What’s your favorite color? I have two. I have my 12-count box of crayons favorite color. And my 64-count box of crayons favorite color. Wait. What? I’ll explain my thinking. It’s really quite simple.

12-Count Box

Sometimes in life, you’re offered only a few options. And while you may not totally align with every principle and connotation of that choice, you go with the one that most aligns with your values. When it comes to the 12-count box of crayons, my favorite color is red. It’s the first and strongest color in the rainbow. In marketing, we use red when we want to draw attention to something and have it stand out. Psychologically-speaking, red can be linked to passion and love, but it can also be associated with power and anger.

I choose red as my favorite color – when my choices are limited – because it has an empowering feeling for me. It’s signifies a new start. And it reminds me of love. When my children have access to the small box of crayons, I want them to be able to use a color that’ll remind them of me. Out of the 12 choices available to me, red is my preference.

64-Count Box

Other times in life, it seems as if the choices are endless. You’re able to peruse an extensive menu of options to pick the one that aligns with your values completely. When I’m offered this kind of choice in the crayon world, my favorite color is coral. (If you’re working with Crayola’s 64-count box, the color I choose is known as Sunset Orange. There isn’t a color specifically named Coral.) Coral sits right next to red in the rainbow. While it cozies up next to bold red, it’s much softer than its sometimes-forceful neighbor. In marketing, coral is used to evoke warm, friendly, and vibrant feelings. Coral is a versatile color. It can be used in a masculine way or a feminine way. And it combines the aggressiveness of red with the sweetness of pink and the vibrance of orange. 

When I think about the colors of the rainbow, I tend to think of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. But when I look at a rainbow, there are so many hues that live in between each color as it blends from one to the next.

Sometimes life may not offer us a plethora of options, so we must go with what we’re given. But if we look closely enough to see what’s happening between the lines, we might be surprised at what we find. And we might be surprised at what calls to us.

Let’s not limit ourselves to 12- or 64-count boxes of crayons. Rather, let’s consider the complete rainbow in its full, glorious capacity.