Color is the most prominent feature in our memory’s recall. So, if I say Smurfs, you’ll think Blue. An avid fan may throw in White, for their hats and a rabid fan will add Yellow and Red for Smurfette’s hair and Papa Smurf’s hat.
But to double down on color associations, the Smurf team has co-opted the Dirty Yellow associated with warning signs to further their cause. From the examples above, you’ll see that these are separate campaigns. The traditional posters are in phone booths and movie houses while the warning posters are on construction sites and the sides of buses.
If they had created the warning posters with a Smurf blue background, the association would be lost or at least delayed. Given the pace of most New Yorkers, there’s no time for delay. Instead, the silhouettes of the Smurfs exist on the warning signs and shape is the second most prominent feature in our memory’s recall, a smart move.
I don’t know about the movie but the thinking behind these campaigns is quite colorful.