THE COLOR OF CANNABIS: HOW CANNABIS BRANDS USE COLOR TO EDUCATE, EVOKE EMOTION AND CONVEY EFFICACY

Most shoppers—93% of them—make purchase decisions based on color and visual appearance. With a statistic like that, cannabis brand owners are spending time and money selecting the right colors for their logos, packaging, websites, and other brand assets in the race for buyers’ attention—the cannabis consumer.

 The Science Behind Color and Emotion

Color resonates with people in different ways. We all have a favorite color or colors. That said, the color used by brands says a lot about the brand itself. The science behind our emotional connections to color is complicated, but it is becoming clear through anecdotal knowledge and scientific experimentation.

           Is it possible that our brains are wired to like (or dislike) certain colors? It all relates to emotional responses when we see (a) color. A study by researchers at Wellesley College (Neural basis for unique hues) links neural processes to color. It further relates some of the things we already know, such as that color context changes based on other colors in the field of vision and emotion is a big factor when thinking about color. [Image: Color Evokes Emotion]

 Color Impacts Intuition

The research into color is not a new phenomenon. It can be traced to works that are hundreds of years old. One of the most relevant today remains Theory of Colors by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which was first published in 1810. While this was not a “scientific work” per se, it set the course for much of what we know about color and the basis for future research.

           Goethe published one of the first color wheels and associated color with more than hue; he also showed psychological impact. His theory about how color impacts our emotions and thoughts is still widely used and applies to how we think about color. The book is a great read for anyone with an interest in color theory.

           The truth of the matter is that color is too dependent on personal experiences to be universally translated to specific feelings. Research shows that it’s likely because elements such as personal preference, experiences, upbringing, cultural differences, and context often muddy the effect individual colors have on us.

           There are broader messaging patterns to be found in color perceptions. For instance, colors play a fairly substantial role in purchases and branding. In an appropriately titled study called Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 93% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone, depending on the product.

           In regard to the role that color plays in branding, results from studies show that the relationship between brands and color hinges on the perceived appropriateness of the color being used for the particular brand.

           The study Exciting red and competent blue also confirms that purchasing intent is greatly affected by colors due to the impact they have on how a brand is perceived. This means that colors influence how consumers view the “personality” of the brand in question.

           Additional studies have revealed that our brains prefer recognizable brands, which makes color incredibly important when creating a brand identity. It has even been suggested that it is of paramount importance for new brands to specifically target logo colors that ensure differentiation from entrenched competitors (if the competition all uses blue, brands will stand out by using purple).

           When it comes to picking the “right” color, research has found that predicting consumer reaction to color appropriateness in relation to the product is far more important than the individual color itself.

           Certain colors do broadly align with specific traits, such as brown with ruggedness and red with excitement. Nearly every academic study on colors and branding will conclude that it is far more important for a brand’s colors to support the personality it wants to portray instead of trying to align with stereotypical color associations.

 Logo Color Affects Consumer Habits

“The specific colors used in a company’s logo have a significant impact on how that logo, and the brand as a whole, is viewed by consumers,” according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The study found specific links and ties to colors within logos and how people felt about those brands.

           The findings change some of the ideas that we associate with specific colors. “Of all the feelings associated with logo colors, the feelings associated with red logos were the most surprising,” wrote one researcher. “Traditional emotions based on red include aggression and romance, but red logos did not invoke those emotions in study participants. This can probably be attributed to the fact that red is used in logos of many well-established brands such as State Farm, McDonalds and Coca-Cola, so consumers have pre-existing emotions associated with brands using that color.”

 Beyond Red, Yellow, and Green

How are cannabis brands using color in their logos and marketing materials to differentiate themselves from the crowd? While many have followed the expected and stereotypical path, others have consciously thought through their color palette, brand essence, and strategy.

           Not surprising is that most new cannabis brands use blue and green tones and shades more than any other colors. Some brands—such as Mary’s Medicinals—intentionally use black and white exclusively to differentiate themselves. Others use visual cues and anchors that we associate with the history of cannabis such as tie-dye or the red, yellow, and green of Rastafarianism.

           More typical uses of color are in the scales defining indica versus sativa used to denote the efficacy of a cannabis strain. Typically, colors span from dark greens, blues, and purples on the indica side to yellows, oranges, and reds on the sativa side, representing the restful, mellowing effects of indica strains and the uplifting, energetic results from sativa strains.

           Mixing color, science, and emotion can be a tricky game, and while science is teaching packaging designers and consumers more every day, it’s also opening up more questions about how we see and feel about color and accordingly about the brands that use certain colors to convey their brand essence.

           If the data is correct, brands will continue to use color to appeal to their consumers’ desires, as well as conscious and unconscious affinities.

Goethe’s Color-Specific Highlights

 Red

“The effect of this color is as peculiar as its nature. It conveys an impression of gravity, and at the same time of grace and attractiveness. […] History relates many instances of the jealousy of sovereigns with regard to the quality of red. Surrounding accompaniments of this color have always a grave and magnificent effect.”

 Yellow

“In its highest purity it always carries with it the nature of brightness, and has a serene, gay, softly exciting character. State is agreeable and gladdening, and in its utmost power is serene and noble, it is, on the other hand, extremely liable to contamination.”

 Blue

“As a hue it is powerful—but it is on the negative side, and in its highest purity is, as it were, a stimulating negation. Its appearance, then, is a kind of contradiction between excitement and repose. As the upper sky and distant mountains appear blue, so a blue surface seems to retire from us.”

 Green

“If the two elementary colors [yellow and blue] are mixed in perfect equality so that neither predominates, the eye and the mind repose on the result of this junction as upon a simple color. The beholder has neither the wish nor the power to imagine a state beyond it.”

About The Author

With 20+ years of brand-building and consumer marketing experience serving American Express, MasterCard, PepsiCo, and Microsoft – along with 12 years in the cannabis industry working as the VP, Licensing & Brand Partnerships at DOPE Magazine, and as the Chief Brand Officer at Evergreen Herbal, Washington’s number one cannabis processor – David is perhaps best known for his writings and thought-leadership on cannabis branding and marketing. His book, “Branding Bud: The Commercialization of Cannabis” is the first and bestselling book on cannabis branding. As Founder of the Branding Bud Consulting Group, he now consults on many aspects of legal cannabis to those both currently in the industry and to those wanting to enter it. 

Contact him at: david@brandingbud.com

Follow him at: @dpaleschuck