Color Memory and Evaluations for Alphabetic and Logographic Brand Names

Reading logographs relies to a greater degree on visual information processes than does reading alphabetic words. Two experiments examined related memory and judgment effects with native speakers of Chinese and English. In Experiment 1, memory for print colors was greater for logographs than for alphabetic words. Experiment 2 examined consumers' ratings of novel brand names printed in colors previously associated with positive or negative evaluations. These print colors had a stronger effect on the evaluation of logographic than of alphabetic brand names. The findings suggest that script variations affect the integration of written words with their surface features. The findings have practical implications for visually differentiating a brand and for the ability of a brand extension or a copycat brand to visually acquire meaning from an existing brand.