Today begins a new series for the Quack! blog: Huesday! Color can be a powerful tool in communicating your marketing message, and maximizing the impact of your color choices can help you reduce printing costs and save money in your promotional budget. On Tuesdays, we’ll post insights on color trends, information about the common associations made with various colors and tips on choosing color for the most promotional power. So, without further ado…
It’s Huesday. And, the color of the day is GREEN.
One half of the holidays’ symbolic duo, the color green offers great promotional appeal year-round–and not just for projects showing environmental responsibility. Because of the color’s prevalence in nature, and the mulitple shades that appear side by side, various tones of green are rarely seen as “clashing.” In addition, green can be used much like a neutral in many color palettes because of it’s abundance and basic positive associations. Indeed, green has almost universal appeal.
For logos and promotional pieces, green tones in their many variations are a great choice because of the positive associations they offer with the environment, growth, money and stability. Blue-greens are some of the most appealing shades because they evoke both earth and sky and are complimentary to many skin tones. Deeper green shades offer strong feelings of prestige and trustworthiness because of their association with American money.
We recommend a cautious use of green when paired with red because of the strong holiday “look” the combination creates. In addition, because red and green are complimentary colors, the combination can sometimes look dull if neither color is allowed to dominate. It is also wise to choose greens carefully for message-oriented applications because of the colloquial associations the color has with envy, jealously or inexperience. Be careful about using green tones that are on the extreme yellow end of the spectrum. Those tones are more trendy options and can quickly date a piece. In addition, strong yellow-greens sometimes carry a sick or unhealthy connotation, making them wary choices for food-, travel- or tourism-related audiences.
In general, green offers a rich set of positive responses and can be used effectively in a variety of color palettes. It can infuse a sense of familiarity to promotional messages and offer an unmistakeable sense of growth and stability. Happy Green Huesday!
