While watching TV this morning, I saw Japanet selling T-Fal frying pans.

Not only is it non-stick, but the handle also has something like a temperature sensor that beeps to let you know when the pan has reached the right temperature for deep-frying or grilling. With this, you'd never think "Oh no... the pan wasn't hot enough yet" after dropping in your food, and it's super handy for stir-fries where you want high heat in a short time!!

It's not that I particularly wanted a frying pan, but I suddenly found myself wanting one.
The power of Japanet~~~!!

The frying pan is impressive, but what I want to talk about today is text color.
While watching that Japanet segment, I noticed that there are certain text colors that always show up in TV shopping programs, Japanet included.

They are:

*Blue for the regular price
*Red for the discounted price
*Yellow to create a sense of premium

.

The price that appears after the product introduction (usually discounted right afterward),

"All of this in one set, for the amazing price of just XXXX yen!"

— that "XXXX yen" is often written in blue, it seems to me.

And then comes:

"What's more, right now it's △△△△ yen off, so just □□□□ yen!! That's cheap, isn't it?" (Discounted after all.)

— and that "□□□□ yen" is in red.

Thinking back on flyers and supermarket POP displays too, special-offer prices are written in red. When a price is written in red, it gives you the feeling at a glance that you're getting a bargain.
We consumers may unconsciously feel that red = a great price.

On top of that, when something premium or limited is involved, such as "Special Customer Appreciation Price," it is often written in yellow (gold).
Seeing that text gives you the same kind of feeling as the discounted price: "I might lose out if I don't buy now!?" or "If I miss this, there may not be another chance..."

And you get that feeling at a glance, without even reading the text carefully.
The human brain is mysterious... and text color really matters!!

Today's topic leaned more toward design, but even in blog posts or short articles, simply changing text colors in line with these instincts can change the impression you give. So even for promotional materials where you're not doing full-blown design work, give it some thought.

As an aside, writing a shop's name in red is said to be unlucky, since "red letters" (akaji) also means being in the red (in terms of sales).
Red stands out, so you're always tempted to use it, but I've heard that too—so here's a little advertising trivia for you!