How Fast-Food Chains Utilize Color (2024)

How Fast-Food Chains Utilize Color

Color plays an essential role in our sensory palette. While most people think of taste or touch when they hear the word “food,” sight and color also go a long way. Fast food advertising colors have a major impact on how people feel when they see an ad. Knowing how to use them can be the difference between leading someone to crave the juicy burger they see on their screen and making them lose their appetite.

Colors That Make You Hungry

Using color psychology at a fast-food chain can convince consumers to buy food products. However, only specific hues evoke the desired response. Some of the colors that make people feel hungry include:

• Red: This color can trigger numerous emotions, the first being passion. However, it’s also an attention grabber and stimulates the appetite. Red can make someone feel impulsive, explaining why they might suddenly decide to pop into the chain for a meal.
• Yellow: This color brings about feelings of happiness or comfort, making the customer think about grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying it at a nice location.
• Green: This color appeals more to the conscientious than the impulsive, enticing viewers who are into more natural, “earth-friendly” food.
• Pink: This color is often associated with love and calmness. Incorporating pink into a brand can inform someone that whatever they are going to consume will be relaxing and sweet. However, you have to be careful with pink, as it can also evoke some negative images. This shade might be better for a place selling ready-made pastries.

Colors That Can Make You Lose Your Appetite

There are some colors marketers for fast-food companies will want to avoid. They can decrease appetite and invoke less positive feelings. Some of these include:

• Blue: This color only appears in natural foods sometimes, such as blueberries. Additionally, the color is generally associated with poison or mold, both of which can be harmful or deadly if consumed. Blue would work better in a medical or office setting.
• Brown: This color could remind a person of overcooked meat or something burned. For fast-food restaurants, brown is not necessarily a good choice. However, places specializing in chocolate candy or baked goods can use it safely.
• Purple: This color is uncommon in food, especially for chain restaurants. Since purple was historically associated with royalty or intelligence, professional services are more likely to get a response from it.

Learn How to Take Advantage of Food Color With HunterLab

Measuring color for accurate reproduction is integral to fast-food marketing. At HunterLab, we offer numerous products to help you with food color measurements. Get in touch with us today for more information about our color solutions.