Something as simple as the choice of color a marketer uses on their product could affect a person’s decision to buy the company’s merchandise.

Melissa Woodall, sophomore illustration major, is examining marketer’s color choices to use on their merchandise and the effect it has on consumers through color psychology in her Research Rookies project.

Color psychology is the effect a certain color has on a person’s emotions, moods and behavior.

Woodall and Steve Ciampaglia, assistant professor of art and design education, will focus mainly on how marketers use color psychology to influence adolescents.

“She also is exploring the perspective of educators toward the use of these marketing methods,” Ciampaglia said.

Woodall said she is reading and analyzing art, marketing and educational literature, and conducting interviews as well as examining prior findings on the subject of brands and adolescents.

“Previous research has shown that creating brands that attract teens, tweens, and even younger children has become a major focus by marketers, and that the use of branding has had a serious impact on the Western youth,” Woodall said. “Previous research has also shown that color has a significant influence on our decisions when buying products.”

However, the previous research with the use of color psychology in marketing and its effects on adolescents are unclear.

“The goal of this project is to bridge the gap between marketing and color psychology and examine the effects the relationship has on adolescents,” Woodall said. “I expect to discover that marketing has a significant impact on adolescents through the use of color psychology, and that there are considerable differences between the views of a marketer and an educator regarding this topic.”