How much thought do you put into choosing the color for your product, packaging, and advertisements? Color has a huge impact in customers’ purchasing decisions. Color Matters found research to help prove this point:

• 92.6 percent say visual factors are most important when purchasing products. (Seoul International Color Expo 2004).
• 73 percent of purchasing decisions are made in-store. (Henley Centre).
• People make subconscious judgments within 90 seconds of the first viewing, and 62-90 percent of these are strictly based on color. (CCICOLOR-Institute for Color Research).

Not only does using color significantly impact the perception of a product, but the choice of color also matters. Different colors give of different emotions and moods. It is best to choose colors that will best reach your target market. June Campbell stated which qualities and emotions are associated with certain colors in “Color Psychology of Marketing”:

• Red –excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger.
• Blue — trust, reliability, belonging, coolness.
• Yellow –warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness.
• Orange — playfulness, warmth, vibrant.
• Green — nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance.
• Purple –royal, spirituality, dignity.
• Pink — soft, sweet, nurture, security.
• White –pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild.
• Black –sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery.
• Gold — prestige, expensive.
• Silver — prestige, cold, scientific.

Pantone announced their 2009 Color of the Year: Mimosa (yellow). Mimosa is a warm and inviting color. “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” stated Leatrice Eiseman, executive director. These qualities of hope and optimism fit perfectly with the current economic uncertainties that we are going through.