Cultural symbolism of colours

As a follow on from my last post about international packaging considerations, colour is another consideration that you need to be aware of.

"An understanding of cultural color and symbolism is essential to anyone doing business with other countries and other societies. These associations with color have been a part of many societies for centuries and you must be aware of both the positive and the negative implications of using particular colors when marketing to these societies." Judy Scott-Kemmis

Please refer to Judy Scott-Kemmis (B.SocSc) article and other amazing articles about colour by clicking on this link: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/cultural-color.html

Colour choice is very important when deciding to design your packaging. Colours conjure up feelings, symbols and emotions that are innate or learned in our cultures - so it's important not to offend or confuse your customer when selling your product in a culture different that your own. Don't use colours that are off-putting to your target market! Make sure you study what colours your target market are drawn to and why, and the colours to steer clear of, and why.

It is also helpful to put into words, or become conscious of what colours mean in your own mind / culture. Sometimes we are not even aware of our thoughts until we see them written down (like in Scott-Kemmis' article).

"Because of color trends and the ever-changing design taste of the consumer, the average life span of a package is two and a half years. If a company doesn't invest in repackaging efforts, the product itself will look like yesterday's news and the newer more current designed product will be more actively purchased." Donna L Montaldo.

Please refer to Montaldos article by clicking here for more useful information on the importance of colours in packaging design: http://couponing.about.com/cs/aboutcouponing/a/colorme.htm


References:
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/cultural-color.html

Colour Palette photo: http://modernl.com/article/colour-lovers-colour-trends-and-palettes

http://couponing.about.com/cs/aboutcouponing/a/colorme.htm