By Vanessa Doll

Color plays a major role in how consumers perceive CPG food packaging at shelf. Different colors can signal taste, freshness, health, energy, quality, or premium positioning before a shopper reads a single word. In this article, we explore the long-withstanding and ever-changing meaning behind common colors used in CPG food package design.

Red signals attention, taste appeal, and excitement

Red is one of the strongest attention-grabbing colors in food packaging, which is why it has become a mainstay in dairy, dog kibble, hot sauces, frozen pizza, and, of course, cola. In food, red often conveys taste appeal, energy, passion, and excitement. The list of red in food is long because it naturally stands out and creates strong emotional associations around eating.

The downside is that red is pretty well-covered territory. Because so many food brands already use it, finding a unique way to own red can be quite challenging. For brands entering a crowded category, the opportunity may be less about using red and more about finding a distinctive way to make it feel like your own.

Orange brings energy and joy to food packaging

Orange can be a strong alternative to red because it evokes similar feelings of energy, warmth, and joy. It can also quickly become associated with citrus or fruit, though, which may not be appropriate for every product. This is especially important in the pet category, where citrusy or fruity cues are not necessarily appetizing ingredients for critters.

For brands looking for a more approachable and energetic shelf presence, orange can create separation from the traditional red food palette, but its success depends heavily on the category and the other visual cues used alongside it.

Yellow communicates freshness, health, and buttery flavors

Yellow is a strong contender in the better-for-you category and can have significant impact on the shelf. The color also works well for pet foods because it is memorable and carries a lot of energy.

Like red, though, yellow can become overly saturated in a particular category, such as peanut butter. Using yellow for a new product can sometimes feel a little “copycat,” especially in specific aisles where consumers already expect the color.

Green reinforces natural, organic, and sustainable positioning

Green is strongly associated with eco-friendly, organic, and healthy positioning. It occasionally communicates flavor in food packaging, but that is more typical for candy or artificially flavored foods. Because green is not generally considered appetizing on its own, it often works best as an accent color that communicates a product benefit.

For brands strategically built around sustainability or organic positioning, green can become a much more dominant part of the visual identity. Floods of green can reinforce those messages and make the connection between the brand and its environmental or natural credentials immediately recognizable.

Blue creates opportunities in human and pet food packaging

Blue is a tricky color in food packaging. Brands like Pepsi, Rice Krispies, many cereals, and Oreos have helped dominate the blue space, and today’s modern consumer can associate it with sweet treats or artificial flavoring. Blue can also communicate flavor in berry and pasta categories, giving it more flexibility depending on the product.

Blue is becoming increasingly popular in pet food, particularly dog kibble. A wide range of blues can be found in the category, from pastel teals to darker, deeper blues. Blue still has a way to go in human food, but that relative openness could make it an exciting place to explore new opportunities.

Purple adds sophistication, flavor, and an exotic quality

Purple can communicate grape and berry flavors or cue a scent, making it useful in certain categories, particularly fresh. It also carries associations with sophistication and regalness, which helps explain why we see it in coffee, chocolate, and tea. Purple can feel exotic, too, giving it some legs for emerging categories.

For brands looking to create a more distinctive or elevated presence, purple can offer an interesting balance between flavor cues and premium positioning.

Black and white create flexible premium and value cues

Black and white are often grouped together because their roles in the consumer’s mind continue to shift. At one point, white was strongly associated with value or private label, while black spoke to premium. Today, white appears more often on luxury and single-ingredient products, while black has started to creep into value-based and private-label lines.

Using black or white alongside another color can be one way to navigate that back-and-forth. Rather than relying on either color to communicate a single message, combining them with stronger category or brand cues can help create a more distinctive and intentional package.

Now you’ve tasted the rainbow… what color best communicates your brand?

Interested in learning more about the power of color? Check out this article.

Want to go deeper into color theory? The Interaction of Color by Josef Albers is a great resource.

Vanessa is Partner & Director of Relationships at Freshmade. From bar owner to account lead, strategist to agency owner, she’s spent years in the trenches with leading CPG brands modernizing and optimizing their positioning to maximize growth.

Freshmade is a CPG Branding and Strategy Design agency focusing on food branding and package label design. We design for digital, from campaigns to websites, and have an in-house photography studio. Our goal is to accelerate growth for our clients through mouthwatering, thoughtful brand building and design. Notable clients we have designed CPG packaging for include Bolthouse Fresh, Evolution Fresh, Hartz, Publix, Mastronardi (Sunset), Annie Chun’s, Factor, and many more