First Impressions
Color has an effect on how the product is perceived. A person’s subconscious establishes an impression about something the instant the object is seen. Before one has any chance to evaluate the product’s features, function, or feel, there is already a baseline established in the mind by its appearance. Color is a huge part of that impression.
Psychology tells us that certain colors have general associations to emotions. These can be overridden by personal preferences or experiences, but in general the positive associations are:
- Red – passion, attention, fire, vigor
- Orange – happiness, vitality
- Yellow – sunlight, youth, cheer
- Green – rest, efficiency, growth
- Blue – serene, trustworthy, cool
- Purple – royal, sophisticated, dignified
- Pink – feminine, youthful, sweet
- Brown – grounded, stable
- Silver – valuable, strong
- Gold – precious, warm
- Black – sophisticated, formal
- White – clean, pure, safe
Conversely, the same colors can have some negative associations, so choose wisely:
- Red – danger, irritation
- Orange – burning
- Yellow – sickness
- Green – decay
- Blue – melancholy
- Purple – sadness
- Pink – overly delicate
- Brown – unsophistication
- Silver – second-rate
- Gold – expensive
- Black – death
- White – fragile
In view of these associations, certain products have typical color schemes based on their use and surrounding environment. For instance, medical equipment is often white, with accents in blue. This would tend to give the product an impression of being clean and calming.
Braun - Oral B Triumph: clean and friendly
Imagine the same product in red and black- suddenly it seems aggressive and not something you’d want to put it your mouth!
Consumer electronics tend to play the sophistication and elegance card quite a bit, and as a result most are various shades of black, silver, with the occasional accent of color. If you’ve ever walked around the Consumer Electronics Show or even your local electronics store, the color trends are quite evident.
Its Black and Silver
Form
Color schemes also play a role in how the object’s shape is perceived. This is largely due to the amount of contrast that is visible across the object’s surfaces. Clever use of color can accentuate certain features, drawing attention to them, or minimize other features so aren’t readily noticed. In general, lighter colors show more contrast between light and shadow, so the eye will notice these features more prominently.
The converse is also true- darker colors show less contrast, and tend to be less noticable. While black isn’t going to make part of the object disappear, it certainly reduces its prominence. Take for example the model of a handheld gaming device below. The important features are the display and controls, found on the top bezel. The back and sides of the unit are black and are intended to ‘disappear’ in the cognative sense. The resulting shape, the blue bezel, is smaller than the over size of the product, so therefore the entire unit appears smaller.
Size perception goes hand-in-hand with color prominence. In general, lighter colors tend to make a feature look larger, while darker colors make it look smaller. Again, compare the two camera printer docks shown below. One is a model and one is a real product, but a quick glance at the product gives one the impression that the lighter example on the left is slightly larger. The dock on the right has less contrast in its overall color scheme, so it doesn’t look quite as large. Note also the lower portion of the dock’s case is black, again to make this area of lesser visual importance ‘disappear’ and give the impression that the unit is smaller than it really is.
Function
Color is also a part of some firmly established and universally accepted functional interfaces. The big three we’ve all known since childhood: red means stop, green means go, and yellow means floor it alert. Once color enters the picture as a user interface language, the surrounding product should be neutral, so as not to distract the user from noticing interface features. If you’ve got a control panel with a big red kill switch on it, the control panel had better not be red too!
Let the color be about the interface
Fashion
After the previous color effects are considered, color variations usually boil down to fashion and industry trends. Consumer products can edge out their competition with an offering of colors appealing to personal taste, not unlike color variations in vehicles. How does an industrial designer know color trends? Well, there are professional color consultants and marketing data that can drive a product’s color palette. Many times it comes from simple observation or the designer’s vision of the finished product. Online communities such as COLOURlovers can provide inspiration as well. The designer’s colors may or may not make it to market… but it is always worth exploring. Some notable examples of colorful tech:
Dell Studio Hybrid
What would products look like if the end user had control over the color palette? Perhaps this is the trend worth noting the most- the choices made by the person who laid out the cash to buy the product. Visiting a site like Colorware can give you a glimpse of some thought- provoking color schemes that would have never come out of the factory:
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