When it comes to fashion, the web site Quora states “Color blocking isn’t for the faint of heart…or for the short of stature.” Happily neither of these cautions apply for retailers wanting to use color blocking in window and store displays —  good news for those of you, who like me, are not very tall!

What is color blocking? Quora defines it as taking bold opposites on the color wheel (i.e. complementary colors), and putting them together for the widest contrast possible. Since primary colors on the color wheel are red, blue and yellow; secondary colors are purple (a mixture of blue/red), green (yellow/blue), and orange (red/yellow).  The optimal color block scheme would be to take a red, mix it with a green, and add a third color, according to Quora.

A simpler view of color blocking would be the use of bold colors that work together to make a visual statement. For true color blocking the colors should be contrasting/complementary, in other words be across from each other on the color wheel. (Here is a tutorial in case you’ve forgotten your basic color theory — which is something every visual merchandiser should be familiar with.)

But window and merchandise displays often take the approach that color blocking means that every color of the spectrum should be represented.  In this case the use of the color wheel makes sure that the degree of saturation is consistent, i.e. a bright red instead of a pink to set off a true blue, green and yellow (as in the sample above). Often spectrum/rainbow order is used for the colors, which is pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes color blocking also is used to describe the use of different gradients of the same tone. If you have a window of all orange products, for example, you could have both light and dark orange as long as they were within the same range of orange hues on the spectrum.

The advantage of paying attention to color blocking in your windows and store displays is that color is a strong influence on shoppers. Studies have found that the optimal color order for items available in many different hues will increase sales significantly. You may need to experiment a bit to get your use of colors and color blocking to work well — but it will be worth it. For examples of current color usage, take a look at my Pinterest color blocking board as well as fashion and lifestyle magazines.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder