July 22nd, 2010 | 
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Louis Cheskin (1907-1981) Clinical psychologist and famous color researcher. Strategic use of color in branding and packaging — marketing in general — was a concept Cheskin catapulted forward. Studying, implementing, experimenting, observing and then (lucky for us) reporting his findings and opinions in a prolific collection of books is how Cheskin established himself as a Color Expert.
The right colors, truly yours, can be silent music.
The wrong colors will irritate and disturb.
Companies like Ford, Imperial Margarine, Betty Crocker, Tide, and Marlboro depended on Cheskin for spot-on guidance and advice about how to enhance perception of brand through the use of packaging strategies and color. Each client provided Cheskin ample opportunity for research and discovery.
Most notably he defined Sensation Transference. From Wikipedia: “Most people make unconscious assessments of a product, service, or event not only based on the item itself, but on secondary sensory input associated with the item, which all contribute to one general impression – whether intended or not, accurate or not. Cheskin called this sensation transference”.
Or more simply put, the package IS the product.
Color consciously registers faster than text or graphics. Kelly, Rachel and I already knew that but we wanted to further explore Cheskin’s theories and work. He is an integral part of color’s history in branding and marketing — and even color in the built environ. His use of innovative ideas like a Holland Graphometer made him all the more interesting to discuss.
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8 Responses to “Color Expert Louis Cheskin – ColorPodz 13”
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Lori Sawaya, Color Strategist
International Association of
Color Consultants
"Color is a philosophy."
— Frank Mahnke
Multi-Disciplined Color Expert: All that really means is I've worked with color in a bunch of different ways and I don't forget much. If it has to do with color, it tends to stick. Experience including but not limited to: architectural color, graphic design, and study in the arts, metaphysical phenomenon, and earth sciences
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1:07 am on July 23rd, 2010
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Color Strategies, Paula Doelling Lynn. Paula Doelling Lynn said: Color Expert = Louis Cheskin http://www.colorbudz.com/2010/07/color-expert-louis-cheskin-colorpodz-13/ http://fb.me/Fm7huz1h [...]
10:10 pm on July 24th, 2010
Headed to Fl, tomorrow, will definitely be listening to this on my way!
xo
amanda
6:37 pm on July 25th, 2010
Well, hope you’re having some fun in FL, Amanda. Have podcast, will travel. Ya know I’m lovin’ that! :~D
3:44 am on July 30th, 2010
I really enjoyed that; listening to you three talk with such in-depth knowledge on colour is inspiring, so much so, that I played it again, straight afterwards just to make sure that I heard it all. What a great idea, Lori – it feels like we’re sitting around my studio, chatting. Love it.
12:41 am on September 14th, 2010
[...] Louis Cheskin – ColorPodz 13 [...]
5:31 pm on September 26th, 2010
Does anyone know the date of his quote “The right colors…”?
1:04 pm on October 3rd, 2010
I loved this podcast. I have Cheskin’s “How to Color Tune Your Home,” first printing, 1954. It was a library copy in a Veterans Aministration Hospital in Michigan and checked out 18 times between Oct. 1955 and Jan. 1974.
The book includes a color photos of rooms, and 12 color charts, each chart with 25 chips. Each chart has a color theme – greens, blues, warm browns/reds, etc. And each of the rooms corresponds with two color charts. So Interior IV, “warm tone walls” with green/blue furniture is based on Complimentary Color Charts #3 and 9.
There are some interesting points. Like (paraphrasing) if your husband buys lingerie for you on your birthday because he’s aware it’s slimming and enhances your skin tone, he loves you and wants you to look your best. But “if he enjoys looking at black for its own sake, perhaps to the extent of ordering the walls of his room painted black, it is time to call a psychiatrist. Something is seriously wrong.”
Yet still apt today are observations about light and color with ceilings, for example. And he mentions a 40-60 percent LRV generally being appropriate for walls – close to IACCNA guidelines, or at least a starting point.
Sorry this is so long; it was beyond wonderful to find a podcast that so satisfies the information junky in me. Thank you, Lori, Kelly and Rachel.
12:34 pm on February 1st, 2011
Louis and my dad (a commercial artist) worked together at the Hull House in Chicago in the late 1930′s. They were best friends and we visited socially often over the years. When we moved to Missouri in 1945 I wold often stay at their home when I would visit Chicago. In fact in the mid-1950′s I worked for CRI with Louis and Viv, walking the Chicago beaches on Lake Michigan doing visual marketing surveys on Marlboro, Dreft, Parliament, etc., packaging. I’m glad I ran across this. The last time I saw Louis was at his downtown Chicago office while I was attending a medical meeting just weeks before he died.