When it comes to color, there’s much more than meets the eye. Colors are more than just hex codes and hues – they actually elicit an emotional and psychological response from viewers.
You may have an interesting business concept or a good lookin’ logo, but your colors are the key to brand recognition. In fact, research shows that close to 85% of consumers believe color to be the biggest purchasing motivator. The colors you choose for your brand have hidden messages, so let’s make sure your choices match up with the vibe you want to portray.
Red
Bright and bold, red stops you in your tracks. It’s an attention-grabbing color, which can be a good and a bad thing. Red represents love, passion, power, and energy. It’s great when you need a small pop of color. Orange
Orange you glad? Orange has a more approachable appeal than other bright colors, making it a good choice for kid-friendly or family brands. It radiates enthusiasm, warmth, confidence, and playfulness.
Yellow
It’s all sunshine here! Yellow is the universal color of cheer. It’s an eye-catching, bright, and welcoming hue. Choose yellow to exude joy and energy.
Green
The color of money and trees, green is often used to represent brands dealing with finance and nature. It’s organic, earthly, fresh, and versatile.
Blue
A calming blue creates a sense of security and trust, so it’s a great choice for health and financial institutions. Blue represents peace and reliability. If your business serves a diverse client base, it’s also helpful that blue is universally liked by both men and women!
Purple
Hail to the king! Purple represents royalty, luxury, and mystery. It is often used by health and beauty brands for a sophisticated reputation.
Pink
Our favorite color here at BBN! Pink embodies beauty, compassion, and femininity. It is often associated with female brands because of it’s soft, sweet tone.
Black
Black evokes a sense of timelessness and high-end luxury – think the AMEX black card. Black exhibits power, elegance, and formality. It is also popular in editorial style brands.
Gray
Gray is modern, calm, and neutral. Less harsh than black, it’s a great alternative for conveying luxury. Sleek and sophisticated, gray is popular with tech and automotive brands.
White
At its best, white is complete and pure – the color of perfection. Careful though, too much white can be isolating and cold. Use white to evoke feelings of creativity, encouragement, purity, and possibility.
So, there you have it! We’ve worked our way through the rainbow and now you’re ready to select your brand colors. Ask yourself – how do you want your clients to feel when the see your brand? Are you going for the calming effect of an ocean blue, or would you rather grab their attention with a radiant red? Decide the effect you want your colors to have and go from there. It’s both an art and a science, so give yourself a few tries to get it right. You can also consult Pinterest for some inspiration.
Before you get too carried away, we’d suggest you start with one central color and two accent colors. We swear by the 60/30/10 rule – choose a palette of three colors using a ratio of 60%, 30%, and 10% for distribution. Once your palette is complete, double check that your colors align with the emotional response you want from clients.
You’re well on your way to conquering color psychology!