Plain White vs. Plain Brown…Versus Color!

Colors ignite our feelings in a memorable way, which makes the design of your packaging a powerful marketing tool for building brand loyalty. Whether you’re a brick and mortar boutique, or a subscription powerhouse, the way your customers feel as they unwrap your product is almost as important as how they feel when they use it, read it or write with it.

When we see a color or a design, our minds and hearts are tapped by a personal emotion, memory or thought. Exposure to a color can change our physiology, from quickening the heartbeat to creating a sense of anxiety. Blue can be sad or calm, or remind us of last year’s incredible beach vacation. Yellow is happy and light – but sometimes a symbol of caution. In theory, we select an idea, a product – any one thing – for rational reasons. But in reality, there are so often irrational factors at work, guiding our decisions, preferences, likes and dislikes.

So I’ll Need a PhD in Color Psychology?

No! You don’t have to be a color pro or have a degree in design to pick out the right color design for your product. Here are three tips to create packaging that creates an emotional connection.

1.) Check out the Color Wheel

The color wheel, which arranges color by their chromatic relationship, can help you design packages that blend colors and patterns to create color harmony. In many ways, it will confirm your intuition and experience with color. In some cases, it may prevent a clash, or less-than-satisfying color combination! For example, you can create a smooth, mellow, autumnal feel by using green, yellow and orange. These are analogous colors, meaning these three colors can be found side-by-side on the wheel. You can also make a purchase pop with a package patterned in complementary colors — two colors sitting across from one another on the wheel. Try variations of red-purple and yellow-green, commonly found in orchids, for brands with strong identities and customers with bold tastes. The “Color Emotion Guide” below is a great tool to help you decide where you’d like your brand (and packaging) to sit on an emotional level.

2.) Use the BoxUp Gallery

BoxUp makes picking your custom-printed design easy, while still giving you control of your options…and colors! Their pre-made patterns allow for endless color-customization and you can apply tags, images, logos and other elements using their (super easy-to-use) Flex Editor to make it your own. You can filter the box designs by size, theme, color and purpose. Color adds the emotional, human touch. …and if you’re a Cratejoy seller, you can also get 5% off your order by logging in here.

3.) Create a Personal Touch

Speaking of that human touch, did you know that, according to the U.S. Small Business Association, 73 percent of customers say that it’s customer service that makes them “fall in love with a brand?” Your unique, colorful packaging, a hallmark of exceptional customer service, could be the very thing that instills the same kind of loyalty felt with a close friend. There are a few brands for whom the box or packaging is a universally known quantity. Tiffany comes to mind…so does Birchbox with their seasonally-oriented box that changes on a monthly basis.

Lucky for you, that kind of personal touch is BoxUp’s speciality! They can help you give your brand a look and feel that taps into the very thing that keeps customers coming back – joy. Pure, colorful, gleeful joy.