“White isn’t a colour – neither is black!” You may have heard that before, and it may well be true from a scientific perspective. Neither white nor black are in the rainbow of spectrum colours we often see (nor is pink or brown!). However, for those living in the real world, if you are like me, you will have white on your walls, in your wardrobe and in your kitchen! From a promotional merchandise perspective, white is a very important colour – but more of that later.
As I write, in the latest editions of Roald Dahl’s books, several words and phrases have been amended, including Mary in the BFG, no longer going ‘as white as a sheet’. She now remains ‘as still as a statue’.
I mention this, not to comment about the rights or wrongs of this change to Dahl’s body of work, but simply to reflect on the power of colour, in this case the cultural and historical meanings of white.
White is an extremely powerful and influential colour in all parts of society. From a religious perspective, you only need to think of the pope in his dazzling white robes and skull cap (that some think comes from a very early pope who was previously a Dominican monk and wore the white vestments of that order). The Bible also describes the Holy Spirit in the form of a white dove.
In a similar vein, several people in history are attributed with coining the idea that ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ – Mahatma Gandhi being one of them, but John Wesley used this phrase in a sermon at the end of the 18th Century. It is short step to seeing whiteness inextricably linked to cleanliness (and ideas of purity), although that wouldn’t be an idea to wisely promulgate in modern times.
Queen Victoria is thought to have influenced the idea of a bride wearing white, by wearing that colour herself on her wedding day. This is rather a contentious idea and many other royals and non-royals had worn white dresses over previous centuries, but I don’t think it is a stretch to suggest that her influence over society, at a time when her wedding was just a year after the invention of photography, in 1839, might have played a part. White certainly would stand out better in black and white (or sepia) photographs, and whether there is a valid connection or not, I will leave up to you!
Wimbledon is still a bastion of the colour white, and the clothing demands for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships still mean that players must dress in all white (however, there is this exception “A single trim of colour around the neckline and around the cuff of the sleeves is acceptable but must be no wider than one centimetre (10mm)”.
Does that make a competitor play better? Who knows, but does the colour of the car you drive make you safer? Well, the statistics show silver as the slightly more popular car colour than white, at the top of the charts, but that white is much safer in terms of avoidance of collisions.
White Van Man – is an idea perhaps in contradiction to the above. I will simply quote a definition I found on the internet “an aggressive male driver of a delivery or workman's van (typically white in colour)” I think I will leave that there without further comment!
White is all over the arts, in literature and music: The White Album. Snow White, The Woman in White. I’m dreaming of a White Christmas.
And there are many other phrases which I don’t have time to discuss: White Elephant, White Coat Syndrome, The White Knight, Waving the White Flag, and (little) White Lies.
So how does this relate to Promotional Merchandise?
White is perhaps the most common product I sell. Sometimes in all white (ie earthenware and china mugs and notepads) but often with a colour accent (ie a pen, with a blue trim, or a thermal bottle in white with a red cap, for example).
Many different types of product will have a white option, especially technological-themed items, and this is a great help when it comes to a client’s logo which is in an unusual colour.
White is a great base on which to print a design. Your blue is too bright or teal coloured to find an A5 notebook or tote bag in? Or your purple logo is too different to the standard purple I can offer you? Why not print your exact colour on a white book, bag, umbrella or powerbank?
White will stand out and some merchandise in that colour could look extremely smart, printed with exactly the right design. I would love to have some input in your next campaign, whether it is using white or one of a host of other colours.
For more information on different options for using white in your promotional products please contact us.
