Survey
An in-person survey was conducted to gauge consumer recognition of Clemson Orange when compared to other orange swatches of varying shades. Participants were asked to identify Clemson Orange from a lineup of four orange swatches taken from a Pantone Coated book (see Figure 3). Pantone 165 was chosen to represent Clemson Orange because it has been the school’s designated color for longer than Pantone 1595. Although it would have allowed for a larger sample size, an online survey was not used because color may appear differently from screen to screen due to calibration differences.
As seen in Figure 4, the survey consisted of 29 participants, 19 of which identified as female and 10 which identified as male. Additionally, 16 of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 25, eight were between 30 and 35 years of age, and five were 40 years or older.
Results & Discussion
After collecting the spectral data, the total average Delta E of all samples was found to be 7.21 Delta E from Pantone 165 and 5.82 Delta E from Pantone 1595. As previously stated, Pantone 165 is acceptable for spot color applications, whereas Pantone 1595 is better suited for process color. Therefore, the data can be further analyzed by assuming the spot color samples were matched to 165, and the CMYK samples were matched to 1595. Subsequently, the average Delta E of all spot samples from Pantone 165 was found to be 4.67 with a maximum of 7.37 Delta E. The average of all process samples from Pantone 1595 was 4.92 Delta E with a maximum of 11.41. The data is broken down further by printing process in Figure 5.
Generally, the smallest perceptible color difference to the human eye is said to be 1.0 Delta E. Acceptable tolerances for printing are often set between 2.0 and 3.0 Delta E. However, higher tolerances may be allowed depending on the customer and process (Huda, 2017). As seen in Figure 5, flexography had the lowest Delta Es and digital had the highest. Additionally, for flexography and lithography, the process color samples had lower Delta Es than the spot color samples. This may be due to how bright and vibrant Pantone 165 is; it might be more easily contaminated and darken on-press. The data seems to support this theory. When looking at the L*a*b* data for the spot Delta E, the averaged values were all negative: L* -5.40, a* -5.18, b* -8.32. This shows a general decrease in lightness and saturation. Alternatively, the spot sample Delta Es could be higher because process color must be tightly controlled, whereas spot inks are simply poured into the press and printed as solids. This may lead to a lack of measurement and control for spot inks due to the assumption that they are already within tolerance.
Survey
After completing an in-person survey, the results showed that 45 percent of participants correctly selected Pantone 165 as true Clemson Orange (see Figure 6). Furthermore, 34 percent of participants chose Pantone 158, and 21 percent of participants chose Pantone 1655, while nobody chose Pantone 151. This is likely because Pantone 151 had the largest Delta E from Pantone 165 (7.51), and therefore the most visually obvious color difference from Clemson Orange.
Of the participants who could not correctly identify Clemson Orange, the majority chose Pantone 158. This may be because 158 had the smallest Delta E from Pantone 165 (4.26). Additionally, Pantone 158 is visually darker and less saturated than 165. As previously discussed, Pantone 165 may tend to darken and desaturate on press, which could be why participants chose 158. However, Pantone 1595 (Clemson Orange’s alternate brand color) is also darker and less vibrant than Pantone 165. Without further analysis, it is impossible to determine which of these factors was causing disruption of consumer recognition for Clemson Orange.
Conclusion
Regarding commercially sold printed products containing Clemson Orange, the data showed that the flexographic samples had the lowest Delta Es when compared to offset lithographic and digital samples. Furthermore, samples produced using spot colors tended to have higher Delta Es across all printing processes. This may be due to Pantone 165’s predisposition to darken and desaturate on press. Additional research is required to confirm this theory.
A survey to gauge consumer recognition of Clemson Orange showed that less than half of Clemson students and fans could identify Clemson Orange from the swatch lineup. Due to several factors, further analysis is required to determine a single cause for the misidentification.
References
Carassi, M. (2016). Does the standardization of advertising for a global brand significantly improve its consumer-based brand equity?(Order No. 10024529). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1769837325). Retrieved from libproxy.clemson.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.clemson.edu/docview/1769837325?accountid=6167
Ridgway, J. L. (2011). Brand personality: Consumer’s perceptions of color used in brand logos (Order No. 1521049). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1114502638). Retrieved from libproxy.clemson.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.clemson.edu/docview/1114502638?accountid=6167
Defining and Communicating Color: The CIELAB System. Sappi Fine Paper North America (2013). Retrieved from cdn-s3.sappi.com/s3fs-public/sappietc/Defining and Communicating Color.pdf
Schuessler, Z. Delta E 101. Retrieved from http://zschuessler.github.io/DeltaE/learn/
Huda, M. (2017). Defining a Realistic Pass/Fail Tolerance: X-Rite Blog. Retrieved from www.xrite.com/blog/tips-to-define-tolerances
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