Pantone 448C is considered the ugliest color in the world, according to a survey conducted in Australia, and it's probably easy to see why. It reminds you of dirt.
But can a color be so scary that it will make you quit smoking? Well, Australia and the United Kingdom will start covering cigarette packs with this color, in the hope that it will help the anti-smoking campaign.
According to a report from the Smithsonian, a research agency in Australia surveyed over 1,000 smokers between the ages of 16 and 64 in 2012 and found that this color (Pantone 448C) reminded them of “dirt.” So the Australian commission approved its use on cigarette packaging.
The United Kingdom enacted similar legislation in May, stating that Pantone 448C will be the primary color on nearly 60 percent of cigarette packaging and that brands will have to use standard fonts, sizes, and fonts.
The strategy as mentioned above will be implemented to help smokers quit their chronic habit. In 2008, a study conducted in Australia and published by Tobacco Control found that packages displayed with simpler branding, brown colors, and smaller fonts were less attractive to consumers than a package with full branding elements.
On May 31, in honor of “World No Tobacco Day,” the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to consider adopting plain packaging, citing Australia’s move as a way to help steadily reduce smoking.
"Plain packaging reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products. It kills the glamour, which is appropriate for a product that kills people," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO.
