Pathos and Color

Color vs. B&W
1 Color vs Black & White
Changes in Hue, Saturation and Brightness
1 Color Variations

While flipping through the RCL course book today, I came across a section dedicated to explaining how pathos can be generated through many different sources, some of which I’d never considered. Obviously, we can find visual pathos in photos and other media sources (ever seen that tear-jerker SPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan and the one paraplegic pets?). But a large portion of this chapter considers the pathos of color.

I guess the idea of colors having emotional associations isn’t far fetched. I’ve heard of schools painting classrooms different colors to try to improve students’ moods and learning abilities, and of restaurants avoiding the use of blue plates because apparently blue suppresses appetite. But the book says that our emotional associations with colors are individually and, even for each person, are not fixed; rather, they depend on the context in which an individual sees the colors. The examples in the book are black and white, so I couldn’t really test myself on how the two color variations of the poster shown influence my response to its message. Instead, I decided to try it out myself.

My favorite cereal, Fruitty Pebbles, uses bright coloration to attract kids’ attention. So it makes sense that it probably wouldn’t be in their best interest to advertise in black and white. Just look at the picture I’ve posted. Which would you rather eat? If you’re like me (and you’re attracted to all things rainbow), you’ll definitely pick the one on the left.

But what about variations in coloration? The book mentions that to analyze and use color rhetorically, we use our cultural knowledge and our perception of hue, saturation and brightness. I decided to try changing around these aspects of the coloration of the cereal bowl picture a little, and seeing what effect these changes had on my appetite for the picture. Take a look for yourself at the second picture. Personally, I prefer the picture on the left still. The crisp, white color of the milk in that version is what sold me.

The use of visual pathos is not always as obvious as it is in the McDonald’s commercial with the group of forever-smiling children who’ve just been handed their Happy Meals. When we see are shown emotion, we usually feel similar emotions in response because we know these emotions ourselves. Less obvious sources of pathos, like color choice, are important advertising devices that, if used correctly, can be powerful rhetorical tools.

One of my career interests, consumer behavior research, is actually very concerned with this topic. Believe it or not, the majority of snap judgments made about products are based on color alone. When it comes to picking the best color, predicting consumer reaction to the correctness of color for a particular product is even more important than the color itself. For instance, if you know John Deere tractor owners buy the product in order to feel rugged, you would stray away from the pink sparkle edition when designing that product.

When designing products or advertisements, in order to analyze the use of colors, it might be tempting (and maybe at times, helpful) to identify the emotions or bodily responses you yourself feel. Yet you must be alert to how the differing backgrounds of others might influence their responses. In other words, as with all rhetorical interactions, you must be cognizant of your audience.

 

1. “White Fruity Pebbles | Jamba Juice Secret Menu – #SecretMenuholic.”#SecretMenuholic.

Secretmenuholic.com, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.

4 thoughts on “Pathos and Color

  1. I’ve always been really interested in advertising. I remember hearing somewhere that the orange, yellow, red, earthy colors induced hunger and that’s why restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King put out their big red, orange, and yellow signs to attract more customers. I wonder what you think about the ethics of influencing the actions of people with advertising tactics like color association and, similarly I think, subliminal advertising, considering you are pursuing a career in the field. Is it ethical to put ideas in someone’s head or force them to make associations that will lead to their buying oyur product?

  2. I found this very interesting to think about. I mean it makes perfect sense that colors would attract more people and make them buy more products from that company. But then I thought about it even more and the golden arches with the bright red background and realized how every big name company has a colorful logo. Is the reason that companies make it or fail as simple as the colors they use to represent themselves.

  3. This blog post reminds me a lot of a project a friend of mine presented towards the end of my junior year in my AP Language and Composition class. The assignment was to write a large-scale research paper about a topic of your choice, as well as to write many creative pieces, such as poems or memoirs, affiliated with that topic. The assignment was topped off with a presentation to the class. One student, who was particularly interested in psychology, did a presentation about how colors are specifically chosen in advertisements to affect the audience in certain ways. She focused on how colors like blue are very calming, while bright colors like red or yellow excite and stimulate the brain. I never really thought about this as an appeal like you did, so it was interesting to analyze it from another perspective. I already had some knowledge about the scientific aspect of color, but I never really considered the emotional aspect as well. I think you hit it right on the head.

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