Colour Psychology – A Guide for Label Designers

Share This Post

Colour shapes behaviour and drives buying choices. Studies show that 62-90% of judgements rely on colour alone. Colour steers emotion, builds trust, and prompts action.

Label designers can use colour to guide shoppers’ views of a product and their actions. This guide shows how to apply colour theory to label design.

Understanding Colour

Colour has three components: hue, saturation and value. Each shapes how people see labels and decide.

Hue

Hue is the property that lets us name a colour – red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple. You can group hues into three sets:

Primary hues include red, yellow and blue. Secondary hues include green, orange and purple, which are made by mixing two primary hues. Tertiary hues are names like red-orange or blue-green, made by mixing a primary with a neighbouring secondary.

Hue sets the tone for your label. Each hue carries a meaning: red signals urgency, yellow signals caution, and blue signals trust. Pick the hue that matches your product’s message. Next, we cover saturation, which sets how vivid that hue appears.

Saturation

Saturation measures how much grey a hue contains. When you add grey to a hue, you create a tone.

High saturation has no grey.
Low saturation has more grey.

A hue at high saturation stands out. A hue at low saturation recedes.

High saturation makes label elements stand out. Apply it to logos, brand names or warning marks. Low saturation pushes areas back. Apply it to backgrounds or blocks of text to aid clarity. Adjust saturation to guide the eye and set the reading order.

Next, we cover value, which sets how light or dark a colour appears.

Value

Value describes how light or dark a colour appears. You adjust value by mixing a hue with white to create a tint or with black to create a shade:

Tint: a hue plus white. Tints look softer and lighter. For example, adding white to red gives pink. Use tints on label backgrounds or accents for a gentle, inviting look without overwhelming other elements. Shade: a hue plus black. Shades look richer and darker. For example, adding black to blue gives navy. Use shades behind white or pale text to boost contrast and highlight key information, such as product names or critical warnings.

Layering tints and shades add depth and hierarchy to your label. A pale green tint can signal freshness in the background, while a deep green shade can anchor your logo or brand name.

Next, we explore colour schemes to learn how to blend hues, saturations and values on your label.

Colour Schemes

A colour scheme is a set of colours chosen to work well together. Think about how you might pick clothes that match – a colour scheme does something similar for design.

On a product label, designers use a colour scheme for a few important reasons:

Make things clear: It helps important information, like the product name or key details, stand out.
Organize information: Colors can group related parts of the label, making it easier to read.
Create a feeling: Different colour combinations make a product feel exciting, calm, natural, or fancy, which helps match the label’s look to the product inside.
Build the brand: Using consistent colours helps people instantly recognise a brand.

Choosing the right colour scheme makes a label easy to read, looks good, and communicates what the product and brand are all about. Below, we look at six common schemes and how they can be used on labels. Refer to the figures as you read.

Monochromatic Scheme: Unity and Focus

What it is: This scheme uses variations of a single colour (hue). Think of using different shades (darker versions), tints (lighter versions), and tones (greyer versions) of just one colour, like blue.
Effect and Significance: It creates a unified, clean, and often sophisticated look. Because the colours are closely related, the design feels calm and harmonious, naturally drawing attention to other elements like the label’s shape, the paper’s texture, or the details in the logo and text.
When to Use on a Label: Choose a monochromatic scheme when:
- You want the product to feel elegant, premium, or subtle.
- Your brand has one strong primary colour you want to emphasise.
- The label design needs to focus the customer’s attention on typography, imagery, or the physical texture of the packaging rather than colour variation.
- You need a simple, failsafe way to ensure harmony.

Analogous Scheme: Harmony and Cohesion

What it is: This scheme uses colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, you might use yellow, yellow-green, and green together.
Effect and Significance: Analogous colours naturally look good together, creating a comfortable, low-contrast, and harmonious feel. They provide more colour variation than monochromatic but still feel cohesive and blended.
When to Use on a Label: An analogous scheme works well when:
- You want to create a calm, natural, or soothing feel (often used for organic or wellness products).
- You must visually group related information on the label without using stark dividing lines.
- The design aims for gentle transitions and unity across different sections.

Complementary Scheme: Contrast and Attention

What it is: This scheme uses two colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange or red and green.
Effect and Significance: Complementary colours create the strongest possible contrast. When together, they make each other appear brighter and more intense. This pairing is very eye-catching and energetic.
When to Use on a Label: Use a complementary scheme when:
- You need to grab attention quickly on a crowded shelf.
- You want to make a specific element (like a flavour call-out, price burst, or warning) stand out.
- The brand identity is bold, energetic, or dynamic.
- Important: Use one colour more dominantly and the other as an accent to avoid the colours clashing unpleasantly or causing visual fatigue.

Split-Complementary Scheme: Balanced Contrast

What it is: This is a variation of the complementary scheme. You take one base colour and find its direct opposite (complement), but instead of using that opposite colour, you use the two colours sitting right next to it. For example, if your base is blue, its complement is orange. For a split-complementary scheme, you’d use blue along with yellow-orange and red-orange.
Effect and Significance: This scheme offers strong visual contrast like the complementary scheme but is less intense and often feels more balanced and sophisticated. It provides more colour options while still creating clear emphasis.
When to Use on a Label: Choose a split-complementary scheme when:
- You want strong contrast to highlight elements, but the direct complementary pairing is too harsh or simplistic.
- You need more colour variety than a simple complementary scheme allows.
- You aim for a design that is both eye-catching and harmonious.

Triadic Scheme: Vibrant and Balanced

What it is: This scheme uses three colours that are evenly spaced around the colour wheel, forming a triangle (e.g., red, yellow, and blue, or orange, green, and violet).
Effect and Significance: Triadic schemes are vibrant and offer strong visual contrast while retaining a sense of balance and harmony. The colours create a lively effect even when using pale or unsaturated versions.
When to Use on a Label: A triadic scheme is a good choice when:
- The brand is playful, youthful, or needs to convey energy.
- You must distinguish between three equally important sections or pieces of information on the label.
- You want a colourful and dynamic look that still feels structured.
- Important: Balance is key. Often, one colour is used dominantly, with the other two used for accents to avoid overwhelming the viewer.

Tetradic Scheme (Rectangle): Rich and Versatile

What it is: This scheme uses four colours arranged into two complementary pairs (forming a rectangle on the colour wheel) – for example, blue and orange paired with red and green.
Effect and Significance: This scheme has the most combinations for colour variety and creating complex, rich designs. However, it’s also the most challenging to balance. If not handled carefully, it can look chaotic.
When to Use on a Label: Consider a tetradic scheme when:
- The label needs to organise a lot of diverse information.
- The product or brand has multiple facets or benefits to communicate visually.
- You need maximum flexibility in assigning colours to different design elements.
- Important: Establishing a clear hierarchy is crucial. One complimentary pair is often used more prominently, while the other serves as an accent. Pay close attention to the balance between warm and cool colours.

Colour Psychology - Factors That Influence Colour Preferences

Why do we prefer certain colours over others?

It’s rarely just personal taste. Our colour preferences are often shaped by deeper factors like human evolution, personal experiences, cultural background, climate, and even education.

Understanding these influences helps label designers make better choices, considering how colours might be subconsciously perceived by different people viewing their products.

Evolutionary Influences

Science suggests our basic reactions to colours might be partly hardwired, linked to survival needs from our distant past.

Colours were vital clues for early humans navigating the natural world. Quickly Recognising colours could mean the difference between finding food and starving or spotting danger and staying safe.

Think about these potential deep-rooted links:

Red is often associated with ripe fruits (a key energy source), cooked meat, and sometimes blood (indicating injury or life). Red’s high visibility explains why it grabs our attention and is used to signal something important or urgent, like in traffic lights.
Green is typically the colour of foliage and plant life. To hunter-gatherers, green signalled food sources, water, and safe shelter environments. This association explains why green usually feels natural, healthy, or calming.
Blue is linked to clear daytime skies (indicating safe conditions for travel or hunting) and clean water sources. These positive associations contribute to blue often feeling calm, stable, or trustworthy.
Yellow & orange can signal ripe fruits and flowers and sometimes act as warning colours in nature (like on certain insects or reptiles), which might explain their attention-grabbing quality.

Why does this matter for label design?

While we don’t live like our ancestors, these ancient associations still subtly influence how we instinctively feel about colours.

A splash of red draws the eye, green implies naturalness, and blue suggests reliability.

Designers consider these potential underlying responses when choosing colours to communicate a specific message or feeling quickly on a label.

It’s not a strict rulebook, but an awareness of these possible primal connections adds another layer to understanding colour perception.

Ecological Valence Theory

Beyond ancient instincts, our life experiences play a huge role in shaping our preferred colours.

This idea is captured by the Ecological Valence Theory (EVT).

Put simply, EVT suggests that we develop a liking for colours that we associate with positive experiences, objects, or feelings and a dislike for colours linked to negative ones.

It works like this: over time, the emotions you feel towards certain objects or experiences transfers to the colours associated with them. This process is largely unconscious and is always at work, even while you are reading this article.

Consider these examples:

Someone might develop a fondness for a specific shade of green because it reminds them of relaxing walks in a beautiful park they loved as a child.
Conversely, a person might dislike a particular yellow if they associate it with an illness they had or a food they detest.
Your favourite team’s colours might evoke excitement and belonging, leading you to prefer those hues in other contexts, too.

Why does this matter for label design?

Because EVT shows colour preference is not purely evolutionary but also learned and personal, designers know reactions vary greatly between people.

No single colour guarantees universal appeal. This subjective nature makes understanding your specific target audience crucial. Shared positive or negative associations within that group will strongly influence which colours prove most effective for your label in their eyes.

Education

Education plays a role in shaping our responses to colour, although basic preferences – like the widespread liking for blue, confirmed in studies – often cut across all backgrounds.

However, research links formal art and design education with a developed appreciation for colour nuance, theory, and complexity, as these are explicitly taught.

It’s harder to find clear links between general education level and how people see colour. However, some research suggests that people with more education are often exposed to a wider variety of art and design, which might make them more used to different or complex colour combinations, not just the basic primary colours.

What people consider good taste, including the colour combinations they like (muted/complex vs. bright/simple), is often associated with specific social groups. Education level is usually one factor these groups have in common.

This means people’s backgrounds and what they’re used to seeing, partly shaped by education, affect how they react to complex or subtle colour choices.

The main point from the research is clear for label designers: when choosing colours, think about how visually experienced your target audience will likely be.

Climate

The prevailing climate shapes colour preferences as people subconsciously seek colours that offer psychological comfort or contrast to their everyday environment.

Consider these tendencies:

Hot Climates: In regions that are consistently hot and sunny, people may show a preference for cooler colours – think of blues, greens, violets, and even crisp whites. These colours are associated with water, shade, sky, and vegetation and evoke a feeling of coolness, refreshment, and calm, which can feel like a welcome contrast to the heat.
Cold Climates: Conversely, in areas known for long, cold winters, often with grey skies or snow, people might gravitate towards warmer colours. Reds, oranges, yellows, and rich earthy browns are associated with fire, sunlight, and warmth and provide a sense of energy, cosiness, and vibrancy against a chilly backdrop.

This potential influence is less impactful than cultural meanings or personal experiences.

However, it could be a minor, secondary consideration when designing specifically for markets located in extreme climates.

For example, cool, watery blues enhance the refreshing appeal of a drink sold in a tropical country, while warm, rich tones make a product seem more comforting or inviting in a frigid region.

But remember, these are just potential slight biases; your brand identity, product type, and specific cultural colour associations in that market will almost always be more important factors in your colour decisions.

Cultural Meanings: The Make-or-Break Factor

Stop thinking about colour meaning as fixed.

While basic physiological responses to colour exist, specific symbolic meanings are overwhelmingly learned through cultural context.

Foundational research, such as Berlin and Kay’s (1969) study of basic colour terms, highlighted how even the way colours are categorised varies across cultures.

Deeply ingrained associations mean a single colour signifies opposing concepts—purity or death, luck or danger—depending entirely on society. Effective label design must account for this learned variability. Refer to the following table for documented examples of these divergent cultural interpretations.

Colour	Meaning	Cultural Variations	Example	How to Use in Labels
Red	Excitement, danger, love, and passion.	Western cultures: Excitement and love. India: Purity. China: Luck and happiness. Middle East: Danger. Eastern Bloc: Communism.	Coca-Cola (excitement and passion).	Use red to draw immediate attention, signal urgency, or highlight important details (e.g., “Sale” or warning labels).
Blue	Trust, safety, authority, and calmness.	Western cultures: Trust and safety. Eastern cultures: Spirituality and immortality. Latin America: Religion or mourning.	IBM (trust and reliability).	Blue conveys trust and professionalism. Ideal for health products, tech items, or secure services, creating a calming visual.
Green	Nature, progress, growth, and luck.	Western cultures: Nature and luck. Indonesia/China: Infidelity. Mexico: Patriotism. Islam: Religious ties.	Starbucks (nature and freshness).	Use green for eco-friendly, organic, or natural products to promote freshness and sustainability, especially for eco-labels.
Orange	Warmth, enthusiasm, and energy.	Western cultures: Warmth and autumn. Middle East: Mourning. India: Sacred. Japan: Love and courage.	Fanta (energy and fun).	Orange adds energy and enthusiasm, effective for call-to-action labels or products aimed at younger, dynamic audiences.
Black/Brown	Durability, density, and importance.	Black: Elegance, power (Western), mourning (other cultures). Brown: Stability, reliability.	UPS (reliability and strength).	Use black for luxury items and brown for products emphasizing durability and strength, creating a sense of importance.
White	Cleanliness, purity, and simplicity.	Western cultures: Purity and simplicity. Eastern cultures: Death and mourning.	Apple (simplicity and elegance).	Ideal for minimalist labels, white is used for medical, tech, or hygiene products to convey cleanliness and purity.
Yellow	Optimism, warmth, and caution.	Western cultures: Happiness and caution. Asian cultures: Royalty and power.	McDonald’s (warmth and optimism).	Use yellow to highlight important information, like warnings or sale items, as it’s eye-catching and conveys optimism.
Purple	Royalty, luxury, and spirituality.	Western cultures: Wealth and royalty. Thailand: Mourning. Egypt: Virtue and faith.	Cadbury (luxury and indulgence).	Purple adds a touch of luxury and sophistication, ideal for premium brands, beauty products, or indulgent goods.
Pink	Compassion, love, and femininity.	Western cultures: Femininity and romance. Japan: Youth and good health.	Barbie (femininity and fun).	Pink is great for products targeting a feminine audience, creating a sense of fun, compassion, or youthful energy.
Grey	Neutrality, formality, and professionalism.	Western cultures: Sophistication and formality. Eastern cultures: Modesty.	Apple (professionalism and tech).	Grey is used for high-tech, modern products, creating a sense of balance, professionalism, and formality.

Practical Application & Considerations

While colour theory and psychology are foundational, applying the knowledge you gained to create functional, compliant, and appealing labels requires addressing the following practical points.

Readability & Accessibility

Labels exist to communicate. Sufficient colour contrast between text (especially small print like ingredients or instructions) and its background is non-negotiable for legibility.

Contrast Rations: Labels must be in high contrast between text and background to be legible. Contrast applies particularly to small print for ingredients, instructions, or warnings. People must read this information easily under different lighting conditions and with varying eyesight. While web design uses specific numerical contrast standards (WCAG), print label regulations worldwide do not mandate such ratios. Authorities like the FDA, EU, and FSANZ (Australia/NZ) require information to be “legible” and “prominent,” often setting minimum font sizes, but they omit contrast ratio rules. The lack of contrast standards means designers and brand owners must ensure readability through effective design. Apply established graphic design principles: maximise the lightness/darkness (value) difference between text and its background.
Colour Blindness: Approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of colour vision deficiency, most commonly red-green. Avoid relying solely on colour to convey critical information (like warnings or variant types) – use colour with icons, text labels, patterns, or other visual differentiators. Use colour blindness simulators to check your designs.

Colour Proportions

Applying your chosen colour scheme for effective labels requires balance to create a visual hierarchy and avoid overwhelming the viewer.

A common starting point is the 60-30-10 rule. Allocate roughly 60% of the space to your dominant colour (often the background or main field), 30% to a secondary colour (supporting elements, subheadings), and 10% to an accent colour (calls to action, highlights, key details). This rule of thumb helps distribute visual weight effectively.

Label Material & Finish

Colour appearance changes based on the physical label substrate and finish. What you see on screen (RGB) will differ from the printed output (CMYK), and the material adds another variable.

Material: Textured papers absorb light differently than smooth ones. Transparent films interact with the product behind them. Metallic substrates add reflectivity. You should consider how the material will interact with the ink.
Finish: A gloss finish makes colours appear deeper and more saturated, while a matte finish softens colours.

Testing Your Designs

Theoretical choices and on-screen previews are insufficient, and don’t substitute real-world testing.

Proofs & Mock-ups: Always obtain printed proofs, ideally on the final specified material and finish (press proofs are best). Create physical mock-ups to see the label in context on the packaging.
Audience Feedback: If feasible, test designs (e.g., A/B testing different colourways) with representatives of the target audience to validate effectiveness and preference.

Working with Brand Guidelines

Labels must align with the overall brand identity.

Consistency: Adhere strictly to the primary and secondary colour palettes defined in the existing brand style guide. Using the correct colour values (Pantone, CMYK, Hex) ensures brand recognition across all touchpoints.
Integration: Skillfully integrate the required brand colours within your label’s design hierarchy and chosen colour scheme. The label must feel like part of the larger brand family.

This section introduces some key practical aspects of applying colour theory to labels. Designing and printing labels requires deeper knowledge of specific print methods, material science, ethics, regulation, and compliance.

Designing Labels with Colour Consciousness

Colour on a label is far more than decoration; it influences perceptions, emotions, and purchasing decisions.

This guide has covered the essential building blocks of using colour in labels: understanding hue, saturation, & value, leveraging effective colour schemes, acknowledging the psychological factors from evolution to cultural context, and practical considerations like readability and production.

With this knowledge, you can move from subjective preferences towards strategic colour choices your target audience would love and would align with your brand’s goals.

When you’re ready to bring your carefully crafted, colour-conscious designs to life and ensure they look as impactful in print as on-screen, explore professional label printing solutions. For dependable results honouring your design intent, consider checking out the options available at the Triton Store. Remember, a well-designed label with quality printing can make all the difference on a competitive shelf.