Colour Theory Research

When it comes to designing packaging or simply advertising and branding, in general, it is important to think about the colours that are being used as they have a huge effect on the buyer. In this instance, the colours have to appeal to children whilst still appealing to parents - so this poses a challenge. First, we have to understand which colours are most suitable:

Within advertising, children’s attention tends to be caught by bright colours because they help kids to distinguish objects from one another in their field of vision. Children are more likely to spend longer looking at bright ‘true’ colours (primary, secondary and tertiary) than muted or pastel shades because their attention can be held for longer. This means that products marketed towards children tend to include red, yellow, blue, green or purple rather than shades of grey and brown. It is also worth noting that these colour schemes are responded to best by children when uninterrupted by black or white.

One key brand that is incredibly successful with children due to its colour scheme is McDonald’s. The fast-food chain utilises the two warm-toned primary colours in an attempt to keep children engaged whilst subliminally using colour theory to send messages of appetite and urgency. Warm tones also work well with children because they have happy connotations.

A parent might find it refreshing to see a healthy snack from Quaker Oats packaged in a child-friendly colourful design, however, this due to existing connotations it might be wiser to reign in the design so that the product is not completely disregarded by parents. A good balance is needed.