A splash of color can draw attention to your direct mail piece and increase brand recognition. But don’t just choose a color palette that appeals to you personally.

Colors have the power to make people feel certain ways, so you’ll want to select hues that reinforce — rather than contradict — your mailer’s message. For example, many Americans associate gold with wealth and prestige, so using that color to promote a low-priced item could confuse your targets. Orange, however, is a playful and vibrant color that can make a product look more affordable.

Meanwhile, if you’re promoting a service related to the environment, using green is a natural choice. Green is already widely linked with eco-friendliness, and the message will come across clearly.

Still, even though Americans have some common color associations, choosing hues can be challenging. Plan to test a few mailers using different colors with small groups before launching a larger campaign. Remember to consistently represent your logo and corporate colors throughout your marketing pieces to strengthen your branding efforts.

3 tips for pairing color with direct mail text and graphics

Once you’ve found some potential hues, consider these tips on pairing color with text and graphics:

1. Text is most legible when its color highly contrasts with the background color. Black on white is the easiest to read. Other legible combinations include black on yellow, red on white and blue on white.
2. Small amounts of color can have big impacts, especially when used to highlight important copy, such as how you’d like targets to respond to your offer. Red does this job particularly well.
3. Using too many colors can make your piece look less sophisticated. Consider creating contrast by using different shades of the same color.

Finally, don’t discount the impact and potential cost savings of using tinted paper. A soft-colored paper can add warmth to your message, for instance. And printing one or two colors on tinted paper may be more cost-effective than using multiple inks on white paper.