More to Color than Meets the Eyes

Some of you are probably acutely aware that there is “more to Color than Meets the Eyes“… if you are not already then you are about to find out.

There is a very good reason Social Media sites are generally shades of Blue and not Red… I’m not going to try and teach you all about the colors of the rainbow and what significance they play in our decision making as there are many more “experts” out there more qualified than me for you to research however I will add below some links to some simple guides which other people have produced (all of which I have no affiliation so please don not hold me responsible for the content) and hopefully inspire you to look more closely at the markets you are operating in. You may notice there is a dominating color used throughout the various niche businesses begin to understand why this could be, it may help you in choosing the correct color for YOUR site or directory as familiarity in a niche can be very important after all!

As an example picture the following fast food chains and note down their colors used… KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, TGI’s, Wimpy, Wendy’s…. See a pattern emerging..? Don’t be fooled by McDonalds, look further down to the full logo… There may also be variations depending on your location on the Globe! Now look at your niche and note down what you see happening there too… it might lead you down a new direction however it will be for the best interest of your business to be familiar with the territory. I’ not saying do not stand out from the crowd! Of course you should do everything possible to “Stand Out” however that is still very much achievable knowing WHICH colors you have to play with or indeed “Contrast” against.

I hope you enjoy the information and find it helpful and once you have decided on your chosen color you can then use the table below to code on-line and match colors in your print off-line so your theme is consistent throughout (another very important factor!).

All the best and hope this helps inspire your decisions

Have a look at this link for a start and then try a Google search for “how color influences consumer behavior” and take a look at what you find – The Meaning of Color! 

Pantone® Color Matcher

Use this table below to assist your color selection process, the information in this table is designed to give you the “best possible” comparison guide to what colors to use on-line and how they will look off-line. Colors displayed on computer monitors and printed consumer printers may not correspond exactly to actual colors printed by a Litho print house. Pantone® “Special Process or Spot colors”, “Metallic” and “Hexachrome” colors are also not reproducible on-line and on-screen so there are many other bright and striking colors you may use off-line which may not be listed here. If you are interested in these you should contact a print house and ask to see a genuine Pantone® color swatch chart with the “Special Process” colors included as there is some great vibrant and striking shades that if you are using off-line print are good to use for catching the attention. The down-side of Litho print as opposed to digital is the cost, it is generally much higher than digital print as the process is much more involved with the creation of printing plates and presses. Generally Pantone® print is darker than it appears on computer displays. Where color matching is critical please be aware, monitors and web browsers sometimes dither colors which causes the display to automatically make or choose the best match it is able too.

Color conversions in this table best match and are simply a guide for you to work from to give some ideas about what colors and shades of that color go together well and compliment each other.

Disclaimer – We hold no responsibility for your printed items or any mis-match in colors. This information is provided purely as a general viewable “guide” to the various on-line and off-line values. You should always seek professional advice from your print house or publishing company before going to print and ALWAYS have a sample created and signed off before you go to a full print run. Variations in color tones will be found and it is your responsibility to check and test. Pantone® is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc. and we have no affiliation with Pantone®.

If you would like a genuine Pantone® color swatch chart these can be purchased direct from Pantone® however these can be quite pricey, if you are looking for a cheaper alternative there are usually many people selling their old books on eBay. Do a search for “pantone color book“and you should find some sellers, do be-ware of older books as they can fade overtime, the best match is always to see a sample printed fresh off the press BEFORE you go to a full print run. For some background information see this Wiki Article too.