Excerpt from "Color"

The advertising industry understands the language of color, and they use it brilliantly to influence our choices. Laundry detergent and household cleaning products in their bright packaging and their colorful and active ads on TV or in print try to convince us that it will be more 'fun' to do housework, laundry or dishes with their product than with another store brand with plain colors. Indeed store brands are often packaged in blue, indicating that we buyers are being 'smarter,' saving money and using this alternative product line.

Advertisers talk to us about our insurance, funeral, and investment needs from dark paneled offices; their representatives dress in serious gray, beige, brown, navy and black suite or clothing. Cruise lines entice us by showing us how clean they are with their white ships. The clear skies and colorful activities lead us to understand how much fun we can have on the cruise.

When the word "SALES" is used in advertising campaigns, it jumps out at us in bright red lettering, informing us that time is limited and we must hurry to take advantage of this opportunity. Computer companies declare how smart they are with their bright blue initials. Everywhere we look, our impressions of life, and the choices we make are influenced by our perception of color.

Return