Anyone in a creative role knows the importance of choosing the right color. From packaging to apparel to consumer products to marketing materials, color can make or break a design. Color can make your marketing message stand out, identify your brand, or segment your products. The wrong color can change consumer perception and quickly move products to the clearance shelf.

If color is so important, why is it so hard to get right in production? What do creatives and their suppliers need to know about color?

For the last 5+ years, I have focused on helping customers overcome challenges in color production. It’s a cornerstone for Colorkarma. I have talked with designers, brand owners, creatives, marketers, printers, dye-houses, suppliers, and manufacturers on this issue. In this and future articles, I want to shed light on the challenges of executing on a creative vision so that designers can improve their relationship with suppliers and bring innovative products to market faster.