Big logos, tiny logos, one-colour logos, and bright multi-coloured ones.
Some are simply words, while others include taglines and images.
There is absolutely no limit to what you can do with a logo design.
But there is one thing you should never underestimate when designing your packaging and that’s colour.
Bags of Colour
Colour plays a big part in how potential customers view your business.
A Canadian study found that “people make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products.
About 62-90 percent of the assessment is based on colors (sic) alone.”
About 62-90 percent of the assessment is based on colors (sic) alone.”
So how can your packaging grab attention?
Think of your carry bags as walking billboards for your business. Every time a customer leaves your store, they carry away your branding for the world to see, so selecting the right colour for your bags and printing is important.
When designing your custom shopping bags always think “less is more”. Don’t clutter your bag with multiple lines of copy and complicated images. A simple logo or design, company name with a tagline is usually enough.
If you’re going with reusable eco bags you need to consider how the colours in your logo will contrast with the background. In our experience, we have found that yellow printing can be difficult to see against pale colours and red printing gets lost on pink or orange bags.
Paper bags are an awesome cost-effective choice and Smartbag’s Fast Print service can print your logo and design on brown and white paper bags in an instant.
Dark bold logos look best on brown paper bags, while white paper bags are an excellent choice for bright coloured logos.
If you are unsure of which bag to choose, or how your logo will look, you can always give us a call on 1300 874 559 to have a chat with one of our bag experts. They will request a high resolution (eps, illustrator or PDF file) and discuss your requirements to ensure your bags look fabulous.
But much more than packaging alone, the colour you choose for your business can be a powerful device used to engage your target audience.
Livin’ Life in Colour.
Colours can be evocative, some can enhance mood, some can be a calming influence, while others make you energised and ready to take on the world.
It is no accident that most of the big fast-food companies have red logos. The colour red enhances your level of excitement and some studies have found red can actually raise blood pressure and increase appetite – a perfect choice for companies like McDonalds, KFC, and Coca-Cola.
Colour influences the way your customers view the personality of your brand. What type of message do you want to send to your customers? Is your business fun, conservative, innovative, caring, inspirational? Select a colour that suits what you are promoting.
Before you settle on your colour, do some homework. Check out the competition.
What are similar businesses doing with their branding, logo, and packaging? Create a mood board of those businesses to see how you can differentiate yourself from them. You don’t want to invest time and money, only to find you look the same as everyone else in your field.
Time to add a disclaimer… The science of colour psychology is riddled with inconsistencies. People’s favourite colours, experiences and cultural background all have an impact on how colour affects us. Some people may love the colour red, but others may associate it with blood. Black may be edgy and rugged for some, while others may associate black with prestige and glamour.
So, while there will always be exceptions here are a few colour traits to be aware of when designing packaging that will connect with your customers:
Red: Excitement, strength, energy, passion
Orange: Energetic, friendly, innovative, confident – it’s no wonder Smartbag has an orange logo!
Yellow: Happiness, fun, optimism, warmth
Green: Wealth, serenity, nature, healing
Blue: Calm, trustworthy, dependable, secure
Purple: Luxury, royalty, ambition, spirituality
Pink: Warmth, softness, whimsy, compassion
Brown: Nature, rugged, earthiness, dependable
Black: Sophisticated, serious, power, glamour
White: Sincerity, cleanliness, peace, innocence
Consistency is Key
Colour increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent*, so once you have decided which colour is right for your business use it consistently to create brand recognition.
A memorable brand is heavily reliant on saturation. Drive along any Australian highway and you will instantly recognise the McDonalds yellow arches. Click onto the ANZ Bank website and you will be hit with a mass of blues. Throw a chocolate into the shopping trolley and you can be sure if it is wrapped in purple, then it’s Cadburys.
Some of the biggest brands don’t even include their company name in their logos, like Apple, McDonalds and Commonwealth Bank. We automatically associate those colours and shapes with the company.
Of course, those big corporations have plenty of marketing dollars behind them, but you can start your own journey by integrating your colour through your logo, your website, signage, and social media – even in your retail space. And in your packaging.
Whether you are starting from scratch or wanting to give your existing brand a refresh, spend some time thinking about colour and how you can make it work for you.
And once you’ve nailed that, your packaging will be easy.
Take a look at our options for fast print and custom printed bags to find something that suits your business.
Proudly Australian-owned, Smartbag supplies carry bags, tissue paper and Ecommerce packaging to retail, salons, clinics, fashion labels and the food and beverage industry.
Owned and operating from our Ingleburn warehouse in south-west Sydney, we take pride in serving Australian businesses, large and small, for almost 20 years.
* Source: University of Loyola, Maryland study