Tag Archives: color

Mom, Christmas and Retail

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If you’ve ever shopped with a child in tow during the hectic holiday shopping season, you’re no stranger to stress, particularly during the holiday shopping season. But, retailers who apply human biology and the cognitive theory to in-store design could potentially gain a leg up in making moms more comfortable – not to mention more likely to shop and spend? Moms are busy people, juggling a multitude of duties.  It is important to remember that moms are usually the primary shoppers in a household. And shoppers aren’t always the person who consumes a product.  Because moms are juggling so many duties, it is easy to make little mistakes in a retail setting that will drive them away.  The more a store can do to provide an environment that puts them at ease, the longer they will stay and the more loyal they will become.

  1. Red is Dead. Humans are hard wired to associate warm colors with natural spaces that trigger the brain to feel calm and make shoppers want to linger. Differentiate your store by saying goodbye to traditional red and green and hello to warm colors like maroon and evergreen. The soothing colors will decrease stress and create a non-threatening environment encouraging moms to purchase.
  2. Arch this way. For centuries, arches have served as symbolic gateways, signaling the entrance into a “special” or safe place. Anthropologists refer to this as “liminal space.” Archways signal to us that we are entering a space that is different and therefore special. Moms are more likely to purchase when they are in a relaxed, safe environment and believe they are buying a unique product. Use arches in your retail space to draw attention to special offers or seasonal areas and create a safe shopping environment.
  3. You touch it, you buy it. The more often a person touches a product, the more likely they are to buy it. Touching something, even in passing, subconsciously signals ownership and draws in.  Moms, in particular, are trained to touch as a way of ensuring quality and safety of objects for their family. When we test for quality, we are committing ourselves to something and in doing so make it our own.  Use fixtures and displays that require shopper interaction to increase engagement and lead to higher purchase rates.
  4. Get intimate. Personal space ranges from 2 to 4 feet. When moms feel they are doing something intimate, rather than just a task, they will have more positive associations with the experience. To create an intimate shopping experience, arrange your displays with 2 to 4 feet of space on either side of the shopper.
  5. From a space to a place. Familiarity with a location puts people at ease and lets them take their time examining things.  Public space have no personal connection and are potentially threatening. Moms that feel like they are in a comfortable, familiar space will spend more time and more money.  Don’t be afraid to use furniture on the edges of an aisle to make it appear more homey.
  6. Sometimes “mom” is not the word. Forget about “mom” for a minute. Human beings respond to symbols.  Moms are constantly being reminded of what their social role and sometimes it can get tiring.  Periodically use symbolism in displays that reminds them of their lives outside motherhood, such as pictures of a woman relaxing or shopping for herself.
  7. Hidden treasures. People love to find hidden gems, whether they are shopping for food, cards, or anything else.  “Hide” merchandise in unexpected places throughout an aisle.  When moms find these items, it reminds them they are clever and skilled shoppers.  This will drive them to continue shopping, as they look for additional deals.

Human perceptions of space, although derived from sensory tools that all humans share, are shaped and patterned by culture. Designing your retail space to reflect these often subconscious behavior patterns will put moms at ease, which leads to increased time in the store – and increased sales.

 

 

Color, Context, Culture and Design

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“What is color?” Seems like a fairly obvious question, but it’s not as simple as it appears. In a world filled with company identities, brochures, signs, and web sites, it is remarkable how few businesses ask themselves, “Why do we use this color and what does it mean around the globe?” Clients often have specific colors in mind for any given project. These choices are often based on their answer to the “favorite color” question (or it’s driven by brand standards that make little sense). However, when choosing a color, the more better question is, “What message does this color communicate?”

Color is the by-product of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eye and processed by the brain. It is a cognitive reaction to stimuli.  Competing with the basic biology of the human brain is the cultural understanding of color, which goes well beyond national preferences or association (e.g. white being associated with death in Japan). It helps articulate how the world is understood in its entirety.

First, the mechanics. The world is filled with light. As every school child learns, if you experiment with passing light through a prism, a spectrum will be produced in the form of a rainbow. The prism separates the light into the wavelengths of light the human eye is capable of seeing. Hence, color. These colors are present in all light that is around you. When this color filled light strikes an object, most of the spectrum is absorbed by the object. However, a fraction of the light will bounce off the object, like a sound wave echoing off a canyon wall. This reflected wavelength of light enters your eyes and your brain interprets and labels it a certain color.

The sensations of color are not just physical phenomena, but they are also shaped by our perception — by the mechanics of vision and the way our brains process information. What we see of an object depends upon the object, but also the lighting and, more importantly, our perception.

The appealing sensation of complimentary colors (like red and green) does not originate physically from the actions of light on our eyes, but perceptually from the actions of our internal visual information system.  How we interpret the actions of light on a surface is what determines whether a color looks “good” for any particular use, not the actual color itself. We are predisposed to feeling certain emotional responses to certain colors, and these feeling can be mapped out mathematically, not unlike the scales in music that are universally appealing. And this is where choosing a color scheme, be if for advertising collateral, a logo or a store layout gets tricky because perception is part biology and part culture.

Color has cultural meaning that goes well beyond something as simple as green being a universal associated with cultivation, plants and fertility.  Color underscores how we interpret the world and can shift depending on context. For example, the colors of the dress and body painting of different nations is another aspect of the anthropology of color. Although the aesthetics of color theory seems universal, what is pleasing in color may vary from one culture to another. For example, the rules for color display in the West Suk of Kenya use a system of very specific sequences of color that are considered beautiful, conforming to a concept, known as “pachigh.”

Among the Suk there is a conventional concept of beauty of color as applied to beads. While all colors or pigments are pretty, so long as they’re not too faded, colored beads arranged in a pattern are beautiful. But there are preferences which exclude various arrangements. Some colors are preferred, such as blue, but any color may be strung out in a solid line and be contrasted with any other solid colored string and called pretty. But, when differently colored beads are put together on the same string, an alternation of blue and white or of red and white is acceptable, while alternate red and yellow, red and blue, or yellow and white is not considered pretty, no matter what pattern they form. The reason is because the latter groupings have a reduced contrast between the colors, and have become like the drab colors of goats and sheep, considered to be boring. White and yellow, for example, provide little tone contrast whereas blue and white are considered pretty. This is pachigh.

Choosing a color to communicate a message requires research and knowledge of the message as well as the audience. But equally as important is an understanding into the effects of color on the human psyche. This insight will add depth and meaning to any message, and any business concerned with their image would do well to toss aside their favorite and instead choose the right color for the right job.

Using Color

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With the advent of a sedentary life, reliance on text, ubiquitous signage and a host of other innovations through time, sight has arguably becme our most important means of survival.  Indeed, we are hardwired to consciously heed our sight from countless years of evolution – detecting and categorizing color has is part of our genetic code, literally and figuratively.  Color, as it relates to design and marketing, is fundamental to success and it’s unlikely that most designers would deny this.  But it bears repeating every now and again, particularly as we try to shake out of our day to day practices and innovate.

Color conveys meanings in two primary ways – natural associations and culturally defined symbolism. Successful design requires an awareness of how and why colors communicate meaning. The source of these meanings can be quite conspicuous, such as those found in nature.  For example, red is the color of blazing fire and blood, blue the color of cooling waters and the sky.  Green is the color of most vegetation.  But other meanings may be more complex and anything but universal.

Color is symbolically charged and this is where understanding it is crutial to getting design and marketing right.  This symbolism arises from cultural, historical and contemporary contexts.  For example, green’s associations with nature communicate growth, fruitfulness, freshness and ecology. On the other hand, green may also be symbolic of good luck, seasickness, money and greed Green was adopted as the color of Islam — all of which have nothing to do with green plants. These associations arise from a complex assortment of sources  

Furthermore, color may have both positive and negative symbolism.  For example, although blue is the beautiful color of the sky on a sunny day, it can be symbolic of sadness or stability. Idiomatic American English reflects these traits in phrases such as “singing the blues” and “blue chip stocks.” Red is another example of dual symbolism. On one hand, as the color of fire and blood, it is an energizing, aggressive and bold color. In direct contrast, red is used for “STOP” signs throughout the world today.  Add to this the fact that red takes on yet other meanings in non-Western environments and it becomes evident that understanding color and using it with thoughtful intent is central to how you brand is received, internalized and transmitted.

 

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