Norms for Osgood’s affective meaning (Evaluation, Potency, Activity): Ratings of Logos, Colors, Products and Services, Names, and Typefaces

Abstract

In this paper we tabulate norms of affective meaning / connotative meaning for several categories of stimuli that should interest researchers in consumer behavior, branding, website design, and more generally in marketing, language, graphic design, and psychology. All stimuli (182 logos, 68 colors, 120 products and services, 128 names, and 102 typefaces) have been rated on Osgood’s dimensions of Evaluation, Potency, and Activity (E, P, A). Researchers may copy and paste the ratings elsewhere, for instance into Excel. They may use and reproduce the data without restriction, other than to cite the source. We briefly describe the Osgood framework, and evaluate its advantages and disadvantages. The additional value of having many sources of affect consistently rated within a single coherent framework, is that they may be brought to bear on a single problem. This advantage is illustrated with examples of published work that has used these norms.

Keywords: affective meaning, Osgood, logo, typeface, product, service, name, color, evaluation, potency, activity, affect

JEL Classification: M3, M31, M37, M39, C8