By Jeff Grant
Color is often underestimated as a marketing tool. That’s right, I said “marketing” tool. Think about it for a second: some of more powerful brand associations you can think of connect through color. UPS: “What Can Brown Do for You?” IBM is “Big Blue.” Home Depot and orange are forever linked. The list is black and white, and endless.

Coloring Between the Lines
Marketers are merely taking advantage of the fact that we respond strongly to color on a visceral level, reacting and making judgments almost instantly without being aware of it. Here are a couple common associations…

• White: Cleanliness, purity, honesty.
• Red: Vitality, passion, love.
• Blue: Calm, stability, peacefulness.
• Brown: Open, reliable, grounded.
• Orange: Energetic, warm, happy.

Picking Your Palette
So you can understand why you shouldn’t take picking your store’s color palette lightly. If you’re selling something that’s very dependent on color such as home décor or jewelry, you might want to retain the services of a professional color consultant to pick your store palette. It’s that important.

Black Is a Great Color for a Baby Shop, Right?
The first thing to consider is matching your palette to your product. A kid’s store should have plenty of bright, lively colors while a cosmetic store might involve muted neutrals along the lines of beige, tan, terracotta, or light yellow. Classic colors such as black, white, and silver are effective in high-end electronic boutiques. In a health store, earth tones, of course. Take a look at other successful local stores to get an idea of color schemes that might work.

A kid’s store should have plenty of bright, lively colors while a cosmetic store might involve muted neutrals along the lines of beige, tan, terracotta,
or light yellow.

Blue vs. Pink
Gender plays a part in color choice. Darker colors or brighter colors seem to appeal more to men than women, while softer or more “ambiguous” colors find a better reception with female clientele. Which particular colors are preferred tend to be tied to culture. It is worth noting that a standard blue is favored by both genders. If your retail space is heavily weighted toward one sex or the other, scheme appropriately.

It’s All in the Lighting
Think about your lighting. Color and light work together. Different bulbs render color in different ways. In fact, bulbs typically have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating that denotes how “true” colors appear under the light. The higher the rating, the better the rendition. In broad strokes, incandescent lights produce a “warmer” illumination and generally rate very high in CRI while fluorescents throw a colder, harsher light and have relatively low CRIs. How you choose your lighting scheme will affect how your colors look. Make sure that when you review paint chips you’re seeing them under the lighting that will be used in your store.

Red Means “Stop”
According to TRIO Store Designer Bill Mondigo, “Bold colors make bold statements, but only use them sparingly in the interior of your store or they lose their power. Red attracts attention but if you use too much of it, it’ll just confuse the environment.” Mondigo also notes that the right color can hide otherwise poor aesthetics such as deemphasizing an unappealing ceiling by painting it black.

You can’t underestimate the importance of picking the right color for your store sign, logo, and cash wrap—and making sure that all work together. As with any retail design decision, keep your customer and product at the forefront.