These Color Combos Could Be Hurting Your Labels—Here’s What to Know

In the aisles of supermarkets and product listings online, label design plays an important role in catching the consumer’s eye. For businesses in food, beverage, and consumer goods industries, a well-designed label can elevate your product from shelf space to a memorable brand.

Enter color psychology—the science that taps into how colors affect our perceptions and behaviors. Specific hues can trigger an appetite, convey freshness, or even create a sense of trust. This psychological interplay between color and emotion is important for brands trying to resonate with their audience on a deeper level.

With this understanding comes great responsibility—especially when selecting color combinations for packaging design. This guide aims to help you consider color combinations that may not communicate your message effectively so that your labels resonate with consumers and create a lasting impression.

Understanding Color Theory and Color Psychology in Packaging

The Basics of Color Theory

At its heart, color theory is the study of hues, saturation, and brightness—elements that form the foundation of every color we see. Hues give us the rainbow; think reds, blues, greens. Saturation refers to how intense or muted these colors appear, while brightness dictates how light or dark they are.

Color Psychology

Color psychology takes this understanding one step further by exploring how specific colors influence our emotions and behaviors. It’s a powerful tool for packaging design as it taps directly into consumer perceptions. For instance:

  • Red often evokes excitement and appetite—a reason why it’s prevalent in food industries.
  • Blue conveys trustworthiness and reliability making it favored by technology brands.
  • Green is synonymous with health and sustainability appealing to eco-conscious consumers.

Color Combinations to Use with Caution

When it comes to label design, certain color combinations may pose challenges in visibility or readability. Understanding how colors interact and the psychological impact they have on consumers is worth understanding. Below are a few pairings to approach thoughtfully.

Neon Green and Bright Pink

Neon Green and Bright Pink

While each of these colors might be striking individually, together they can create an intense visual experience. This combination often feels highly saturated and may overwhelm the viewer, making it harder to focus on product details.

Consideration:. If you are not looking to be perceived as more bold or “loud”, consider ways to balance these vibrant tones by adding in neutral accents or contrasts. 

Red and Green

Red and Green (Without Careful Contrast)

Red and green can be a powerful combination, but it’s important to consider contrast. These colors can be challenging for individuals with red-green color blindness and might evoke strong seasonal associations, which could affect year-round appeal.

Consideration: Consider using strong contrast between these two hues to enhance accessibility and clarity for all consumers.

Dark Blue on Black

Dark Blue on Black

Both dark blue and black are often associated with elegance and professionalism. However, when paired together without sufficient contrast, the result can be difficult to read—especially in retail environments where consumers see a product for a few short seconds.

Consideration: Using contrast between text and background can improve readability, allowing your label and its messaging to be more effectively communicated.

Bright Yellow on White

Bright Yellow on White

This combination can suffer from low contrast, which may make text and details hard to discern, especially under certain lighting conditions.

Accessibility Considerations:

Accessibility Consideration: Approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women experience some form of color blindness. Choosing color combinations with sufficient contrast ensures that all customers can read and engage with your product effectively.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Color Schemes

Overcomplicating Color Schemes

A complex palette with too many colors can dilute your message, making it harder for consumers to understand your brand identity.

Tip: Sticking to a core set of three to four hues makes your label clear and reinforces your brand without overwhelming the customer.

Ignoring Market Research

Cultural and industry-specific preferences can influence how colors are perceived by different audiences. What works in one market may not translate well in another.

Tip: Conduct market research to tailor your label designs to your target demographic. This will help your color choices align with consumer expectations and cultural nuances.

Forgetting About Compliance Regulations

Certain industries, such as food and beverage, have strict guidelines regarding labeling. These guidelines often extend to readability, contrast, and visibility.

Tip: Familiarize yourself with relevant industry standards early in the design process. This helps you balance regulatory requirements with aesthetic goals.

Chasing Trends at Expense Timelessness

Trends can be enticing, but they also may fade quickly. Balancing timeless design elements with subtle trend influences can keep your packaging fresh without risking it becoming dated.

Tip: Incorporate classic design elements like minimalist layouts, complemented by trendy accents that can be updated over time.

Strategies for Choosing the Right Color Combinations

Navigating the color spectrum effectively can transform a good label design into an unforgettable one. Here’s how to ensure your selections resonate well with consumers and amplify your product’s appeal.

Color Wheel

Harnessing the Color Wheel

The color wheel isn’t just an artist’s tool; it’s a fundamental guide for selecting colors that work in harmony.

  • Complementary Colors: Located directly opposite each other on the wheel, these combinations stand out due to their high contrast while maintaining balance.
  • Analogous Colors: These are colors next to each other on the wheel, sharing similar hues which create a serene and comfortable design.

Tip: Use complementary colors for elements you wish to highlight (like logos or call-to-actions) and analogous schemes for background or less prominent features.

Navigating the Challenges of Sustainability and Color Selection

The intersection between color selection for packaging and its impact on recycling and eco-friendliness presents unique challenges but also opens opportunities for innovation.

The Impact of Colors on Sustainability

Color selection can influence the recyclability of inner packaging. For example, certain bright or dark dyes used in plastics may interfere with sorting mechanisms in recycling facilities, reducing the material’s overall recyclability. 

Strategies for Eco-Friendly Choices for Inner Packaging

  • Opting for Lighter Shades: Lighter colors for plastics and inner packaging are often easier to process in recycling plants and typically require less dye, which may contribute to more sustainable packaging.
  • Choosing Natural Dyes: Where possible, using natural plant-based dyes can provide vibrant hues without the environmental impact of synthetic dyes.
  • Material Matters: Beyond the colors themselves, it’s important to consider the materials being used. Biodegradable and compostable materials should be prioritized to ensure that the entire packaging aligns with eco-friendly initiatives, from the ink to the substrate.

Next Steps

We’ve explored how certain color combinations can present challenges in terms of readability and consumer opinion. These considerations aren’t just about avoiding specific combinations, but about improving your product’s appeal through accessible and visually effective design.

At Blue Label Packaging, our expert team understands the nuances of color and how to help you create labels that resonate with your audience.

Browse through our portfolio to discover a world of possibilities for your product labels.

RGB vs. CMYK: A Quick Color Code Guide to Color Formats

⚞ The Highlights:

  • What’s the difference between RGB and CMYK? RGB uses red, green, and blue light for digital displays, while CMYK uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks for printing.
  • When designing product labels, it’s important to create artwork in CMYK so the printed colors match your intended design, rather than relying on RGB, which is meant for screens.
  • Because a label can look different on-screen than in print, it’s important to use a color management system for accurate RGB-to-CMYK conversions and to check a physical proof before finalizing the design.

Color plays a crucial part in label design, but identifying the right hues involves more than just picking out your preferred shades or red and blue. Both RGB and CMYK color formats allow you to identify the colors you want to use in your design. However, RGB and CMYK are not interchangeable. As such, it’s important to know how both color formats work, and which one is best for your design needs in this CMYK and RGB color guide.

The Differences Between RGB and CMYK

What is RGB?

RGB is an additive system that uses varying intensities of red, green, and blue to create color on a digital screen. Essentially, RGB colors begin as a true shade of black. Users can then use a process called additive mixing – adding degrees of red, green, and blue light on top of that black – to create a specific pigment.

Different colors are made by playing with the intensity levels of each base color. For example, cerulean blue is comprised of 16.5 percent red, 32.2 percent green, and 74.5 percent blue. When combined, they produce the specific color for your screen. However, if you were to combine equal intensities of red, green, and blue it would create a pure shade of white.

Label printing experts reviewing color options for a product.

What is CMYK?

While RGB is an additive system, CYMK utilizes subtractive mixing to create color with physical ink. With CMYK, the absence of ink is essentially “white,” although the surface you use can be white, black, clear, or any other color. As you add layers of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (also known as key) to that surface, the less white it gets. In opposition to RGB, all four colors in equal proportion create a pure shade of black.

Like RGB, CMYK also has color information for design programs. For example, that same shade of cerulean blue comprises of 77.9 percent cyan, 56.8 percent magenta, 0 percent yellow, and 25.5 percent black. However, it’s important to note that these colors are meant for physical printing and not digital screens, so what you see on screen may not be the same shade after your product is printed.

With either CMYK or RGB, it’s crucial to use color codes to guarantee results since colors can vary from screen to screen.

Label printing experts reviewing RGB vs CMYK color results.

RGB or CMYK: Which Should You Use?

The color format that’s best for your needs is dependent on a single question: what do you plan to do with your design? If your design will end up on digital screens like computer monitors or TVs, you should use RGB. If you need to physically print anything like product labels, brochures, or more, you should use CMYK.

Using the wrong format can lead to inaccurate color representations. This is particularly bad if you need to match your branding or if your heart is simply set on a specific color. Formats can be changed in design programs like Adobe Photoshop, which allows you to plug in the appropriate color code for your design’s end purpose.

Another reason it’s important to use the correct color format is to avoid art file issues when you’re sending your design to a vendor. For example, if you’re sending your art file to a printer and they have to convert your file from RBG to CMYK, your printed design may appear faded as compared to the original RGB image. There’s also a chance that the printer may not be able to exactly match your color. Fortunately, there is way to call out your colors to help ensure an exact match: The Pantone Matching System.

While RGB and CMYK colors give you rough approximations of colors, Pantone has physical color swatches that allow you to visually confirm which color is right and provides you with the proper formula. This system allows printers to identify exact colors, including if that hue should be coated or uncoated, to see if they can provide an exact match with their existing printing technology. This can help ensure consistent, vibrant colors while adding some reassurance that both parties are on the same page.

Work with a Printing Company That Help Your Colors Pop

Need to find the right label printing company for your product labels? At Blue Label, our experts work with you to guide you through the printing process, from ensuring your colors are correct to identifying ways to provide the best label for both your performance needs and budget. Contact Blue Label today to talk to one of our experts about full-color label printing for your next project.

The Benefits of 7-Color Printing for Labels

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that color is crucial for packaging, but it may be even more important than you expect. The right use of colors is a signal to buyers about your brand’s personality. There’s also the fact that 90 percent of consumers make snap judgments about products solely based on their color. Your product labels communicate with buyers before people even read any of the words, so it’s imperative that they look great for that important first impression.

Unfortunately, your perfect color scheme may not make the impact you want without the right color printing process. Certain printers may not have the technology or range of inks to recreate your specific colors. Fortunately, 7-color process labels allow you to avoid many of these issues without having to pay extra for spot colors. Here’s how.

A digital printing machine making 7-color process labels.

7-Color Label Printing Gives You Access to More Colors

Digital printing uses four base colors, also known as CMYK – cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (key). These original four colors can only account for 55 percent of the Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors. That’s not a comforting number if you’re set on a specific hue, which is why the 7-color process adds violet and orange or green to the original four. These extra three ink colors allow printers to achieve up to 98 percent of the Pantone spectrum.

7-Color Label Printing Makes Your Colors Look More Vibrant

Another advantage of the 7-color process is that it gives you access to Extended Gamut color formulas. Essentially, this means that you have access to colors that are cleaner, brighter, and more saturated than what you may be able to achieve through the standard 4-color process. This is very important for if you want that extra-vibrant green, purple, or some other shade to really pop on your label without having to spend extra on spot colors.

7-Color Label Printing is Digital

Since the 7-color process is done digitally, it means that you can still take advantage of all the benefits of digital printing while improving your color options. Not only does 7-color printing allow you to achieve more vibrant labels, you can also get them quicker than you would with printing methods that require plates. That lack of plates means no setup and better turnaround times for label proof or finished products. Digital color printing also gives you additional flexibility for your orders, whether you only want to commit to a smaller run or want to combine multiple SKUs into a single order.

Multiple custom 7-color process labels on a table.

Make Your Labels Stand Out Through 7-Color Printing

You should never have to settle for bland colors that don’t fit your brand. Thanks to our investment in the 7-color process and state-of-the-art digital printing technology, Blue Label can work with you to make sure your labels look just right for your products. Contact us today to talk to one of our experts about you next label project.

Minimalist Design Trends for Product Labels

The minimalist movement is making its way into label design as more brands are forgoing flashy and opting for simple. You’ve surely heard the phrase, “less is more,” which can be especially true when it comes to the design of your product and bottle labels.

A minimalist’s mantra is to remove the unnecessary. In an era of information overload, brands are realizing that customers appreciate minimal labeling. It’s an effective trend that works because of its simplicity. (more…)

How Light Can Impact the Way Customers See Your Product Labels

The right color palette is an important part of any product label. Between maintaining a recognizable brand and using color psychology, designers work hard to determine which color or colors will help attract a targeted audience. Unfortunately, one easily overlooked detail can derail the perfect design: light.
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From Screen to Product Packaging: How to Make Sure a Label Design will Work in Print

A great label design may look great on a screen, but it won’t mean much if it doesn’t look good in print. Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to make sure that your design translates to print. Here are some important product packaging design considerations to keep in mind when creating a design for a product label.
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Five Common Label Mistakes

Label design isn’t easy. There’s no question about it, some projects are more complex than others, but every project is complex and requires attention to detail. A reliable and experienced printer will definitely reduce the likelihood of making a mistake, but even the best printer can’t spot every mistake. We’ve compiled a list of five common label mistakes, what causes them, and how they can be prevented. Hopefully this makes your life a little easier.

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