Over the years, I have watched consumers choose colours they think would be appropriate for a particular pack design. Sometimes their choices are a complete surprise. One project was searching for design inputs for a milk substitute pack. It had previously been sold directly from the company in a white, clinical pack. Before launching in the supermarkets, the company was checking that this was the most appropriate colour. Consumers came up with a fresh, spring green, a soft mauve and a deep purple – they saw the product as something special for them alone. The final pack was an impressionistic mix of these colours with a soft, spring-like feel to it.
For those of you who know the Colour Wheel and how it is divided, consumers stick mainly to primary and secondary colours when it comes to food packaging. They see those colours as the colours of nature. These are the colours they consider “fresh” and “appetising”. The tertiary shades are not strongly associated with food. These are the fashion shades and, in general, fit better with personal care products.
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