Packing a colourful punch

I was disappointed to find that Richard Williams’ feature about packaging – all of which I heartily endorse – made no mention whatsoever of colour (DW 28 June). He describes beautifully the rest of the sensory experience of assessing a pack and its design.

Scientifically, colour is the principal cue to composition – in simple terms it is the first thing that humanity registers when assessing anything. This is a primitive instinct that has contributed to our survival throughout evolution and, while today it is largely unconscious, that instinctive response remains as powerful as ever.

Too often I see colour relegated to the latter end of the design process; a last consideration, after all the other elements have been decided – in Williams’ piece, it wasn’t even considered. The truth is that colour is at the heart of design and if you decide on the colours at the outset, the whole project will flow more smoothly.

Surely designers can see that? Meanwhile, every Canon ad is telling us that ‘up to 90 per cent of consumer decisions are made on the basis of colour’.

Angela Wright

Managing Director, Colour Affects

abw@colour-affects.demon.co.UK

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