OUGD505 / STUDIO BRIEF 02 / COLOUR CONSIDERATIONS & RESEARCH

For this brief, I wanted to communicate veganism in a new, fun and positive light, implementing a real sense of enrichment and lightheartedness and not succumbing to the usual ‘hippy’ feel with tie dye and organic aspects. Although green jumps out at me as a good choice for the brief, I wanted to further experiment with colour on my digital experiment, to gauge whether there are more successful colour choices.

I will also ask three individuals to tell me what these colours remind them of or how they make them feel. Two of them are peers and one is a person who does not study graphic design. 

 Here I have experimented with a variety of vivid colours, starting with IK blue. IK blue is a very current and contemporary colour especially in design trends at the moment. However, does it really represent a vegan food company? Blue can evoke feelings of tranquility and calm the audience, however in context is this effect needed for the purpose? I feel this colour looks too dark against the black and does not pop out to the consumer or communicate the sense of fun that is important to the brands essential core values.

Peer research feedback:

“Reminds me of fish burgers, yucky”

"Masculinity"

"Don't like the look of this colour against the black of the burger, I associate this colour with beaches and exotic stuff"

Clearly this is not what I want, as my main approach to food in the establishment is fresh vegan food derived from plants. I want to avoid the restaurant looking as if it sells fish and chips or something. 

 I then tried to heighten the lighthearted and fun feel by experimenting with bright cyan. This was more successful in communicating freedom and fun, as the colour can reflect a bright clear sky. This wasn’t successful in the sense that it does not reflect a food establishment, as blue is not a colour commonly associated with food chains or restaurants. Blue is usually associated with social media, or has a clinical context, however this could work if the blue is applied throughout the identity and looks contemporary.

Peer research feedback:

"Refreshing"
"Refreshing"
"Cool colour, reminds me of ice"

This feedback showed that the tone of the colour is important, as dark blue obviously was not as appealing as a bright cool cyan.

Next I used bright fuchsia, which worked well. It looks vibrant, fun and inviting, and reminds me of neon signs and letting lose. It also has a lot of inspiration from Club Mexicana, as their main colour is bright pink. However, to some, pink could heavily represent one gender. Since I want this company to be on a mass scale, and compete with other fast food establishments, it’s wise to avoid this, even though colour being assigned to gender is decreasing as our contemporary society becomes more liberal. 

Peer research feedback:

"Off putting, doesn't reflect food"

"Girly"

"Reminds me of lipstick and general feminine things"

As I have said I want to avoid relating my brand to just one gender, this feedback demonstrated that this is what the audience will think if I was to use a colour like this.

 Red is the dominant colour frequently used within the fast food industry, with examples such as KFC, McDonalds and Burger King. This could be due to the psychological effects that red has on the brain. Studies show that red increases the heart rate, meaning with this comes excitement then associated with red. Red has also become synonymous with food overtime, meaning regular customers of these restaurants will link red with eating. Red is also the colour of ketchup, an ingredient frequently used within these establishments. Red used on these logos works relatively well, however it looks quite aggressive and does not channel the ‘fresh’ feeling I want to achieve.

Peer research feedback:

"Looks like meat"
"Bright and demanding"
"Meat and spice"

This piece of feedback was extremely important, as this is exactly what I want to avoid. Because of the nature of the colour it does look like 'blood' or the meat of an animal. That being said, meat eaters may be attracted to this colour and consume from the restaurant if it evokes a feeling of hunger. But staying true to the morals of the brand is very important. I will avoid red.

 To achieve a similar feeling, but more subtly, I tried to use peach, which looks very soft and inviting compared to the harsh red, however it still does not look fresh enough to relate back to the veganism aspect of the project.

Peer research feedback:

"Looks like meat but friendlier, but not healthy"
"Soft safe and comforting"
"Raw meat"

The establishment should aim to communicate its healthy plant based stance on fast food, and this colour clearly still relates the audience back to meat, as it is a salmony colour. Again, will now avoid this colour completely.

 Yellow is also a colour used within the fast food identities. This is because yellow is the most visible colour in daylight (which is why Mcdonalds use it so that customers can see the golden arch ahead of them easily), and evokes happiness and friendliness. It also looks like mustard. Yellow looks a lot more fresh and cheery than the previous colours, however I think paired with the black it looks like a wasp or a danger sign. Not as suitable for a vegan fast food joint.

Peer research feedback:

"Looks like McDonalds"
"Appealing, reminds me of a hot dog"
"Reminds me of sun and street signs"

The feedback showed this was an appealing colour, especially in that it reminds the audience of sun, however I don't want the brand to look like McDonalds.

Green is the most obvious choice, however it is the most successful visually and conceptually. Green is heavily used throughout environmentally friendly and vegan / veggie brands, as it is associated with nature and the earth. I did not want to comply with the usual aesthetic of the vegan brands which take on a tree hugger approach and don't think about appealing to a mass audience. Taking green and ramping up the fluorescence creates a very contemporary and fun atmosphere, inviting anyone and everyone but most importantly communicating the brands core values which make it different from the rest of the fast food establishments.

Peer research feedback:

"Healthy and inviting, reminds me of vegetables."

"Vibrant and appealing"

"Makes me think of healthy / earthy things"

Very encouraging feedback, shows me that in using this colour I am getting the response I want and communicating the right message and aesthetic.