Out-of-the-blue Names of Paint Colors

Abstract

Names of products play a significant role in their marketing, and are designed to express images with which buyers can identify. Manufacturers therefore pay close attention to their product names in order to maximize sales and to distinguish their products from those of competitors. The meaning of a product name would appear to be a crucial factor in its choice. A product designed for a specific consumer would benefit from a transparent or trendy name recognized and appreciated by the intended buyer. However, this tenet does not seem to apply to paint color names. Often these names tend to be enigmatic. This paper investigates the color names of 10 paint manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand. More than 10,700 color names were collected, classified, and quantitatively analyzed. The majority of names had enigmatic labels. The reasons for this are explored.

Keywords:

• paint color names
• product names
• marketing

Acknowledgments

I should like to thank David Blair and Iman Nick for reading and commenting on a draft of this article. My thanks also to staff of the four paint manufacturers who responded to my enquiries regarding their color naming practices. Finally, my gratitude must also go to the anonymous reviewers. All errors and omissions are mine.

Notes

1. LGBTQIA “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual”. For an explanation of these terms see <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-07/sexuality-gender-glossary-definitions/7287572>.

2. It is unclear as to what the “personality” of a color is.

3. Company officers contacted admitted to having databases of color names from their competitors.

4. It is unclear what is meant by “things and emotions”.

5. The latter may not be possible, because the color name may be too opaque to provide any hint of its naming motivation.

6. In other words, metonymical names.

7. k.o. “kind of”.

8. This is clearly a pun on the color blue and the expression of Australian genuineness.

9. This is a nicely ambiguous name. It could refer to a very salubrious and upmarket harborside suburb and bay in Sydney, or it could refer to a neutral shade of the color bay.

10. These categories should not be seen as subcategories of the typology employed.

11. It is interesting to see that few of these companies get their French grammar correct. Is this done consciously?