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Guide to The Future of Communications: COLOR Replaces Words?
Author, Diane Roggow founded Market Illumination in 1999 and is a branding expert, professional colorist and color psychologist.
By Diane Roggow
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Remember the scene in Steven Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind? As we sat on the edges of our seats, our intrepid heroes came face to face with alien visitors and risked life by initiating communication… using MUSIC! After a few tentative notes and tense moments, the “conversation” became a dialogue–erupting in a glorious symphony. It was uplifting and left us thinking…oh, the possibilities! Are you this kind of visionary? Always imagining a future with expanded opportunities and creative solutions to current problems? What if, you could use COLOR as an alternative language to create meaningful relationships with your audiences? To open our minds to new ways of communicating, we first need to break out of conventional thinking. Here are three steps to jump-start your COLOR planning process:
1.Seek inspiration from the work of COLOR innovators. When you seek inspiration for COLOR, you may think of painters, designers or advertisers. There are differently-minded individuals who are challenging us to view COLOR beyond aesthetics, in ways that change how we-and our markets–behave. Consider KROMOFONS, the brainchild of Dr. Lee Freedman. Freedman replaced letters with hued squares in the same way a cryptographer creates a code. More recently, Kromofons have evolved into KMail, which enables users to send electronic messages composed with COLORs rather than conventional text. Like other communication tools embraced by early-adopters, a COLOR-based “universal” language changes how people perceive and share messages. Freedman and others believe it has the potential for influencing the culture in a variety of ways. Imagine…the integration of subliminal, COLOR messages into other visual media, like film, billboards; ·products geared to international markets which do not have to be translated into local languages ·teaching aids for visual learners who have trouble with regular text; a performing venue, office or retail space with COLOR-changing walls to convey unspoken sales-supporting messages;·a youth subculture communicating in COLOR-code, wordlessly! It may not serve a strategic purpose for your business to adopt Kromofon but given the disruptive and power of such innovation, brainstorm ways you can engage customers with non-verbal COLOR cues
2. Exercise your brain and intuitive powers by practicing an old skill in a totally different way. Daily there is news from the medical front how brain-stimulating exercises can reinvigorate intellectual powers and delay the ravages of age. The practice of a common task in a different way–like writing with your non-dominant hand–can increase creativity and problem-solving abilities. A new version of Sudoko was introduced and became a popular download. The new version replaces the numbers with COLORs! As your brain discerns the patterns and helps you solve the puzzle, think about how COLOR patterns–and repetition of patterns–can enhance your brand identity.
3. Explore how one of your current business problems might be addressed using COLOR as a strategic tool. If we move beyond aesthetics of COLOR and understanding strategic use, we can move our audiences to respond to our messages in specific ways, then there are many opportunities to address common business problems.
Tips:
1. Consider strengthening brand messages by extending the use of your logo / identity COLORs.
2. When conducting research, include questions about COLOR preferences and meanings. Then segment the research to understand results. It may seem like a no-brainer, but businesses frequently make COLOR selections without consulting their customers, risking potential competitive benefits and/or turn-offs.
3. Include COLOR in competitive analysis ensuring your identity and packaging choices are distinctive and effective for your targets. This prevents brand confusion and offers opportunities for strategic communications.
4. Contract a professional COLORist to work with your team on COLOR design. COLORists and COLOR Psychologists offer insight on COLOR demographics, research and trends and can help you tailor COLOR strategy for specific attributes and markets.
Summary: Studies show that humans recall symbols first, followed by COLOR, numbers and finally words. Fortune 500 companies, never forget customers are complex human beings who respond–positively and negatively–to a range of cues, including non-verbal messages and images. They also realize that using the powerful combination of verbal and nonverbal communications is akin to gaining access to the express lane on the freeway–bypassing competitors and advancing the desired path, quicker. The use of COLOR can actually stretch limited resources by increasing product awareness and customer engagement.
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