Monday, July 20, 2015

website design - reasoning behind black and white color scheme of perfume sites


In preparation for an upcoming project, I've been looking over a lot of different sites for high end perfumes and/or high fashion. Noticed that most of them (at least the perfume ones) have almost the same look and feel. I like the sparseness and simplicity of them, but the color schemes drive me nuts. I'm wondering if there are any scientific underpinnings of this trend? I mean ANY. I find them so off-putting it's not even funny, but I'll have to work closely with fairly high ranking company rep and keep a straight face.


EDIT: B&W


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Answer



I can't tell you about scientific reasoning, but as someone who spends a lot of time browsing perfume sites, my guess is that it's to emphasize the bottle and perfume.


The design of the bottle is as much a selling factor as what the perfume smells like. You may have differences among lines, but generally, a brand has a look, and a family, so that you know what you're picking up before you even smell it. (Perfume makers also have reputations and brands, so if you like one scent by Olivia Giacobetti you may like others, but that's not a design issue.)


Examples of brand lines:


L'Artisan


The Different Company


Boadicea the Victorious


The color of the bottle, the label, the liquid itself are all part of the selling experience. Marketing copy emphasizes how the thick solid bottles of TDC feel good in your hand and are refillable, while Comme des Garçons has smaller, daintier bottles because their product costs a third of the price of TDC's.


A minimalist monochrome website design emphasizes the product. I'm thinking that several companies figured this out independently, and the rest followed suit because it worked.



(I note with amusement that Lucky Scent, the website for all those links, does not have a monochrome scheme.)


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