Have students brainstorm situations and ideas that are equally as impressive in black and white as they are in colour. Some things are created in black and white for purposes of impact but in most situations it is colour that creates impact.

Colour trends are forecast for designers, manufacturers, architects, stylists and retailers at the beginning of every year.

Have students review resources that predict trends in colour and locate evidence to support their findings. Organizations such as The Colour Association of the USA develop these forecasts. Acrylic and latex paint colours (house paints) are one type of colour that can be researched to detect trends.

Have the students research the effect that packaging colour has on consumers and the choices consumers make when buying a product. (For example, in a survey conducted by The Colour Institute of America to discover consumer preferences, the following findings were uncovered: When the same detergent was packed in three differently coloured boxes, consumers were asked for their opinion of the product. Each group had different a opinion as to the cleaning properties of the product it had been using. The detergent in the yellow box was too strong, the blue box left the clothes looking dirty but the multi-coloured box worked well.)

Have students conduct a similar survey with a product that is of interest to them.

Contact consumer organizations or research consumer publications to determine the findings of similar research.

Have the students develop testing methods to determine the emotions that colours affect. Some points to consider when conducting consumer tests:

• Colours may produce predicable results. For most people:
  • Blue and pink calm and relax
  • Red creates excitement
  • Orange says affordable
  • Yellow says caution
• Colour can increases sales
  • Substantial increases in consumer product recognition usually occur when colour advertising is used instead of black and white.
• Colour Conditions Response
  • Some colours can cause consumers to make product judgements that are not true. In a study of ice creams, a darker brown ice cream was more chocolatey and richer while the lighter coloured ice cream was creamier. Both products were identical except for the amount of food colouring added.
• Colour Differentiates
  • The more colour the better. Full colour advertisements usually gain better response than two colour ads.
• Colour Pays Dividends
  • Although ads using colour are more expensive to produce than black and white, the results of using colour usually far exceed the cost.
• Colour Improves Comprehension and Recall
  • Retention and comprehension improve dramatically when colour is used. Have students prepare a survey for other students using books that have black and white copy with those that have colour, then measure the results of the survey to see which has better acceptance.