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13 October 2004: Missing the Point (1 of 5)
On August 23, 2004 The Boston Globe ran an article entitled, "Harshness of red marks has students seeing purple"
The article quotes all manner of experts: from teachers to color consultants and pen manufacturing representatives. While there is some discussion among the teachers, the overall statement being made is that receiving a paper covered in red marks may provoke anxiety or stress in a student. Purple, being a mix of red and a more calming blue, is expected to stand out without the harsh emotional impact.
The article also spends some time discussing the pen market. For example, the risks a manufacturer takes when anticipating a market surge for purple pens rather than green. This is actually an interesting point, I think, since most of us take for granted everything that happens before we walk into Staples and buy a box of our favorite pens.
While informative, I believe that in debating red vs. purple or exploring the marketing of pens to teachers, this article is missing the point.
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