Design101: What is The Best Color to Represent Food & Beverage?
According to Jenn D. Connoly, Color have big influences on how consumers behave, not only on the conscious level but also on their subconscious level. Color and food pairings can be especially powerful by leveraging the emotional connection to taste. How can you best use color to your advantage in Food N’ Beverage Product and Design,
Here is the guide list of color, its effect and meaning for you:
Red and Yellow: The chief food colors, evoking the tastebuds and stimulating the appetite. Both red and yellow are also effective at grabbing attention. The fast food industry has claimed this combination for a good reason—because it is effective. In the gourmet food arena, to avoid a fast food connotation, try using these colors on their own or in different pairings.
Orange: A blend of red and yellow, It is another appetizing color for food and beverages. Orange has been a trendy color for some time now, be aware of that when using it—its popularity could either work for or against your product depending on its context and intent.
Green: connotes eco-friendliness, healthy (think veggies) but be careful as green can be also unappetizing. The eco side connection to green has been overdone, and it’s no longer expected that eco products will actually be colored green since eco has become more the norm and less the exception.
Blue and Purple: cool combination of tones, be careful because this combination can be unappetizing if not done correctly. Cool tones don’t stimulate the appetite as much. Quite hard and needs careful context and application to apply.
White: connotes clean and pure, but it can also look stark, plain and sterile—so this is another color that needs to be exercised with care.
Black: signifies elegant, sleek and high-end. For food packaging however, the color brown often takes the place of black as a more appetizing color which can still be portrayed with the same descriptors as black.
Browns and Earth tones: warm, appetizing, wholesome, natural. Be careful as the earthy, natural look is overplayed in the specialty food sector. As with eco-friendliness, natural food products have transcended earth tone colors as consumers now see natural in so many products and no longer expect them to have the typical “earthy” look.
Bright colors: connote pops of flavor—such as sweets and desserts. Fun color combos can be applicable to fun foods like candy. Pink is always suitable but be careful because it is already overdone by many brands
Subdued, muted colors: signify rich, deep and complex flavors. These tones often work well for savory flavors but are also suitable for rich, sweet flavors like chocolate.
Here is the important suggestion for you, Colors used in product packaging should denote product flavor when applicable, for example A blueberry-flavored product in an orange color wouldn’t work in human brain—the brain needs to immediately get it without thinking. Reinforce flavor visually (including imagery where applicable, not just color) to trigger as many senses as possible, even subconsciously.
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Contributor: Benaya Stephen
External Source: Colors That Influence Food Sales by Jenn David Connoly
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