Received: 3 July 2019 | Accepted: 24 February 2020
DOI: 10.1002/mar.21348
R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
How you see yourself influences your color preference:
Effects of self‐construal on evaluations of color combinations
Eunmi Jeon1 | Youngjee Han1
| Myungwoo Nam2
1Department of Marketing, School of Business,
Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
Abstract
2Department of Marketing, Scheller College of
Business, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, Georgia
The present study examines the role of self‐construal in the preference for analo-
gous versus complementary color combinations. The majority of previous research
on color has been limited to exploration of single colors. However, designers and
marketers often use a mix of colors whose harmony must be taken into con-
sideration, which includes choosing whether to use colors placed next to each other
on the color wheel (analogous combination) or to combine colors that are opposite
each other (complementary combination). The current study proposes that self‐
construal influences the perception of and preference for color combinations. In-
dividuals with interdependent self‐construals tend to focus on relational similarity
and value harmony, whereas individuals with independent self‐construals tend to
view objects as discrete and disconnected. Accordingly, the authors posited that
individuals with interdependent self‐construals would be more sensitive to the re-
lationship between two colors and perceive analogous colors as more harmonious,
thus preferring brands and products featuring analogous colors to those featuring
complementary colors. Contrariwise, individuals with independent self‐construals
would display indifference in this regard. The hypotheses were confirmed in four
studies employing various colors to form analogous and complementary color
combinations.
Correspondence
Youngjee Han, Department of Marketing,
School of Business, Sungkyunkwan University,
25‐2 Sungkyunkwan‐ro, Jongno‐gu,
Seoul 03063, Korea.
Email: yjhan@skku.edu
K E Y W O R D S
aesthetics, color combination, color marketing, color preference, design, harmony,
self‐construal
Visual design often utilizes multiple color combinations. For example,
the logos of Mastercard, Citibank, and Visa employ trademarked red
and yellow, red and blue, and blue and orange, respectively. Despite
the importance of color combinations, most of the literature on the
effects of color in marketing has focused on individual color values or
hues (Gorn, Chattopadhyay, Yi, amp; Dahl, 1997; Mehta amp; Zhu, 2009).
The present study, however, investigates how consumers evaluate
different types of color combinations. The literature on color
harmony (Moon amp; Spencer, 1944) demonstrated that certain color
combinations are pleasing to individuals and would be viewed
positively. Broadly, there are two different types of color harmonies:
analogous and complementary combinations. For example,
complementary color combinations utilize two colors positioned on
opposite sides of the color wheel (e.g., red and green, yellow, and
blue). The high contrast between complementary colors creates a
vibrant look. An example of a logo with a complementary color
scheme is that of Visa (blue and orange). Contrariwise, analogous
color combinations use colors placed next to each other on the color
wheel, resulting in a composed and laidback design. For example,
the red and yellow in Mastercards logo constitute an analogous
combination.
Do people perceive that certain color combinations are more
attractive and harmonious than others? What individual difference
would affect this preference for color combinations? As Aronoff,
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Psychology amp; Marketing. 2020;1–15.
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mar
copy; 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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JEON ET AL.
Woike, and Hyman (1992) argued, what one perceives as attractive is
influenced by the qualities one values. Current research takes a
similar approach and proposes that preferences for the two types of
color combination depend on ones interests in and sensitivity to
relationships among objects, as the two types of color combinations
are distinguished by the positions of the colors relative to each other.
to other countries such as the United States, Germany, and Australia.
Hurlbert and Ling (2007), on the other hand, found that Chinese
prefer red more than British because red is a symbol of good luck in
China. Madden, Hewett, and Roth (2000) found that the colors blue,
green, and white are all well‐liked across countries and share similar
meanings whereas black and red also received high liking ratings, yet
in many cases, their meanings are considerably different. Bellizzi and
Hites (1992) work on store atmospherics suggests that people prefer
blue rather than red retail environments, finding them more relaxing,
encouraging longer periods of browsing, and greater purchase
intention.
Specifically, the current research identifies self‐construal as
a
factor that influences consumers preference for color combinations
because self‐construal affects the extent to which one focuses
on relationships (Cross, Morris,
amp; Gore, 2002; Lee, Aaker, amp;
Gardner, 2000; Markus amp; Kitayama, 1991).
Research on self‐construal has documented
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