OUGD401 Colour associations for children

Colour associations for children:

http://nursery.about.com/od/Color-Palettes/a/Color-Psychology.htm

In general, warm colours elicit happiness and comfort, creating intimacy. Bold shades of red, orange and yellow can stimulate the mind.

Rich and highly emotive, red excites and energises the body, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and respiration.

Universally loved by little girls, pink evokes empathy and femininity and creates a calming atmosphere.

Bright and cheery, yellow is associated with happiness and motivation. Soft, subtle yellows promote concentration while brighter shades can stimulate the memory and increases metabolism. 

Orange has a distinctly social nature, inspiring interpersonal communication and putting people at ease. Like yellow, too much orange can be over-stimulating so use bold shades sparingly.

Despite their soothing nature, cool colours are not particularly inviting and can leave people feeling cold and reserved if the atmosphere is too stark.

The exact opposite of red on the colour wheel, blue calms the mind and body, lowering blood pressure, heart rate and respiration and decreasing feelings of anxiety and aggression.

Associated with wisdom and spirituality, purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red, taking on the characteristics of either, depending on the shade. Purple can also have a luxurious feel and is associated with wealth and royalty.


Green symbolises nature and thus promotes a serene and calming environment. Associated with health, healing and well being, green has a soothing effect on the body and mind, reducing anxiety and promoting concentration.

This information has been really useful to determine what colour to use within my packaging I think im going to try and utilise purple as its associated with luxury this might make whats inside the box appeal that it is a higher quality or better than the Kellogg's brand. Choco Rice already uses yellow I might still see how I can incorporate that into the design seen as it creates a happy mood. I think I will try to use brown although I don't know how children feel about it, it is heavily associated with chocolate which might bring more of an appeal to the cereal.