of persuasion.

               There are many factors that influence how

               and what consumers buy. A large part of

               every decision is based on visual cues

               and the strongest and most persuasive  

               is the use of colour."

 

Colour plays a vital part in how a consumer feels and how the retailer wants them to feel. It is known that certain colours evoke hunger which is why fast food chains use them, whereas others evoke a calming effect allowing consumers to feel at ease and roam through the store at a slower pace making the spend more time and in turn more money.

 

  • 93% of a consumers shopping decision is based on visual appearance. 6% on texture and 1% on sound and smell.

  • 85% of consumers have been known to place colour as a primary reason for why they buy a particular product.

 

Colour is the first thing a person see’s, before they see the brand or the quality of product’s sold by the retailer, which is why this makes is an important factor.  They then associate the colour with the brand which is how colour increases brand recognition by 80%

COLOUR IN RETAIL AND BRAND 

Retail and the act of consumerism heavily relies on retailers supplying goods that a consumer wants/ needs, which is what the need to understand their consumer and target market in order to have a demand for their supply. And colours play a big role in this as they affect different age groups differently.

 

Colours play a vital role within retail and creating a brand image that impacts consumers and creates an association within their cognitive is important. Many companies have been taking the use of colour in their logo and branding very seriously, a lot have also re-branded over the years to find something that can be recognised subconsciously and delivers the cues that the brand wants to propose on the consumer. Many retailers have even gone as far as creating a brand image that is then leaking into the retail interior to create a cohesive design that is easily related to.

 

Pantone are a colour specialist corporation based in New Jersey.  They supply colour codes, pallets and swatches to companies and branding agencies. Leatrice Eismann, director of the Pantone Institute quotes in her book “Impact of colour on consumer purchase behaviour” published in 2000 by the Pantone Institute

 

                “Color is vital in marketing. Some products

                 have been re-energized and companies

                 have been reinvented because of color.

                 New products adopt certain color/s as

                 part of their identity, and the simplest

                 icons can take on a persona. Brands

                 get identified with color that can be

                 recognized even though brand name is

                 not visible. Effective use of color is

                 obvious in the food and beverage industry.

                 Color affects the adrenal glands, tempting

                 the taste buds”

 

This can be applied to recognising brands by colour and association we form with brands based on colour.  Such as if aqua blue was to be related to a brand one would think Primark, red: Coca-Cola; white on black Adidas or Nike and the list is endless. Adidas retail stores have been playing around with their design over the past few years. At first it was all white then it went to all black. After this they started adding yellow to their retail interior. Yellow is a colour known to be related with activity, happiness and it evokes joy. So it is clear to see why not only Adidas but other sports’s retailers have started using this colour. It is also known that an active person leads a happier lifestyle.

 

As colour is the first thing consumers notice, it is the first thing that impacts their brand choice and quality of what the brand is providing to them. Research into memory retention (the way we remember and recall things) has found that a word, phrase or sentence printed in colour is remembered over 60% more than one that is printed in black or white. This is as colours affect our cognitive by leaving imprints which allows for this recall. Scientifically the left hemisphere of the brain is the academic one and the right hemisphere is the creative one. When reading a word, phrase or sentence we are using the left part of our brain and if the word is in a colour we use the right as well. Making use of both sides of the brain together multiplies of positive recall as the read text leaves imprints on both sides of the brain.

 

In a article by Crowley published in 1993 in Marketing Letters Vol.4 “The two dimensional impact of colour shopping”, it is stated that a more activated shopper/ consumer takes more delight and pleasure in impulse shopping. In his experiment it was observed that participants related to the colour red in a positive activation and it was a colour that was recalled more than others in the experiment. Crowley also found that products in a red retail environment were more appealing and participants referred to them as in season and up to date as opposed to in different coloured environments.  The association with red as an active colour was stronger than the merchandise style on display. This is why red is often used for impulse buying reduced and sale merchandise that is on trend but not in season, i.e: sale signs and offers. 

COLOUR AND DISABILITY

It has been suggested that colour impacts people with impairments creating a fight or flight response in people who have different disorders and problems.

 

people who have sight impairments such as colour blindness see colours differently. So we need to be more aware of this and mindful of it when designing. It could be said that rules and guidelines restrict the design process and they go under the radar when applied to design.

 

Colour blindness affects a vast amount of the population, statistics from the colour blind awareness organisation show that it affects 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women in the world. In the UK there are 2.7million people affected by colour blindness. This totals up to almost 5% of the entire population and most of them are men. Colour blindness has many different causes however it can be inherited.

 

Josef Albers encompasses that:

 

“ in visual perception, a colour is almost never seen as it really is, and this makes is the most important medium in art”

 

This is a important thought when looking at colour as Newton distilled light through a prism to create colour but the colours that he had seen would be completely different to the ones a person with a type of colour blindness would see.

 

As designers we have the ability to reduce the frustrations colour blind people face in their everyday lives.

 

There are 3 different types of colour blindness; Protanopia, Deuteranopia and Tritanopia.

 

In accordance to the colour blind organisation Protonopia sufferers are prone to misinterpret:

 

  • Black with many shades of red

  • Dark brown with dark green, dark orange and dark red

  • Some blues with some reds, purples and dark pinks

  • Mid-greens with some oranges

 

Duteranopia sufferers are prone to misinterpret:

  • Mid-reds with mid-greens

  • Blue-greens with grey and mid-pinks

  • Bright greens with yellows

  • Pale pinks with light grey

  • Mid-reds with mid-brown

  • Light blues with lilac

 

 

And Tritanopia sufferers  commonly confuse light blues with greys, dark purples with black, mid-greens with blues and oranges with reds.

 

In order to make the colour differentiate we should use contrasting colours within design so that that suffering colour blindness can easily differentiate colours from each other even though they can’t see the true colour, it increases the legibility to people with colour deficiency.

 

When looking at colour blindness and online shopping, retailers should be conscious of this. This can be combated by having the names of the colour of the product by the colour thumbnail, so that although the person suffering with colour blindness can be aware of that they are purchasing.

In relation to other disabilities it is common to see that colours have positive and negative effects. For example people with Autism and Asperger’s syndrome have negative effects to bright colours.  Tend to cause a fight and flight response which in turn leads to aggressive behaviour.

 

Overall colour isn’t just a visual aid but also affects our cognitive. It plays a huge part in the subconscious perception of space and how we as individuals respond to the areas around us.  People with different personality traits react differently to a diverse range colours which means that every individual is different and there is no way to please everyone. 

CONCLUSION 

In conclusion to this I can see that colour plays a vital role in the retail industry and how it markets a brand to the public and works in order to attract a user profile. It is obvious that colour isnt the only factor that affects the retail market sector but, it is the first thing consumers see before they feel the merchandise, see the interior and experience the space. It has been made obvious that colours affect our rection and reaction times to purchasing products and this is important to remember as it could be the main factor affecting demand and supply to stores which is important. It is furthermore an important aspect in the way it creates an activation response in a consumers brain, making them happy and feel the need to buy merchandise on impulse without regard as to whether they need the items or not. There have been many studies and experiments into personality types and how people with certain personality types respond to buying situations which I have not analysed as I am not looking into the psychological factors of colours affecting  purchase habbits. 

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