Why do people wear black and red to a funeral? Why is the colour white an integral part of weddings? Why are holistic wellness companies associated with the colour green? Why do most cleaning companies have an element of blue in their colour scheme?
Psychology of Colour
The answers are equally the same, colours have meaning and the ability to change one’s mood, behavioural pattern and purchase decision. This article discusses the psychology of colour and how it can grow and develop your business brand.
Subconsciously, colour can change a mode of thinking, evoke emotions, inspire creativity, soothe your mood, influence a purchasing decision and make a preferential selection.
Psychology of Colour and your Business brand
Understanding the immense role colour has on your business is just as vital to establishing a strong brand. It seems many business owners are oblivious to how colours can affect an organizations growth and development. The choice of colour used on websites, product packaging, logos, offices and business clothing can contribute to the success of your brand.
According to Forbes,
“ Customers generally make purchase decisions within 90 seconds of interaction with a product and about 62-90% of judgment is based on colour.”
What this means is, over 62% of your customer’s purchasing decision is based on the colour of your products. So what is colour psychology
Colour psychology
Colour psychology is simply the study of colours and how it influences human behaviour. This includes how colour influences a person’s mood, choice of a product, purchasing decision, creativity, physiological and mental wellness among others. Does colour make us choose one brand over the other? Yes. Does colour help you to increase productivity? Yes. Does the colour scheme of my website matter? Yes. Through colours, we communicate, heal, think, feel and work effectively. Well established marketing and advertising firms understand the power of colours and use it as a marketing tool to influence purchase decisions.
Why colour psychology is important for your brand’s growth?
Understanding the meaning of colours and using the right colour strategically will distinguish you from the other brands. It will enable your customers or potential customers to view your brand the way you intended and perceive you the way you wish to be perceived.
Colours and their meanings for your business
Orange
Orange is a warm and vibrant colour and is associated with creativity, adventure, optimism, self-confidence, enthusiasm, success, and balance. It is also the colour of the extroverts and the risk-takers. Orange works particularly well in restaurants and food joints, as it stimulates the appetite and social conversations. There are various versions of orange that can be used for your business to offer the same effect.
Amazon and Nickelodeon are some brands that have the colour orange incorporated into their logo.
Yellow
Yellow is a warm and happy colour which is associated with feelings of happiness, positivity, playfulness optimism, and illumination. Yellow is said to stimulate the logical side of the brain and mental clarity. It promotes wisdom, inspires creativity and academic proficiency. However, too much yellow may cause anxiety, agitation and nervousness, especially for stressed people.
Brands like Nikon and McDonald’s have yellow in their logo
Green
Green is a colour of growth and vitality and is associated with fertility, health, growth, renewal, healing, nurturing and generosity. It is also strongly associated with money and nature. Green helps in decision making, clarity of mind and emotions. It is no wonder most wellness service companies and spa have an element of green either in their logo or facility.
Supreme Wellness, a holistic wellness company has green incorporated in its website and logo.
Too much green, however, can generate feelings of selfishness, envy and greed.
Blue
Blue is linked to the sea and the sky, and is associated with trust, harmony, peace, calm, responsibility, honesty and loyalty. Blue creates a sense of order and direction in life, especially in your living and workspace. Blue reduces stress and promotes both physical and mental relaxation. Blue works particularly well for conservative business such as banks, insurance and other financial companies, since reliability is of major importance.
Brands such as Linkedin, Samsung, Facebook incorporate blue in their logo
However, too much blue can lead to boredom and manipulation.
Red
Red is a warm, positive and vibrant colour and is associated with passion, action, creativity, strength and excitement. Red stimulates and boosts energy levels in the physical body. It triggers appetite and therefore a great colour to use for any product associated with food and beverages.
Brands such as YouTube, Coca-Cola and Netflix use red in their logo.
Too much red can cause exhaustion and anxiety.
Purple
Purple is the colour of royals, and is associated with wealth power, nobility, spirituality, luxury, wisdom and extravagance. Purple increases people’s sense of beauty and triggers creative ideas. Purple is often used by businesses in the creative industry such as designers, and cosmetic manufacturers.
Cadbury and the former Royal Bank use purple in their branding.
Black
Black is a symbol of authority, power, elegance, sophistication and control. Black also creates a sense of mystery and secrecy. Black is also a popular choice of colour for text as it’s an easy colour to read. It is said that people who are achievement-oriented and ambitious favour black.
Guinness and Addidas are well-known brands with the colour black fused in its logo.
Too much black, however, can evoke sadness and anger.
White
White is symbolic of innocence, new beginnings, goodness, fairness cleanliness, neutrality and independence and humility. White is used in businesses where cleanliness is of great importance such as cleaning companies and medical centres. Apple is a major brand with the colour white on its iconic ‘apple’ signature.
Too much white can create disinterest and isolation.
Brown
Brown is typically the colour of the earth and is associated with strength, reliability, maturity, comfort, security, maturity. In marketing, brown is often used for natural products and food packaging. However, some find brown a dirty and earthly colour.
Nescafe and Timberland are some great brands with brown as their prime colour.
Pink
In its softer shades, pink is a feminine and youthful colour and is associated with playfulness, hope for the future, reassurance, and unconditional love. Pink also alleviates feelings of anger, aggression, resentment and neglect. Pink is a colour that is often used in businesses relating to the female market such as fashion, beauty and cosmetic industry, and romance.
Introducing pink to darker colours is said to make the colour pink look more sophisticated.
A Brand like Victoria’s Secret uses the colour pink in its logo
How to select the right colour
Choosing the right colour for your business brand for growth and development depends on your brand’s niche and values. Understanding your brand’s value and niche market will inform your decision on the right colour to choose. Ask yourself,
- Who are my target audience?
- Which industry category do I fall?
- What is the feeling I want to generate or stir up in people?
- What are my brand values?
- What is my overall objective?
Answering these questions and other relevant questions will help you select the right colour for your brand that will ensure productivity, stimulate creative ideas and improve decision-making processes
The Coca Cola case study
Coca-Cola one of the oldest and strongest bands in the history of time and has been resilient due to its quality product and strong marketing tactics of which colour plays a major role. Its dominant colour is the colour red. The colour red symbolizes excitement, passion, danger, energy, and action.
In Coca-Cola’s case, the red is intended to excite and create a passion for its products. Moreover, the association of the word “Happiness” in its advertising campaigns places an icing on the cake. Today, Coca Cola is taken on every occasion that builds excitement and happiness.
