Colors are extremely powerful in affecting our perception of just about everything. Whether it’s the taste of food on colored plates or the vibe you feel in rooms painted in different hues, color has a much larger impact on us than we often realize.
People are particularly susceptible to color psychology when it comes to purchasing decisions. As a brand, you can leverage this by choosing a color palette strategically and utilizing it in your marketing materials. Take a closer look at what color psychology is, understand some common color perceptions and learn how to use this information to bolster your branding.
What is color psychology?
Color psychology is the study of how different hues and shades affect human mood and behavior. Brands use this method every time they create marketing and advertising images.
There’s a reason many tech companies that want to be seen as trustworthy use blue, while powerful and high-energy companies like Coca-Cola boast that iconic red. Colors can impact a buyer’s perception of a brand because of their subconscious associations.
What are common perceptions of color?
Let’s take a look at a few common colors and how each one might make your customers feel.
- Red is very bold. It’s often associated with power and passion. However, it is also associated with warnings and danger. It’s good for brands that want to grab and hold attention, like Netflix or Target.
- Blue is a common color for brands to use when leveraging trust, loyalty and innovation. Social media companies like Meta choose blue for this reason. On the other hand, blue can also feel sterile, making it a popular choice for health care brands.
- Green is correlated with freshness, nature and health. A great example of this is Whole Foods. This can be very effective, but also might be confusing if these perceptions don’t directly relate to your business.
- Yellow is known for feeling happy and youthful. Yellow is also very attention-grabbing. This works well for brands like McDonald’s.
- Black is associated with sophistication and elegance. Good examples of the use of black include Nike and a lot of luxury fashion brands.
Leverage color psychology in your marketing
When creating brand elements, it’s important to consider how you want your customers to feel about your brand. If you want to appear soothing and dependable, blue might be the right pick. If it’s more important to come off as energetic and powerful, red is probably better.
Of course, color psychology is useful when it comes to major things like your logo, but consider other branding elements, as well. Do your customer-facing emails feature color? What about business cards and flyers? Having a cohesive brand image is important because it makes it much easier for customers to understand and remember you. Consistent use of color—and effective color psychology—is a great way to emphasize brand recognition.
Whether you have the perfect shades picked out for print materials or need help getting started, AlphaGraphics Lisle/Naperville is here. Our print and marketing experts will help you every step of the way!