During a recent training event I was talking to an ex cement salesman who used a picture of a brick wall to demonstrate the power of colour. The wall was an amazing mosaic of different colours and patterns. The person asked how many different coloured bricks were used in the design. Various answers came back: five, ten, twenty. The answer was actually one. Once revealed, this ‘trick of the eye’ was simple. It wasn’t the bricks that were different colours, it was the mortar.
Likewise, while studying for a product design qualification many years ago I was taught to always spray prototypes light grey before presenting them to clients. The idea was that by applying a nondescript colour the client was more likely to appraise the product’s form and function without being distracted by a colour they either liked or disliked.
Given that colour has the ability to delight and annoy in equal amounts, it is hardly surprising that an entire global industry exists to help people manage their colour choices well.
Assuming a company’s marketing department has researched their customers well and their designers have translated the findings into the perfect colour choice, all the people involved in reproducing the final product should be duty bound to upholding the highest standards of colour management.
Whether its calibrating a screen, profiling a print engine or manually mixing an spot ink, attention to detail is the answer.
Jon Barrett, Editor
How many of your customers have asked about the carbon footprint of your printing service?
