Want to make an impact? Printed packaging with bold primary colours is an effective way to ensure your brand and boxes draw attention. We explore the associations for red, yellow and blue to help you decide if these can work for your brand.
Red Printed Boxes
We roll out the red carpet for the fortunate, the rich and the powerful and this sums up many of the associations with this bold colour. It’s a headline shade that represents passion, energy and action. There is an urgency and impulsiveness about red and it is widely used to package sports equipment and clothing, energy bars and drinks, along with every product sold for Valentine’s Day.
Red represents luck in China, yet can be seen as an extroverted and aggressive shade. As a result, it is often balanced with other colours to tone it down. Having said that, there are over 50 shades of red, including less vivid tones such as deep plum and claret. Both of these add richness and sophistication to packaging design.
Yellow Printed Boxes
Yellow is the colour of sunshine and summer. It’s bright, eye-catching and mentally stimulating. Yellow ranges from creamy light tones to vibrant shades and golden hues. It is associated with optimism, cheerfulness and energy, making it an uplifting colour. This makes it an ideal option for fun products and upbeat, youthful brands.
As yellow is so effective at grabbing our attention, it is also used as a warning. Think of nature, where many poisonous, biting or stinging flora and fauna have strong yellow markings. As a result, yellow packaging can also alert us to potentially harmful goods including sharp tools and toxic cleaning products.
Blue Printed Boxes
Until the 1850s, blue was a difficult colour to extract from nature. Its rarity meant it was revered by the Egyptians and Romans who treasured blue stones like turquoise and Lapis Lazuli. Lighter shades of blue conjure up visions of the sky and the sea, and the associated feelings of serenity, calm and freshness.
Although blue is identified as a colour of communication and creativity, it is known to be the least appetising of colours. As such, it is not widely used for food products, with the exception of iced or frozen goods. Meanwhile, darker shades represent authority, professionalism and trustworthiness. That’s one of the reasons that banks often use blue in their branding.
Mixing Primary Colours
A combination of primary colours is typically reserved for products aimed at children. Together, the colours pop and look exciting to youngsters. However, it can appear garish and unappealing to adults, so consider your audience if you want to use several primary colours on your packaging.
Equally, using the opposing complementary colour (a shade created by mixing two primary colours) can make red, yellow or blue pop. The opposite of red is green (yellow + blue), for yellow it’s purple (blue + red) and for blue, orange (yellow + red). You might notice a grocery display where these complimentary colours are used to make fruit and vegetables look fresh and ripe.
If you wish to tone down primary colours, using neutral black, white and grey or a darker or lighter shade of the same colour is an effective option.
Colour Matching for Printed Packaging
When you have decided on your brand colours and created your packaging print design, we will ensure an exact colour match using the RAL code. We have an on-site ink kitchen for mixing inks to your colour specification and the quantity needed for your order. This helps us to avoid any unnecessary waste.
There are several print options, so ask us for advice on which is the most suitable for the print finish you want to achieve. Be aware that the fewer colours used in your design, the lower the cost of printed packaging.
For further information, give us a call on 01296 436888 or email enquiries@abcbox.co.uk
