When it comes to deciding on colors for advertising and branding, many believe there’s more than meets the eye. In relation to marketing, color psychology is the study of color and how it affects our perceptions of a brand and our behaviors. For example, brands may choose specific colors for their perceived ability to elicit a particular emotional response — and for a good reason.
Studies have proven that color affects people’s interaction with products and people. Within 90 seconds of interacting with people or products, people make up their minds based on that initial interaction. Additionally, around 62-90% of that impression is solely based on color. Although the role color plays in marketing is a debatable topic, it’s still important to understand the psychology and thought process behind it.
How Color Affects Brand Impression
A brand’s colors should communicate value to consumers. As such, it’s something that designers think about at length. Because color has such a significant impact on a brand’s impression, it’s essential to ensure you’re portraying the right image. When it comes to color psychology, colors cultivate certain emotional connections. According to Forbes, here are some emotional responses tied to different colors.
Red
Red is a power color. It represents passion, love, desire, determination, and courage. You probably already know several brands off the top of your head with red as their primary brand color. Think 3M, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Chick-fil-A, Time, CNN, Target, YouTube, and Tesla.
Orange
Orange is an energetic color, symbolizing excitement, productivity, and competition. Popular brands that use orange throughout their logo include Dunkin’, Nickelodeon, The Home Depot, Etsy, Hermès, Reese’s, and Amazon.
Yellow
Yellow is an attention-grabbing color. It represents happiness, optimism, and positivity. As it’s similar to orange, yellow also has an energetic quality. Some famous brands with yellow logos include National Geographic, Snapchat, Best Buy, Ferrari, McDonald’s, Nikon, IKEA, and Sprint.
Green
As an earth tone, green symbolizes nature, growth and renewal, luck, balance, relaxation, and freshness. Examples of companies that use green throughout their branding include Sprite, Spotify, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Android, Hess, Xbox, and Hulu.
Blue
As a calming color, blue represents dependability and trust, peace, intelligence, and integrity. Many popular brands use the color blue, such as Ford, Walmart, IBM, AT&T, Facebook, Pepsi, PayPal, American Express, and Intel.
Purple
Purple is often seen as a royal color. It represents wealth and luxury, dignity, bravery, spirituality, and magic. Although it’s a bolder choice, purple can bring a sense of whimsy and inspiration to your branding. Popular brands with purple logos include Crown Royal, Twitch, Roku, Yahoo!, FedEx, Taco Bell, and Premier League.
Finding the Best Color for Your Brand
Although there’s evidence to support color psychology, finding the best color for your brand should depend on what resonates with your audience. At ST Graphics, we can help you create custom graphics, films, and designs for your building that will positively impact your brand’s impression. So speak to one of our experts to get started on creating the perfect branding for your business today!
ST Graphics, the space-enhancing specialists, would love to help you create a custom decorative film and graphics solution. ST Graphics is the largest 3M certified window film installer in the Midwest. We serve schools, business owners, designers, and architects in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Schedule a free consultation, and we’ll bring your space to life.