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Cultural differences w. color perception (was re:What to do)
Subject:Cultural differences w. color perception (was re:What to do) From:"Richard Burkhart" <richard -at- khanfusion -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 27 Oct 2003 13:27:00 -0800
Branching off from today's topic of editing materials written by non-english
speakers ... Has anyone run across studies on how people from different
cultures view color? I've done websearches and bugged the people at
bookstores - haven't been able to find anything specific.
>From the theoretical standpoint -- the stories are "out there" (you know --
the same way that "statistics show") as to how Coca-Cola had to change the
layout of their cans sold to Muslim nations, because there was a problem
when selling red-packaged merchandise. (I think Coca-Cola changed to green
cans in the middle east).
>From my perspective, when doing layouts for people (in an office that has
Iranian and Pakistani project managers) sometimes the P.M. in question and I
end up in debates about color choices for what I'm producing. I prep
something that "looks right" by my untrained eye (I REALLY need to take some
formal graphics classes), and others in the office say that the layout looks
good. The project manager disagrees, and requests a color that "just ain't
raaiht."
I admit that I have no formal graphics training, unless you count graphics
for TV production. (Yeah, I started in journalism, switched to video
production, and now I'm back in print work.) I have a hard time stating
"this color isn't right for $REASON" when I don't have anything to fill
variable $REASON.
However I've run into this situation a few times, and have had backing from
others who would take my side -- if they or I had any rank in the
organization to do so.
Thanks!
__________________________________
Richard Burkhart, Technical Editor
ADM Associates, Inc.
3239 Ramos Circle
Sacramento, CA 95827-2501
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