Mark offered this up to share:
Here’s an update on the value of COLOR in our industry:
Communications Arts Magazine always offered a color forecast in their January issue. I thought I would revisit ‘color’ and remind everyone of its importance in everyday illustration and design.
In art and design - color influences & often drives decision makers. Its importance to engage an art buyer or consumer cannot be overstated. Color can act to stir emotion or create magic and set the atmospheric tone of your marketing presentation or website.
Whether you cater to the advertising, entertainment, design, fashion, toy/game, publishing or editorial markets remember that color sends subliminal messages. A good branding example is Owens Corning's choice of pink to denote its brand. They incorporated the Pink Panther image in its entire strategy and its website is based on the color pink association. http://www.owenscorning.com/
Potentially, such a strategy holds long-term benefits as the Supreme Court has ruled that a particular color can serve as a defensible trademark for a product.
Here’s another good example: Color is definitely the number one factor when designers determine a package design. They also research what the lettering should look like. Due to the ever changing tastes of the consumer the average life span of a package design is two and a half years. Companies must invest in repackaging or newer products will be actively purchased or they hope consumers will look past the package design and look at the product itself.
This year the official color from Pantone is Honeysuckle* ~ a color with a dynamic, bold punctuation point. Honeysuckle is described as flirtatious, festive and produces a healthy glow. . . all positive emotions (not the same pink as you see here). http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20821&ca=4
The same advice goes for your marketing presentations and websites. Please use this information to make yourself more current and saleable. You want to catch the attention of art buyers. This might be one tactic to do so.
No matter what colors you use, good luck and have fun with your choices.
Warm regards,
Jo Ann
Illustration Consultanthttp://www.DirectoryofIllustration.com
http://www.joannmiller.net
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For fun - a Mark W. illustration follows:
