Color plays an important part in the design of your exhibit. Each color can bring out different emotions and can draw attendees in to experience your brand and/or product. It’s important to understand how color affects the average person and your target audience. Let’s take a closer look at how colors impacts our emotions.
Warm colors are next to each other on the color wheel and include red, orange and yellow. They invoke energy, happiness and warmth. Let’s take a look at each one.
Red is bold and passionate, can create urgency, and is energetic. It also causes an increase in our appetite. You notice a lot of fast food restaurants use red in their branding. It is exciting but can also show danger and anger.
Orange creates a call to action, is enthusiastic, and is a bit aggressive. It can be playful and show movement. It also invokes satisfaction and happiness.
Yellow is hope and optimistic, and is used to call attention. It is associated with laughter, friendship and sunshine. Too much yellow can be a bit overwhelming and should be used sparingly.
Cool colors include green, blue and purple and are imaginative and can have a calming effect.
Green is easy on the eyes, and is associated with new beginnings, health and wealth. It’s a very balanced color and promotes growth and security.
Blue is the most favored color, is calming and invokes trust. Very professional and business-like. Blue is a preferred color for men.
Purple is wise and mysterious, and stands for creativity and royalty. It has a soothing effect and is often used in beauty products.
Neutral colors include black, white, gray, and brown. These are all good as background colors. Black, white and gray are stylish and sophisticated and can be used with brighter colors. Brown and tan are comfortable colors and can be used as textures.
Each year, Pantone comes out with a color of the year. This year’s color is Marsala. According to Pantone, this “naturally robust and earthy wine red” color will be all the rage when it comes to everything from fashion to home furnishing.
Travis Stanton, Editor of Exhibitor Magazine recently wrote an article on Color Theory. He writes, “Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, even went so far as to claim that Marsala “enriches our mind, body, and soul, exuding confidence and stability.” Now that’s a pretty tall order for any mere tone, and critics have responded with overwhelming dissention and distaste.”
Furthermore, designers in the exhibition industry are usually a little slow in following the trends. Travis again writes, “The exhibition industry tends to lag 18 to 24 months behind Pantone’s predictions. For example, 2012’s color of the year was a deep orange called Tangerine Tango. Two years later, show floors were awash in orange exhibits. But not every color trend makes its way to the exhibit hall. That’s because brands become somewhat myopic when it comes to color, sticking to corporate-approved hues and never tasting the rainbow, so to speak.”
To read Travis’ complete article on color theory, click here.
However, colors are subjective and are used in a wide variety of ways. In most cases, your color designs need to follow you corporate branding. But when you are creating your exhibit, keeping the emotions of color in mind just may invoke the kind of response you are looking for as attendees walk by your exhibit.
What’s your favorite color? Our designers here at Exhibit Systems can help you take the next steps in your layouts and exhibit designs.
We hope this information is helpful as your marketing team starts planning your next trade show and event. Please call us at 262-432-8410 or email us if you would like our help to integrate colors with your face-to-face marketing efforts.
Don’t forget to download our Trade Show Planning Checklist and our Event Planning Checklist as a resource for marketing efforts as well.
