“It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to color is rapidly becoming outdated,” said Maartje Hendrickx, market development manager, GNT. “As a service provider, innovation has always been in our DNA, and this trailblazing project enables us to help customers find the cutting-edge coloring solutions they need to strengthen their market position and reach new audiences.”

Created alongside professional semioticians, The Power of Color explores the ways in which color sends out messages on a conscious and subconscious level. For an inside-out perspective, it uses psychology to explore consumer motivations. It examines the tensions that drive product and brand choices, such as the desire for pleasurable yet permissible food and drink.

The second phase uses semiotics to provide an outside-in perspective, showing how color can help to deliver on these motivations and needs. Color codes and cues create a variety of meanings across different cultures, categories, and situations. For example, color can indicate how to navigate situations and guide decision-making, as in the case of food nutrition labels. It can also signal personal identity, whether through fashion, cosmetics, or even food and drink. Colors evoke moods and emotions, too – red is seen as energizing, while yellow is associated with joy.

Together, these two perspectives allow brands to build a comprehensive understanding of how color can be used to cater to different consumer needs and create a compelling narrative.

“Color can send out any number of messages about brands and products,” said Jill Janssen, GNT’s Power of Color lead. “It might signal a moment of blissful escapism, tell stories about origins and process, showcase powerful ingredients, or help to highlight healthy formulations. The Power of Color helps brands think about color in a new way, delving deeper than ever before into its cultural power while also exploring the psychology behind color trends.”