Have you ever thought that the color of a packaging might affect your buying behavior? Do color meanings have an impact on the way that people buy? Consumers see them everyday – they evoke recognition and familiarity, and in some cases more concrete emotions like power, happiness, comfort, or even sadness. But how they make your customers feel in one market, won’t necessarily translate into another…
Color Meanings: Choosing Brand Colors That Are Adapted For Your Audience
We’re, of course, talking about color – a defining feature of any brand, product or service, and one that could take the back-burner when forming a localization strategy.
What is Localization?
Localization is a process that takes into account the subtle differences between cultures when translating a variety of materials. This can include different time and currency formats, the idioms and actual language used by your target audiences, right to left and left to right scripts, and of course colors.
It is important to have a localization marketing strategy when translating texts – especially those used for business, eCommerce, or advertising – in order to appeal in a natural manner to your target audience.
Not everything can be translated over from one culture to another, and localization helps adapt these things while keeping your main message consistent.
Localization and translation services companies are adept at recognizing these subtle differences, and adapting content to better fit the target markets.
Learn More About Localization Services!
Where Does Color Fit In?
Color adds an extra level to any design or message – and when it comes to business, presenting an aesthetically pleasing product or advertisement can affect how you attract new consumers. This day in age it’s extremely important to consider as more and more people have become visual consumers – using platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to browse beautifully presented product and service offerings.
Color is a huge factor in grabbing the attention of buyers, not only because of their aesthetic appeal, but because of the importance of color meanings for different groups of people and cultures.
Most businesses will take the time to carefully choose those which best represent the values of their company or mission, and best appeal to their market.
Choose the wrong color however, and you could go from what you may have considered to be a modern aesthetic, to one that evokes unpleasant connections or emotions.
Visual associations are powerful after all.
If you, like most businesses and brands, have spent time selecting the best colors to represent you in the United States, you want to be sure that you put the same amount of thought into carefully selecting those that will represent your brand similarly abroad.
Perhaps you’ve chosen yellow to represent your company in the U.S. – a color that often evokes emotions of happiness and optimism. The color meaning around the world however, may be different depending on culture or religion, and perhaps will not bring to mind the joyful emotions you chose it for (as you’ll see below).
When forming any localization strategy, you need to research the color meanings behind those you choose to represent your business or product. If they tend to be reserved for particular situations, or if they are associated with emotions or scenarios you don’t want attached to your brand, consider adapting them to something more appropriate.
So before you jump into your next colorful international adverts, or release your long anticipated product in limited edition tones, make sure you know what those hues evoke!
To get started on your research for colors and their meaning, check out the infographic below where we outline the significance of colors commonly used: Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green.
Color Meanings: Are You Aware Of These Different Color Meanings?
Color Meanings Around The World: Blue, Red, Yellow, Green
Blue
- Western cultures: a feeling of melancholy, trust, security, authority, and masculinity.
- Middle East: safety and protection, symbolic of heaven, spirituality, and immortality.
- Catholicism: hope and good health, symbolic of the Virgin Mary and wealth.
- Judaism: holiness and divinity.
- Hinduism: holiness and divinity.
Red
- India: fear and fire, wealth and power, purity, fertility, seduction, love, and beauty.
- South Africa: mourning, violence and sacrifices.
- China: celebration, luck, prosperity, happiness and a long life.
Yellow
- France: jealousy, betrayal, weakness, and contradiction.
- China: pornography.
- Japan: bravery, wealth, and refinement.
- Thailand: good luck.
Green
- Western Cultures: spring, money, freshness, inexperience, jealousy and greed.
- Mexico: Independence.
- Asian Cultures: new and eternal life, new beginnings, fertility, youth, health and prosperity.
- South America: death.
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