Colour Research

In order for my product to be successful, I will need to consider the use of colours. This is important because research has revealed that colour matters in marketing and branding and plays a crucial role in visual experiences.

When purchasing products, the majority of people put most of the importance on visual factors. Research has shown that when people make a subconscious judgement about a product, an average of 75% of the assessment is based on colour alone. 

It has been proved that colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80%. An example of this is when Apple brought colour into the market place by introducing it to the Macs and then the colourful iPods.

The colours that I use within my images will also be important because research shows that coloured images may sustain interest for two seconds of more, whereas a black and white image may only hold the attention for two thirds of a second.

In terms of a colour pallet, I have researched colours that connote summer as I will be making a summer issue of my magazine. Most of the summer colour pallets that have already been made are very bright like the colours below on the left. These colours are very loud and create a bold statement. Because my magazine is regional to Cornwall, I think more natural and soft colours (more like the colours below on the right), will suit my magazine better. The reason for this is because Cornwall is slower paced and a calm area compared to cities, and I think softer colours will show this better. Also, Cornwall is best know for its beaches and coastal areas, so sunset colours and soft blues will best represent this.

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The colours from the colour pallet on the right are more natural and show the summer colours that the Cornish wildlife has during the summer months. The colours on the right are described as 'dirty pastels', which relates to Cornwall because a lot of the region is filled with natural landscapes and wildlife which contains natural/dirty colours, as opposed to cities that are mostly full of man made buildings and less natural colours. These neutral colours are more suited to Cornwall, but because my regional magazine is a hybrid genre with fashion, I will need to include some colours that represent this genre too; similar to the colours used on the fashion magazines that I have analysed. In order to incorporate both genres in my colour pallet, I will use pastel colours mixed with neutral colours so that the overall look will be summery, but more natural than that of a fashion magazine that caters for other audiences in different regions.

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The colour pallet above shows pastel colours that are more natural. Also, most of the images that show examples of these colours in real life are images of objects that could be found in Cornwall, e.g. natural landscapes, small boutiques and sunsets. The colour pallet that I will use for my magazine will be similar to the one above so that I can represent both fashion and Cornwall in my images and colour choices.

I have created my own colour pallet to show the colours that I am going to use throughout my magazine, billboard and website. The colours that I have chosen are summery, but are still soft and natural so that they represent the calm nature of Cornwall.

I have given my colours names and have wrote it's hex colour so that I will be able to use these exact colours in Photoshop. I think these colours work well together to suggest and calm and natural mood. Additionally, some of these are washed-out pastel colours which are very fashionable in clothing and make up.

I have chosen and will use variations of the pink, purple and blue because they are more summery and fashionable, although they are faded. I have also chosen a soft green to represent the greenery and wildlife around Cornwall and a beige to represent the sandy beaches.

I think that my target audience will be attracted to these colours because they are very fashionable at the moment, and my target audience will want to be involved with something that is up to date. Also, they will want to read a magazine that represents Cornwall instead of a magazine with bright and bold colours that could represent the fast-paced life of a city.