Looking into the psychology of colors in branding and marketing, color psychology can be a powerful tool in the world of marking and branding. As a consumer, we often don’t think about the influences of color. Color influences us unconsciously and it can mean the difference between buying a particular product or not.
Different colors suggest different things and many trigger emotions, impulses and many have attributed associations. Choosing the right color for a particular product or business logo can have a dramatic impact.
After price, it’s the appearance and design, including the color, which are the next biggest influencing factors when it comes to someone buying a product.
Psychology of Colors in Branding & Marketing
Colors can instantly and unconsciously give the consumer information about a particular product or brand. For example, health food shops normally include green in their branding, logo and overall shop color scheme because green is associated with health, freshness and nature or natural ingredients.
The influence that color has on the human brain is still a relatively under-exploited science. However, the scientists that do study the effects of color believe the influences can be profound. This knowledge provides an obvious advantage to those that understand the impact of color on marketing and branding.
Research suggests that people make judgements about products, websites and brands very quickly, somewhere between one and two minutes for most people. It’s believed that more than 80 percent of that judgement is determined by color and overall visual appearance. Texture, sound and smell make up the rest of the deciding factors.
The right color choice for a product can improve consumer comprehension about a product or service, gain attention, improve readability and even encourage and influence a consumer in a particular way.
Influences of Color
Appetites
Warm colors such as red, yellow and orange can increase appetites, while cooler colors like blue and green can suppress appetites.
Gaining Attention
Bright colors can obviously be used to gain attention, make something stand out or make a certain area more prominent.
Trust & Calm
The color blue is often associated with trust, reliability, and security, and it can have calming and relaxing influences. According to several studies and experiments, pink also has a calming influence.
Fresh, Healthy & Natural
Green and brown has connections to freshness, natural, nature, and health. People also associate these colors to the great out doors, farming and the wilderness.
Energy
Red can increase blood pressure, heart rate and increase our physical energy. Yellow and orange can also have similar influences and are often associated with high energy and the sport and fitness industry.
Professional & Organized
The color black encourages and suggests professionalism, seriousness, and organization.
Clean & Freshness
White is clinical and gives the impression of cleanliness and perfection and also implies simplicity. Colors turquoise, cyan, and green are also often associated with cleanliness and freshness.
Wealth, Elegance & Extravagance
Colors purple and gold are often associated with wealth, high status, luxury, and royalty. Colors black and brown are also often associated with elegance or prestige.
Experience & Wisdom
Silver and gray are associated with experience and knowledge. They’re also associated with modern living and the future or futuristic.
Mystery
Colors purple and black are often associated with the unknown, mystery, magic. Purple has connections with spiritualism, intuition, and the supernatural.
Things to Consider
Different people can have different associations with certain colors. This can be due to personal experiences and also cultural differences.
There are also negative associations with certain colors. For example, green and jealousy. However, the stronger, usually more positive association will be the dominant one for the majority of people, so it’s not something that should influence a branding decision.
