By Sara Lavenduski, Promogram, ASI
Color is a powerful force. According to health site Verywell, studies in the field of color psychology have found generally that shades of red often evoke passion, energy and power in people’s psyches, but also anger and aggression. Yellow, meanwhile, conjures up feelings of warmth and brightness, but its intensity can also stimulate nerves.
Meanwhile, blue, traditionally the color of sadness, can also bring comfort, stability and calm. And this year, it’s making a comeback, which is creating opportunity for promotional product firms.
With our collective teeth on edge in 2020, people are looking for stability and bliss in the few places they can actually control: their home environments and wardrobes. An article by ARTnews reports that people are repainting their home office walls to more comforting tones as they prepare to continue remote work for the foreseeable future in the midst of COVID.
“Any interior gets monotonous when inhabited 24/7,” writes Kyle Chayka. “Paint offers a way to dramatically alter your space without the need to break your bubble by bringing a professional into your home. Like exercise equipment manufacturers and sweatpants designers, house paint companies have been booming during the pandemic.”
According to ARTnews, paint companies report that customers want blue, which connotes much-needed feelings of productivity, stability and calm. Greens are also experiencing a resurgence – while it’s the classic tone of envy, this year it suggests nature, rest, good health, safety and luck. Among other popular hues are organic, nature-inspired neutrals and some pinks, yellows and purples, many of them glossy, for added energy and optimism.
Distributors would do well to consider these trending tones for work-from-home kits, virtual swag gift boxes and company programs. Alan Vaught, CEO of Top 40 supplier Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840), says he and his team took a deep dive into their offerings and how they could best position themselves for a long-lasting pandemic.
“We did a critical evaluation of our current product line and what we could acquire or design and develop,” he says. “As we identified key products, color choices were of the utmost importance in our evaluations and marketing.”