Direct Mail Envelope Colors

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Why You Should Care About the Color of Direct Mail Marketing Envelopes

When it comes to business marketing, advertising executives use color psychology to help sell products and services. Brands perform research and studies to learn how people perceive certain colors and how they react to different color combinations. Marketers from all industries want to see how their target audience responds to different colors so they can more effectively market to certain demographics.

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How To Use Each Color in Direct Mail Marketing

Individual colors promote a different feeling or response as shown below:

Blue

Out of all the available envelope colors, blue is the most popular color for direct mail marketing. Color psychology suggests blue represents trustworthiness and professionalism. In addition, more than half of all Americans say blue is their favorite color. When designing 4-color direct mail envelopes, keep in mind that men respond strongly to it while it doesn’t do quite as well with females. Plus, blue has been shown to suppress appetites so this may not be your best option if you are marketing a food product or restaurant.

Red

Red is generally perceived as being an exciting, bold and risky color as well as romantic and amorous. It also draws the eye more than any other color. In addition,  it increases appetites when combined with yellow (picture any fast food logo!). Since red is such a draw, use it sparingly for accents and emphasis instead of being your main color.

Yellow

Yellow is an ideal choice for direct mail marketing envelopes if you want to generate happiness and optimism. On the other hand, it can be quite tiresome to read for long periods of time so use it as an accent color instead of your main tint.

Green

Green is effective for direct mail marketing messages related to health and safety or growth. It traditionally signifies abundance, money and healing but it also represents recycling and environmentalism. In general, it is a calming color that puts people at ease when they receive your direct mail message.

Black and White

These two colors are in almost every design so be strategic with their use. Black can be seen as a power color but it can also represent evil. White is often associated with purity while also striking some people as being sterile or cold. When used together without a more prominent color, black and white can be boring to view so balance their use with other elements of  visual interest.

Purple

Purple is a color choice that divides men and women. While most women respond well to purple, men tend to have a negative reaction to it so use purple in campaigns that mainly target women.

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Another Option for Colored Direct Mail Envelopes are 4-Color Designs

The addition of 4-color designs adds dynamic color to direct mail envelopes. The use of 4-color designs on an envelope surface brings attention to your direct mail piece and creates an engaging look and feel. Using industry-leading printing process and High-quality inkjet equipment lets Graphic Solutions Group achieve beautiful results that get the attention of potential customers. Plus, you can add extra finishing options such as foil stamping, embossing, or debossing to enhance the final look of your design.

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Now that you know the psychology of color use with direct mail envelopes, you are ready to choose the colors that best represent your brand with a 4-color envelope design.

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