Colour in Food Packaging Strategies and Rules

Abstract

Originally made to prevent diseases due to poor sanitary conditions, food packaging is much more than this. It protects and communicates information not only about the food type (organoleptic properties for consumption), but also about the company and its corporate strategy. Factories abide by strict packaging standards, focusing part of their resources to the packaging look, through psychology, marketing and budget based analysis. For a packaging to work, it has to safeguard the product, induce shopping, being read.

On the sale shelf, the product has to be first seen, then chosen and finally purchasedamong many competitors. Products has to catch the attention of the consumers in a small timeframe. Moreover, since the consumer buys 75% by impetus and only 25%by programming, therefore it’s clear that purchasing means getting emotional. Succeeding in selling means being able to give rise to emotions. Colour in packaging is a wonderful salesman. It evokes emotions and is a quick, efficient and silent messenger. Its“language” is ubiquitous, fully understandable and cheap. It is a powerful tool of non- verbal communication, able to strongly influence the mechanism for impulse buying. Colour can attract attention in a very short time, transmitting product specific messages and creating strong brand identity.

Colour per se cannot meet all needs: the degree of saturation, brilliance and combinations between different colours change from time to time the end result. The creation of a seductive and attractive packaging is highly dependent on hue and hue combinations, context, the type of graphics and print format. The chromatic effect of a final package also depends on the material and texture. Finally every colour evokes a different emotion and every colour evokes a different food (e.g. white for milk products). The language of colour, with its rules, requires a process of research and investigation that is difficult to fully understand, nevertheless, all food companies use colour in packaging with the strategy to increase their sales.