Orangemen and green hats: Sending the right colour signals

ORANGEMEN & HATS: HOW TO SEND THE RIGHT

COLOR SIGNALS

Sending the right color signals

•  Signs and meanings

•  Color is #1

•  Color and business

Three questions

Have carrots always been this color?

Is darker chocolate more bitter?

What color hat should you never offer a Chinese man?

The world is full of signs

Signs with meaning

•  Colour •  Shape •  Smell •  Icon •  Image •  Words / names •  Language •  Facial expressions

•  Graphic devices •  Fonts •  Materials •  Formats •  Size •  Sounds •  Weight & substance •  Body language

Signs with social meaning

4 Key Principles of Semiotics

1.  Signs have meaning

2.  Meaning depends on context

3.  Meaning is about what is NOT

4.  Meanings change over time

The meaning of ORANGE

Orange

•  Energy

•  Vitality

•  Excitement

•  Warmth

ORANGE has MEANING

Thailand

UK

The meaning of ORANGE

depends on CONTEXT

Wednesday or Thursday?

Catholic or Protestant?

Lime, Lemon or Orange?

Meaning comes from what

ORANGE is NOT

Dutch royalty

Where did the orange go?

William of Orange

Without William of Orange, what colour would carrots be?

Meaning of ORANGE

changes through TIME

Naranja

Colour words always enter the language in a predictable order

Liquid

Brown liquid

Canned brown liquid

Iced brown liquid

Red or blue?

Was Santa always red?

7UP is not ….

Rules of thumb

•  Biggest brand

•  I bought last time

•  Red/Blue can

Multiple senses

Are all sense created equal?

The eyes have it

Evolutionary advantage?

Can you see the food?

Where are the eyes sensitive?

Skin in the game

Can you taste without colour?

Even the experts are fooled by colour

agreeable woody complex well balanced rounded

weak short light flat with a sting

More signs?

More cocoa or more bitter?

Darker and stronger?

Remind you of anyone?

Hidden meaning?

The household royalty

Sexy and feminine

Sexy and powerful

The meaning of green

Green

•  Nature

•  Growth

•  Fresh

戴绿帽子

Never give a China man a green hat!

Sending the right color signals

•  Color is one of many signs

•  Color has powerful meanings

•  Use the right color signals!

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