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How To: Choose The Right Packaging Colours

5th Nov 2014

The first seven seconds of coming into contact with someone or something are the most important when it comes to making a good first impression.

In the world we live in today; aesthetics count even more than ever - particularly in this predominantly digital era.

Colours tell a story, they give off a strong first impression and a rough template of what the product, business or person in question is about.

It’s fair to say you would associate an opticians with green and white. Like you would a funeral directors with gold and black - but what does it all mean? And what does a certain colour say about your business or product?

White Packaging:

In colour theory, white is the blank canvas waiting to be written upon. It tells of new beginnings, equality and innocence.

As a packaging colour it is basic, safe conservative and unadventurous, but a good choice where you want to create the impression of cleanliness, purity, efficiency or simplicity.

Adding printing or decoration in another colour to contrast the background you can generate any number of different messages:

• Adding red suggests excitement and draws attention to the product.
• Yellow decoration implies a more light-hearted, happy and fun product.
• Black decoration or printing adds a feeling of sophistication and prestige.

We recommend using creative and/or coloured decoration to set you apart from your competitors.

However, the more colours you use for your packaging colours, the less serious the product - a simple combination of two colours can look more elegant and classy, depending on the type of decoration of course.

Black Packaging:

Black is the colour of power, authority and control. It tends to stand out when used as a packaging colour as it makes products appear heavier and more expensive and transmits a higher perceived value.

Black promptly delivers a degree of mystery and intimidation on one hand and elegance and class on the other!

You can choose printing or decoration for black packaging in any other colour that psychologically sends the message you want to send to your targeted audience:

• Adding gold to the packaging creates elegance and sophistication to attract a wealthier market. It depicts higher-end status and luxury.
• Silver has a similar effect, displaying a more modern appearance ideal for younger markets.
• Black with red has an adult or sexual connotation or horror factor; however people of Spanish or Hispanic background like the combination of black and red as it is a part of their heritage.
• Adding pink softens the message and attracts the female market indicating warmth and love.
• Magenta makes it more striking and attractive to the non-conformists and more creative customers, again this is ideal for a younger and more rebellious market.
• The brighter the colours you add to the packaging then the less serious the product message is taken

Grey Packaging:

Grey is a conservative colour signifying reserve, neutrality and indifference. It lacks energy but serves well as a background colour, allowing other colours with it to take prominence.

• Grey is a safe colour to use in packaging. It’s neutral and serious and can be combined with almost any other contrasting colour to impart different messages and to reach different target markets:
• Adding red gives grey more energy and excitement, adding dark blue makes it look more professional, adding black gives it a more sophisticated appearance, adding gold makes it more luxurious.
• Light grey packaging combines well with all other colours and can create a modern and hi-tech look when combined with turquoise, light blue, dark blue or yellow.

The 3:1 Ratio

Using the 3:1 colour ratio on packaging is the most effective way of drawing attention to your brand. Why use the 3:1 ratio you may ask? Well, if you pack your design with an equal portion of colours on your packaging it certainly will make it eye-catching but captivating focus within a specific place on that packaging makes that first impression task all the more difficult.

The most effective well laid out designs use:

• 60% of base/background colour.
• 30% of secondary colour.
• 10% of an accent/contrasting colour (for the focus)

This rule isn’t just for packaging - This is also a theory which applies to design in general which you subconsciously see in everyday life. Including logos, interior design and automobiles in many cases.

Blue Packaging:

Blue relates to trust, honesty and reliability, strength and unity. When used in your packaging colours it communicates trust and reliability in the product.

• The darker the blue, the more professional, serious and conservative the product will be perceived to be. The lighter the blue the softer and more creative the product will be perceived to be.
• Blue can indicate a product that will contribute to the buyer's relaxation and calmness. Younger people often see blue to be a colour for more mature people so avoid its use if trying to capture the youth market, unless you choose the brighter, more neon or electric blues.
  Of course you need to take into account that universally blue is the most liked colour by both males and females and therefore the safest colour to use, although it is often considered boring and predictable. Just choose the right blue that relates to your specific market.

Red Packaging:

In colour psychology, red means energy, action, passion, excitement and strength.

• Using red for your packaging colours draws attention to your product, stimulates the senses and excites the potential purchaser.
• Dark reds are perceived as professional and luxurious, while bright reds are more exciting and energetic and generally of lower perceived value than dark reds.
• Adding gold or silver for the printing or decoration increases the perceived value.
• Blue-reds are more attractive to the upper class market, while orange reds are attractive to the working class - orange reds have a lower perceived price and value.
• Adding black decoration to your red packaging can add horror or adult connotations.

Green Packaging:

Green is a colour of balance and harmony of the mind, the body and the emotions. In colour psychology it relates to security, wealth and growth.

• For packaging colours, green suggests natural, organic and healthy, a good colour to use for environmentally friendly products.
• Dark green implies wealth, luxury and professional quality. Adding some silver adds elegance and sophistication
• Muted greens suggest environmentally safe and wholesome.
• Mid green packaging is appropriate for organic and ecological products, wholefoods, garden and golfing products.
• Add decoration or printing in other colours that will attract your target market

Orange Packaging:

Orange means adventure, optimism, self-confidence and sociability. It is enthusiastic, extroverted and uninhibited.

• Orange packaging suggests affordability, fun and adventure. There is almost a degree of risk in buying a product in orange packaging - will it be something different, an adventure, quality at an affordable price, or just something cheap and poor quality.
• While some variations of orange can give the impression of cheapness, adding another colour to the packaging can change the message and increase the perceived value. Add dark blue to suggest reliability and trustworthiness. Black decoration increases the perceived value of the product.

Yellow Packaging:

Yellow is cheerful, optimistic and uplifting to the spirits. It inspires original ideas and creativity. Stimulating to mental abilities, it aids in decision making.

• In packaging colours yellow suggests either something original and innovative or a cheap, fun product. With its positive and happy energy it attracts children and young adolescents.
• Products that aim to lift people's spirits would be appropriate in yellow packaging.

Teal/Turquoise Packaging:

Turquoise, in colour psychology, means clarity of thought and communication. It calms the emotions and recharges the spirit, invigorating depleted energy levels and inspiring positive thought.

• Turquoise is a good colour for health clinics and practitioners as it balances the emotions and calms the spirit.
• Using turquoise as the packaging colour for cleaning products is ideal as it reflects cleanliness and purity without being too sterile.
• Turquoise is generally suitable for both males and females, although males are more attracted to a deeper variation of turquoise such as teal.
• Your printing or decoration colour can also change the appeal of turquoise. Adding black strengthens the look, adding dark blue makes it more conservative. Adding pink makes it more appealing to the female market, while adding red makes it a more exciting attention-getting package.

Purple Packaging:

Purple relates to high ideals, imagination and spirituality. Using purple in your packaging colours implies luxury, extravagance, premium quality or uniqueness, particularly if used with gold or silver printing or decoration.

• 'New age' products are often packaged in purple to suggest individuality, originality and uniqueness. With purple being the union of body and soul, it is appropriate for packaging of holistic products and anything to do with spirituality.
• Purple tends to be more attractive to the female and youth market, although it is slowly becoming more acceptable to males.Lighter purples imply fantasy or nostalgic products.
• Adding different colours for printing or decoration will add to the messages of the purple; silver or gold adds luxury, prestige and quality, adding red adds energy and excitement, magenta adds liveliness, green or blue will add a feel-good impression.

Magenta Packaging:

Magenta is a strong and inspiring colour which can appear outrageous and shocking on one hand or innovative and imaginative on the other.

• If you want your packaging colours to have an impact that says outrageous and lively in a positive way, magenta will do it for you!
• Adding dark blue to the packaging will tone down its energy, as will dark green, dark grey or black. Silver or gold will add a degree of elegance and sophistication to the product.

Pink Packaging:

Pink is inspiring, warm, compassionate and comforting, suggesting hope for the future. It is calming and non-threatening.

• Pink packaging is generally most appropriate for products relating to the female market such as cosmetics, fashion, beauty and romance.
• Pink is feminine and youthful in its softer shades, with more passion and energy in its deeper shades. Combining pink with darker colours gives it more sophistication and strength.
• Using brighter pinks for your packaging colours tends to suggest a less expensive and trendy product which is attractive to the teenage and pre-teen market.
• Dusty or muted pink packaging attracts a more sentimental and older market. Adding silver decoration adds elegance to dusty or muted pinks.

Gold Packaging:

Gold packaging suggests expensive, luxurious and high quality. However your product should reflect this high standard or you will lose credibility - a poor quality product inside gold packaging will appear cheap and have the same effect as fake gold!

• You can change the message you are sending with your gold packaging by adding a different colour for the printing or decoration. Red will add an element of excitement, black will suggest elegance and sophistication, while dark blue will add a more serious and professional look.

Silver Packaging:

Silver packaging implies elegance and sophistication. It is more gentle than gold and it combines well with almost all other colours illuminating anything printing or decorating on the packaging.

• Silver combines well with most other colours; dark blue decoration will suggest a conservative and trustworthy product, purple decoration will suggest luxurious and unique, black decoration will suggest serious and sophisticated.
• Combined with black, dark blue, dark red or dark green, silver packaging is elegant, classy and professional.
• To give silver packaging a modern hi-tech look, combine it with blue, turquoise, black or dark grey.

Brown Packaging:

Psychologically, brown is associated with strength and solidarity, comfort and earthiness, maturity and reliability.

• As a packaging colour, brown is appropriate for products that suggest wholesome and organic, safety, or comfortable and homely.
• We are all used to brown cardboard boxes and these give the impression of basic, practical and boring, so in using brown for your packaging you need to be careful of the brown that you use and add colours which will improve the look of the package and inspire your potential customers to buy.