News
Color Sells—The
Right Palette Can Improve Response
By Lois Boyle
There's a reason catalogs aren't printed in black
and white: Color sells. How can you sell denim
without showing the blue? Or oranges without, well,
orange? While color is crucial to accurately
presenting products, it's also important to use
color as a tool to attract attention and maintain
visual interest.
The following is a list that designers should
consider when selecting a palette.
1. Support of Brand
Some catalogs are easy to recognize by their use of
color. Why? Because they've established a
well-defined color palette, and the color scheme
becomes essential to their brand identity.
Victoria's Secret urged customers to "Think Pink."
Not only was this a marketing slogan, it was a
reminder of the color that people identify with the
brand.
Creative and consistent use of color tells customers
who you are, and helps separate yourself from the
many other catalogs in the mail.
2. Shopping By Color
The majority of individuals shop within a primary or
secondary color palette they're comfortable with.
If you love wearing black, your eye naturally will
gravitate toward black garments. Savvy merchandisers
share this information with designers so successful
palettes can be presented in key hot spots.
3. Tie a Spread Together
Sometimes a merchandise concept is built around a
color scheme. For instance, Coldwater Creek uses
color to tell a story when building spreads. Instead
of selling two to three apparel items in the same
color, it includes jewelry, shoes and even household
items in that same color scheme. If a woman likes an
item, chances are good that she likes the color and
would be willing to buy other items in the same
scheme.
Another method of tying a spread together is to use
a consistent color background, or color-themed props
in all of the product photos.
4. Offers That Get Noticed
Offers are created to get customers to act—now!
Unfortunately, many designers place the offer in a
presentation that blends in with its surroundings.
You want your offer to get noticed, so use a color
that stands out without being garish. For dot whacks
or other graphic violators, choose a color that
complements your palette. They should maintain a
nice look, while allowing your offer to get the
attention it demands.
5. Make Covers and Envelopes Stand Out
Most consumers gravitate toward vibrant colors.
Whether it's an outer envelope or a catalog cover,
color always draws attention over a sea of white
mail.
However, it's important to keep the color palette
limited and relevant. Always remember that high
chroma colors will grab more attention than dark or
muted palettes.
6. Grab Attention
Inside the catalog, effective use of color can
communicate important information. Icons such as
"new" and "best seller," or call-outs like page
references or add-on opportunities help customers
use your catalog and encourage purchasing.
As with covers and offers, vibrant colors grab the
most attention, provided you adhere to a consistent
palette. Don't sacrifice your catalog's clean
presentation with icon colors that clash.
7. Organize a Busy Page
Color is an effective way to distinguish a number of
products or information on a page. Background
screens and shaded gradations help separate
individual presentations, but must be subtle.
One way to do this is to organize a grid using
color. By alternating shaded boxes, customers know
where one product ends and another begins.
8. Organize Categories
Color-coding—separating sections or product
categories with separate, distinct colors—is an
overused technique. People typically don't search
for products by an assigned color. An exception is
large,
business-to-business catalogs that use colors
tabbed on the outside pages. This practice becomes a
helpful navigational tool for customers who
frequently shop from the same catalog.
9. Highlight Editorial Information
Develop a consistent graphic treatment for editorial
notes that trains customers to know product
information from added editorial. The simplest way
is to use color tints extracted from your base
palette. This works for testimonials, tips, or any
other information not related to the selling copy.
10. Establish Visual Cues
The use of certain colors tells the customer a story
without using a single word. For instance, a red
slash over the regular price instantly shows that
the product is on sale. Putting the price in red
projects the same.
Besides maintaining consistency, your choice of
color palette further establishes your brand image.
Subtle colors and earth tones give the impression of
an upscale brand, while primary colors have a light,
fun impact. Color reflects who you are.
Color That Deters Sales?
If not used with discretion, color actually can
suppress response.
Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Don't use color if it's not needed. Many product
categories are colorful enough in their own right,
and adding colors will only confuse the eye. If
color is needed, it should be neutral and very
subtle.
- An extended color palette is distracting and can
deteriorate your brand. Use one or two colors only.
Even two colors provide many options when you screen
them back. By limiting the palette, you ultimately
cut down on confusion.
- Garish colors pull the eye away from the message,
especially in a photograph. Dominant, unrelated
backgrounds distract from the product. Make the
merchandise, not the color, the hero.
- High chroma headlines don't get noticed. Eyes tend
not to focus on colors with high chroma (red or
pink). High contrast headlines are more effective.
- Presenting copy points in subtle tones is a sure
way to get them ignored. Message copy in "pretty"
colors like soft yellows won't get noticed.
Designers appreciate the opportunity to work in
four-color. However, building a creative platform
that includes a color plan is critical, and should
be strictly adhered to.
---Source: Reprinted from the
Ballatine Corporation www.ballantine.com
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Melissa Data
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