Cognitive process of colour code

Choices may either be international, fashion-based or made by chance every day of our lives.

In a world where words become emoticons and gestures become words, choosing a colour becomes a communication tool; many brands have created their identities using this concept and have considered that use of colour within their design process: Apple is one of the most famous brands that have distinguished themselves for their colour choices in the electronic product field.

from the significant colour…

in a context where electronic products used to be grey, black or white and PCs were used for professional pourposes only, in the late’90s, Apple anticipated what is now quite common: the use of PCs in leisure time; saturared colours on IMacs highlighted the fact that Apple was different from their competitors, thereafter creating the slogan “Think Different”.

Just like all communication tools, colour can also be misunderstood: the creator of Pritt Stick, for example, was inspired while watching a woman apply lipstick; none of its customers would ever use it as a lipstick obviously, nonetheless, the red colour allowed the Pritt Stick to become immediately recognizable.

We can read articles about the meaning of colour but , in reality its true meaning is given by our personal experience and therefore by imagination: researchers have shown that if something to drink is given to a person in different colours, the taste experience will change depending on the shade of the colour.

….to the Cognitive bias

This mechanism is a model that is used by our minds to semplify reality and it is called Cognitive bias: this method of distorsion of reality is used as a base for Artificial Intelligence to simulate the elaboration mechanism of human thinking processes.

Is it correct to make decision based on Cognitive bias? Surely not, because in this case, decisions would be made with prejudice that is passed on and will influence lifetime choices; the only way to have a free mind is to recognize and abandon bias.

The language of colour

Colour is an invisible language that only exists with the presence of light and it becomes meaningful based on images; Trend Forecasters try to translate the collective images into chromatic palettes with the attempt to anticipate the client’s preferences.

These studies very often either become micro-trends that last just a few months or never become a trend; for example, in my opinion, to refer to the year that has just begun as being the classic blue year is the media’s way to create a collective bias towards designers.

In the future using algorithms based on AI that will allow the filtering of a large amount of data taken from personal preferences through e-commerce or through the web, Trend Forecasters will have the necessary tools to make precise decisions regarding possible market developments.

Although recognizing a colour seems to be simple, the same thing cannot be said of its meaning which continues to be modified during life, teaching people to appreciate different ways of perceiving reality. This also stimulates lateral thinking which means finding creative solutions that make people feel positive and see the future optimistically.

Written by Davide Lombardi – Senior Designer

Italian version