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Clover Hughes on Colour

Another Christmas is over; the traditional red and green displays synonymous with the festive season are soon to be replaced with the sunny yellows of daffodils and chicks, heralding the onset of Easter. While it is easy to dismiss such colour choices as clichéd and unadventurous, the fact is that no other shade would have the same power to sell product. After all, it wouldn't be Christmas, would it, without the evergreen hue of pine trees and the jolly bright red of Santa Claus' tunic? Think about it - how do you feel about the idea of Santa in, say, a canary yellow coat and bright orange boots?

Colour is a highly evocative and powerful medium for conveying an instantaneous sensual experience or memory. For example, the onset of autumn is inextricably associated with muted orange and brown tones and, as such, is often reflected in similarly shaded fabrics on the catwalks. Certain colours are also closely associated with different organisations or abstract ideas. National Heritage, for example, is linked to the colour blue, and wealth and luxury to the colour purple. In this way, colour can affect subconscious decisions that buyers make about products, so should not be underestimated as a key to product success.

Natural Reaction
As a particular shade can be used to directly evoke a mood or feeling, it is one of the most instantaneous ways for a designer to reach out to the consumer. Indeed, the most successful designers will always have an eye on the integral role that colour plays within the retail world.

From a historical perspective, certain colours or combination of colours can define a trend or even a whole fashion movement. The bright Pucci prints, for example, are just as evocative of the 1960's as The Beatles and flower power. Similarly, the demand for certain shades of colour may well be a reflection of different economic trends: the rampant materialism and capitalism in the 1980's were reflected in the bright acid yellows, hot pinks and bold primary colours that were current during that period.

In Recent Times
The 1990s, however, witnessed a distinct change in the way that consumers saw themselves. In 1991, fashion designers sent models down the catwalks in the snowiest of white clothes, as if sending out a signal that the new decade called for a cleaner, sharper mood. This softened as the decade progressed, and as the consumer became more sophisticated and discerning, the colour palette changed to reflect this subtler mood, in which muted tones and more restrained hues were fashionable. From a retail angle, the right colour sends out a clear message to the consumer about the way that product is supposed to make him feel. It is important to bear in mind that colour is, of course, tightly linked to design. For the past two or three seasons, the high street has been a riot of shocking pinks and reds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this period has also seen a return to the fashion of floral-inspired fabrics. Retro products are currently in vogue, and this has had an obvious effect on the colours the consumer is choosing today.

Inside Story
Home decoration is now a recognised national pastime, and a fresh colour can be used to give a room an instant visual update. Heritage hues0 are an increasingly popular choice with the consumer-muted greens, blue or grey-based soft neutrals and rich, deep reds. It is pertinent that esteemed British paint manufacturer Farrow and Ball have been using the same palette for over 100 years, and rarely introduce more than one or two new colours a season, indicating the enduring popularity of heritage colours. Environmental colours reflecting the natural tones found in trees, rocks and wood, also have wide public appeal.

Within a limited retail space, colour can provide the key to creating the right visual impact in order to grab the attention of the consumer. Tempting though it might be to revert to 'safe' choices - crisp nautical stripes for the spring, for example, or sunny canary yellow for the summer - it is hardly original or surprising. While the prospect of a refit might be daunting and unnecessary, accessories are a quick and neat way to bring a fresh contemporary look to a retail interior. Colourful new accessories are easier, and cheaper, to organise than a radical makeover, and will instantly update an old look. Pink, for example, is currently very hot, but may work better within a retail space in the form of accessories, as decorating a space entirely in such a strong shade can have the opposite effect and be very oppressive.

Conclusion
Ultimately the right colours should provide the most favourable arena within which the retailer can display products, and can have a real effect on the choices the consumer makes. Bear in mind that judicious use of colour can, even on a subconscious level, send out a powerful message to the consumer, and so dictate the success of a product

September/October 2010
issue 61
available now