I’ve always been struck at the degree to which a subtle shift in color, hue, saturation or tone can greatly alter the feeling behind an image and the emotion it carries.
When I taught English in rural Japan in my mid-twenties, I became obsessed with photography. I loved walking through the village and mountain passes with my Nikon D40 and trusty 50mm 1.4.
As one of my early self-taught projects, I started a photo series focused on Japanese coffee cans. I honestly just thought they were fun.
And coffee can vending machines were everywhere, an absolute rainbow of color and flavor options (most of them not so great if you’re a coffee aficionado, but still cool to look at). I decided to photograph several of these cans and try to evoke the color scheme/emotion behind the can, pairing it with a background and composition that I felt really fit the can. So, without further ado, I give you the Japanese Coffee Can.
Green | Georgia Green Tea Blend
A sweet, green tea-flavored coffee. A bright green can project freshness, earthiness and well-being.
Blue | Georgia Emerald Mountain Blend
A pretty can! Blue is supposed to evoke honesty, trust, authority and gentle intelligence. Does it do that in a coffee can? This one with the mountains in the background also projects a sense of wonder and freedom, a love of the outdoors.
Red: Wonda “Morning Shot”
Wasn’t my favorite blend (about 90 percent sugar and cream) but it stands out with a bold, solid-red color. Red, the color of energy, passion, desire. Here it’s paired with the words “morning shot,” a bold, vibrant start to your day.
White/Silver: Boss Select Cafe
My favorite blend of all (I actually drank this quite a bit). It screams bold, masculine. Tastes of dark chocolate and has a chalky mouthfeel. The likeness of a man smoking a pipe sits near the logo. (Worth Googling, this brand notoriously features photos of Tommy Lee Jones staring off into the distance).
Rainbow: Boss Rainbow Mountain Blend
The rainbow, across many cultures, evokes a sense of success, luck, fortune — and today diversity and acceptance.
Gold: Boss Classic
Gold. This one isn’t being subtle — it’s mean to evoke wealth and prosperity (there’s a giant f’n gold coin on it). It has that same masculine Boss character smoking a pipe in the manliest way possible.
Black: Boss Black
Lastly, Boss Black. No sugar. Given canned coffee really isn’t anything to write home about — this honestly tastes like they canned some overly strong Bunn coffee from a Waffle House. But it’s got a great jet black can.
Color has meaning, and in many cases, these meanings are universal. Colors evoke deep feelings and desires with in us, and they can be brought out subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) but competent designers.
I was glad to revisit this series for this blog. It’s been sitting in a Facebook album for years — but this video made me think of it again.
As you experience design in your daily life, pay attention to the colors. How do they make you feel? What do you think the designer intended? Did it work? It’ll make for an interested next trip to the super market (or konbini).
