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Lucky Green: Color in Marketing

May 15, 2012 1:47 PM

The color green has several strong associations such as money and the environment, but it is actually a much more complex and versatile color. This recent post explains the effectiveness and importance of paying attention to color theory. If you are already sold on the importance of choosing a color wisely, read on:


Designing with the color green:

  • As a cool color, green recedes especially compared to warm colors
  • Color blindness affects up to 10% of the population (mostly Caucasian men) and affects their ability to see greens.

Common associations with the color green:

  • Growth
  • Nature, plants
  • Eco-friendliness, environmentalism, recycling
  • Money, wealth
  • Envy
  • Good luck
  • Generosity
  • Fertility, rebirth, renewal
  • Peace, harmony, tranquility
  • Nurturing, support, comfort
  • Stability, balance
  • St. Patrick's Day, Christmas
  • Go, proceed
  • Refreshing, relaxing
  • Sickness
  • Correct answer

Interesting facts about the color green:

  • While green means hope and growth in the United States, it can represent death and sickness in other cultures.
  • Green is the easiest color for the eyes to process and viewing it possibly improves vision.
  • While mostly a lucky color, there are some instances where green is considered unlucky, such as in racing and weddings.
  • Most plants in nature have at least some green parts (if not completely green).

Physiological effects of the color green:

  • Calming effect
  • Appetite depressant

Common uses of the color green:

  • Hospital rooms
  • Banks and financial-based businesses
  • Revitalizing, health-oriented or eco-friendly products


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Create a Tree with Leaves in Adobe Illustrator

May 14, 2012 8:49 AM
Step 1

Using the Ellipse tool, create eight to nine random size circles. Hold the Shift key to constrain proportions and create perfectly round circles. Fill with black with no stroke.

Step 2

Select all the circles and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. Set the Size to 9, Detail to 10 and Points to Smooth.

Step  3

Select all the circles again and open the Brushes palette. Click the arrow in the upper right-hand corner and select New Brush. Select "Scatter Brush" in the window. When the brush settings appear, use the settings in the window or experiment with the settings to achieve the desired look.

Step 4

Select the Pen tool and draw a loose abstract stroked path. Now select the brush you just created to apply it to the path. Select the brushed path and go to Object > Flatten Transparency. This will create individual shapes from your object. At this point, you can fill the shapes with a light green to dark green linear gradient to achieve the look of leaves.

Step 5

Experiment with the gradient colors and add a rectangular tree trunk to complete the illustration. For a fall look, the leaves could be multicolored. For spring, you could use light colors, and for summer, dark, lush greens.
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Bright Yellow: Color in Marketing

May 9, 2012 10:16 AM

Yellow done right holds a lot of power in your marketing materials.  Wondering if it's worth the time to find the right shade and ways to use yellow? Then read this recent post that explains the effectiveness and importance of paying attention to color theory. Then read this to determine if the color yellow is right for your next campaign.


Common associations with the color yellow:

  • Cheer, laughter, good times, fun
  • Optimism
  • Intensity
  • Cowardness
  • Brightness, sunshine, warmth, summer
  • School
  • Caution, warning
  • Energy
  • Yellow Pages
  • Aging
  • Sensational journalism
  • Taxis 
  • Physical illness
  • Cancer awareness
  • Youthfulness
  • Annoyance

Interesting facts about the color yellow:

  • Yellow is the most attention-grabbing color.
  • Excessive use of yellow can irritate the eyes because it's the most difficult color for the eyes to view.
  • 80% of people globally say yellow represents happiness.
  • Yellow is rarely used for products, last commonly seen in the 1970s as Harvest Gold. 

Physiological effects of the color yellow:

  • Stimulates the appetite.
  • Stimulates the brain to release serotonin (feel good chemical).
  • Makes babies cry more--intense, bright yellow.
  • Can cause tempers to flare.
  • Speeds up metabolism.
  • Encourages creativity.
  • Enhances concentration. 

Common uses and/or businesses using the color yellow:

  • Attracting window shoppers
  • Florists
  • Candy shops
  • Toy stores
  • Amusement parks
  • Discount stores

Designing with the color yellow:

  • Yellow can be overpowering.
  • Yellow contrasts well with black, but don't mix the two for a new shade as it's always an unappealing mix.
  • Yellow is the most visible color and first color the eye sees.

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Create Fast and Simple 3D Raindrops in Adobe Illustrator

May 7, 2012 8:58 AM
Step 1

Using the Pen tool, draw half of a raindrop.

Step 2

Change the Stroke to a Fill with a nice blue water color. Now go to Effect > 3D > Revolve. In the Option box, select "from right edge" for the Offset option. This will give you the three-dimensional shape of a water drop. Click OK.

Step  3

With the shape now looking like a water drop, you can select the points that make it up and stretch or pull parts to alter it. After your desired look is achieved, create an oblong ellipse using the Ellipse tool and position it on the lower right side of the drop to simulate a reflection or highlight. Add a blue to white gradient in the ellipse to blend it into the color of the water drop. Now that your drop is complete, go to Object > Flatten Transparency to lock in the shape.

Step 4

Position your new water drops on an angle to simulate rain or select a group of water drops and create a custom brush to use in your designs.
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Vibrant Orange: Color in Marketing

May 2, 2012 9:57 AM
Moving down the rainbow spectrum to another warm color, this week's focus is orange. It is a joyful color for most, yet carries some more negative connotations. This recent post explains the effectiveness and importance of paying attention to color theory.

Common associations with the color orange:
  • Energy
  • Warmth
  • Fun, playfulness
  • Radiance, vibrance
  • Summer or fall depending on the shade
  • Sun, solar
  • Inviting
  • Happiness, joy, cheer
  • Aggressiveness, brassiness, boldness
  • Healthiness, fruitiness, vitamin C
  • Halloween
  • Caution, safety
  • Prison uniforms (U.S.)
  • Flamboyance
Interesting facts about the color orange:
  • Orange avoids many of the color red's negative associations while sharing many of the more positive ones.
  • Adults often either love or hate the color.
  • Orange is a favorite color of children.
  • Nothing rhymes with the word orange.
  • Tangerine Tango is the 2012 color of the year according to PANTONE.
  • Orange is the most sacred color of Hinduism.
  • In Ireland, orange is associated with Northern Ireland Protestants.
Physiological effects of the color orange:
  • Stimulates the appetite.
  • Stimulates emotions.
  • Encourages people to linger.
  • Increases oxygen's flow to the brain.
  • Improves mental clarity.
Common uses of the color orange:
  • Low-priced items
  • Fast food
  • Bargains
  • Candy
  • Impulse buys
  • Outlet stores
  • Clearance sales
  • Calls to action
  • Toys
Designing with the color orange:
  • Like red, orange appears bigger and closer, especially compared to cool colors.
  • Orange works well with blue or in a triad with green and purple.
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Create a Disco Ball in Adobe Illustrator

April 30, 2012 11:06 AM
Step 1

This is a really simple and effective technique for creating a disco ball in Adobe Illustrator. To begin, select the Rectangle tool in the tool palette. Hold down the Shift key (to constrain proportions) and create a square shape with a stroke of white and a fill of light gray.

Step 2

Duplicate the box 10 times horizontally and 10 times vertically to create a large square 10 rows tall x 10 rows wide. Adjust the color in each box so that it is a little different from the other colors. Keep the colors in the same general hue or tone.

Step 3

Create an ellipse using the Ellipse tool in the tool palette and position it directly on top of the colored squares. Give the ellipse a fill of black.

Step 4

Select all the shapes (squares and circle) and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Top Object. This will create a spherical look and complete the disco ball.

Step 5

To enhance the effect, place the disco ball on a dark background and create star-shaped bursts to simulate light flashes from the ball.
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Red Hot: Color in Marketing

April 25, 2012 9:31 AM
Beyond the obvious facts that red is both a primary color and a warm color, there are many things to consider when using red in your marketing. It is an emotionally intense color on both sides of the spectrum from love to hate. Red is also an attention getter, but that doesn't make it right for every situation. This recent post explains the effectiveness and importance of paying attention to color theory.

Common associations with the color red:
  • Action, excitement, energy
  • Aggressiveness, dominance, power, strength
  • Heart, blood
  • Bravery
  • Stop, danger
  • Love, desire, passion, romance, sexuality
  • Devil
  • Drama
  • Fire, heat, warmth
  • Hate, violence, anger
  • Negative cash flow (accounting)
  • Spontaneous
  • Vibrant, vigor, vitality
Interesting facts about the color red:
  • It's the first color babies can see.
  • It's the number five most popular car color in the United States and globally for 2011 (according to DuPont Automotive).
  • Up to 10% of the population is classified as color blind, mostly men and Caucasians, and that can impact their ability to notice the color red.
  • People tend to gamble more in rooms painted red.
  • Red is used in the majority of flags.
  • Red symbolizes good luck in Asia.
  • Athletes/teams wearing red have been found statistically to win more often.
  • Red clothes make people look heavier.
Physiological effects of the color red:
  • Increases breathing
  • Increases pulse rate
  • Stimulates appetite
Common uses of the color red:
  • Motor industry
  • Beauty products
  • Food industry
  • Impulse buys
  • Red tag/dot or clearance sales
Designing with the color red:
  • Red works best when used sparingly as an attention grabber.
  • Red can visually appear to be bigger in size or closer/more forward in relation to the viewer, especially when compared to cooler colors like blue or black.
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Create an Easy Neon Effect in Adobe Illustrator

April 23, 2012 8:53 AM
Step 1

Create a stroked shape with no fill. In this example, begin with the font SF Galaxy and type the word "neon." Then go to Type > Create Outlines and set the fill to "none" and the stroke to 4 points.

Step 2

Open the Color palette and change the black stroke to a bright color 
for each letter. Then, Select All and go to Edit > Copy (or press Command-C on your keyboard). You have just copied the letters to 
your clipboard for the next step.

Step 3

Select the letters making up the word "neon" and go to Effect > Photoshop Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the settings to achieve a nice blurred effect. Go to Edit > Paste In Front. This will move the letters previously pasted into your clipboard on top of the blurred letters. Reduce the stroke to 3 points. Adjust the colors by going to Edit > Edit Colors > Saturate and reducing the intensity. Brighten each letter so it is brighter than the blurred letters.

Step 4

Go to Edit > Paste In Front to paste another copy of the letters onto the previous layers. Change the stroke to 1 or 2 points.  Then go to the Color palette and brighten the letters. The file will now have three layers: a bottom blurred layer, a middle stroke layer and a top thinner stroke layer. You may use this effect for logos or shapes, as well as font objects.
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Does Color Impact Your Marketing Success?

April 18, 2012 9:51 AM
Color theory is followed by many of the most successful companies because they realize that color use can have powerful effects on the body and mind. Sometimes personal and cultural associations influence reactions. Other times, it is pure science, as evidenced by the findings recently released by the Surrey Sleep Research Center that confirmed that the actual color of light can affect sleep. For your business, the importance is the effect color can have on your bottom line.

To help alleviate any skepticism, an article on ColorMatters.com, citing multiple sources, outlines a number of marketing and advertising related benefits:
  • Visual appearance and color far outweigh other factors in consumer influence, with 85% saying color is a primary reason why they buy a particular product and 93% citing visual appearance as an important factor.
  • Color increases brand recognition by 80%.
  • Color improves memory compared to black and white images.
  • Ads with color are read 42% more than the same ads in black and white.
  • Color improves learning and comprehension.
  • Color images hold attention for two or more seconds on average, compared to black and white images that only capture attention for less than two-thirds of a second.
  • Color use on an insurance company's invoices resulted in payments coming in on average 14 days earlier.
Color often plays such an important role in daily life that most don't even notice its impact directly. For example, one of the first things people do each day is decide what to wear, which is basically selecting, matching and accessorizing colors.  

Watch for upcoming articles in this series focusing on the meaning and effects of specific colors to help you market and advertise more effectively. But, keep in mind it's important to research cultural associations if you're planning to advertise in an area you're not familiar with. For example, black is associated with mourning and death in the United States, but in Asia, white is related to death. People living in tropical locations seem to prefer warm colors, while people near the poles prefer cool colors.
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Create Fun and Simple Bursts in Adobe® Illustrator®

April 16, 2012 9:05 AM
Step 1

Using the Ellipse tool, create a circle with a stroke of 10 points and no fill. To create a perfect circle, hold down the Shift key while dragging with the Ellipse tool.

Step 2

Create three to four additional circles using the same technique. 
Vary the size and thickness of the circles. Then select all circles 
(hold the Shift key as you click each one) and go to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points. This effect will give each circle four additional anchor points, which will allow for more flexibility when altering the shapes later on.

Step  3

Assign each stroke circle a different color. Go to Window > Color to open the Color palette. After changing the colors, select the strokes one at a time and go to Object > Arrange and either Send to Back or Bring to Front to move the circles to different levels within the document.

Step 4

Select one circle, go to Effect > Distort & Transform and select Pucker & Bloat. Experiment with the slider to create flower-like or burst-like shapes. "Pucker" will create a sunburst-like shape, while "Bloat" will create a flower-like shape. After each shape is made, 
go to Object > Expand Appearance to complete the process.
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