The relationship between colour and product personality

Abstract

The author designed and carried out an experiment designed to test two null hypotheses: H01: All colours favour the amplification of each dimension of product personality. H02: Colours favour the amplification of product personality dimensions regardless of the product on which they are displayed. The OCEAN (“Big Five”) personality model was applied in experiment and also it was considered that the personality congruence theory is true. The experiment was run with 232 students, using as products a watering can and a vacuum cleaner, and as colours – the six classic colours of the colour wheel, three achromatic colours and three outstanding focal colours. Hypothesis H01 was rejected and hypothesis H02 could not be rejected. Apart from scientific conclusions, experimental results can be used by designers to identify colours that favour a certain product personality dimension.