This study investigates the impact of various graphic designs on participants’ cognition, emotion, and perception through eye-tracking technology, with a particular focus on the role of color in emotional responses and the perception of coffee taste. Integrating principles of color psychology, visual attention, and eye movement detection, the objective is to deepen the understanding of color’s effects on human perception and behavior. Forty-four participants were involved in this study, with data collected via the Real-eye Web eye-tracking software and a webcam. The results indicate that cool-colored designs attract less prolonged attention but can evoke calm and relaxed emotions, and tend to make the taste of coffee be perceived as bitter; whereas warm-colored designs draw more attention, induce relaxed and pleasant emotions, and make the coffee taste tend to be sweet. This research highlights the importance of color choice in designing for the target audience’s emotions and perceptions, providing practical guidelines for educational material design and product packaging. It suggests designers should deeply consider color configuration to enhance learning interest or influence purchasing decisions. In summary, as a powerful non-verbal communication tool, color has significant influence in visual design, offering valuable insights for future research and practice.