What is color psychology?
Have you ever heard about behavioral psychology? Actually, color psychology is a part of this science. If you want to know more about the influence of colors in modern marketing and especially branding you should read this article about color psychology and how colors affect our behavior.
You will know some useful tips. These tips will help you to build a strong strategy for your brand. You will figure out in what way you can use colors to muster customers attention. Look around and you will notice that a lot of companies have been using it for a long time. And especially big ones.
Look at Pepsi and Cola standoff. Look at McDonald’s and Burger King. Do you really think this giant, worldwide known companies have chosen their colors for no reason? It would be naive to think so. Especially knowing that eyes recognize yellow faster than other colors. As you know one of the main colors of McDonald’s is yellow. Is that a coincidence? I don’t think so. But I know for sure that studying unexpected facts of each color, you will learn how to achieve success.
Important to know
Of course, you can create an online store and sell your products around the world. And if you read this article, you are probably going to do it soon. The world without borders and accessibility are signs of our time. But you should know that color perception depends on cultural differences, preferences and even your own life experience.
For example, in the US black color means mourning, but in China, the same meaning has a white color. And if you ask chines what meaning do they have for black, they will probably answer you that in their culture black stands for anger.
That is why you should be careful picking up colors for your brand because it isn’t always so easy as it could be.
The reason why color psychology is so important
Obviously, there are many more reasons for this. But here are the main ones. It would be great if every entrepreneur knows these reasons.
1. Buyers attention
Well-chosen colors attract buyers attention. But what do well-chosen colors exactly mean?
Simply put, colors should reflect a brand mood. Before you will begin to chose colors for your company ask yourself a few questions. How many colors do I need to pick up? What do I want to show through these colors? Choose blue if you want to show that your company is dependable. People spend more money on those stores that inspire confidence in them. And especially when it comes to online shopping. But maybe you want to spare another message to your target audience? Maybe you want to share optimistic vibes? So, in this case, you need to choose yellow. This color is the most bright, cheerful and positive.
People could not know all these meanings of colors, they could not read about it at all, but they feel it in a subconscious way. That is how it works for ages. It is high time to study and use it in your branding strategy. Our experts are always ready to support you.
2. Recognizability
Well-chosen colors become the means of expression, along with the line, texture, etc. For example, when we talk about a famous artist we don’t talk only about subjects he depicted in the picture. We also pay attention to the strokes, their sizes, and intensity, to the color palette, which each artist has his own. The same stuff with brands. When we talk about Coca-Cola, in our mind pops up not only their logo but also brand color. That is why we associate Cola with red.
The choice of colors affects not only the perception of the brand but also its recognition. Check your competitors. Maybe you will see the mistakes they made and you will learn how to avoid them in your practice.
3. Conversion
Do you want to rise up conversion through well-chosen colors? What? You did not even know that this is possible? Psychology of color helps you affect customers behavior. Soon you will see exactly how different colors affect people. But there is a fact for now. Well-chosen colors can increase the conversion of your website by 24%. And if it sounds good, why not try it?
Useful color tips for your
brand strategy
Let’s dive into the psychology of colors in branding. It will help us make our own brand more attractive to the target audience. It is also going to be interesting to look at familiar colors from a different angle.
Black
This color is classic and bold at the same time. You can use it to emphasize your independence and elegance. In this color combined strength and severity. So many different, sometimes even opposite things can be found in black.
Also, you need to know that black is one of the three favorite colors of men. Another two favorite men colors are green and blue. On the other hand, if your target audience is men, you should forget about using purple, brown, and orange. Black color traditionally associated with maleness, powerful, strength. These are good qualities that everybody likes with no exceptions. Therefore, black is used in advertising luxury goods.
White
This color means cleanliness and simplicity. That is why brides usually wear white dresses. The bridal outfit symbolizes purity and a bright future. This color is often used in advertising baby products. Also, this color is used in advertising of medical centers, resorts, and all that is associated with health and recovery. White is the color of health.
It won’t be superfluous to remind that in some cultures, colors may have different meanings. So, in China, white color symbolizes death.
Anyway, using white as a background is a win-win for your website. Websites that advertise fashionable clothes often use a white background. Also, the white background is convenient because it doesn’t distract user attention from the products on the site. Contrast is what you need to follow in order for your website to be user-friendly. And the white background is perfect for this target.
Blue
If you want to give your customers a sense of stability, then use blue. This color is mainly used by financial companies and other companies that work with money and risk. In this case, the right choice of color will be a big plus for you and one more reason for the consumer to choose your company among all the others.
Blue is associated with the sky, with flight, and, like white, blue gives a feeling of purity. If a person wearing a blue shirt came to you for an interview, you should know that he put it on for a reason. He wants to increase his chances of getting a job thanks to a blue shirt.
This color helps you to cultivate customers trust. And trust is very important in any business. If the customer believes you, then he will come back again. The basis of business is a regular, not a one-time buyer. Therefore, trust is very important in this matter. And blue will help you with that.
Blue is also endowed with the value of peace, confidence, and purity. These great features will make any business more attractive.
Red
This color has a very strong energy. It can increase your heart rate. Also, red can make you go away into the world of intimate desires or aggression and even anger. This is an impulsive and provocative color. The color that is legendary. Red has its own character. And it’s hard to curb.
This color is often used as a hazard warning. It can also be a bright poster of an event. Or a pop-up window that says about the debt. Also, red can be used as a target for the user to notice. Red and yellow are well suited for this purpose.
Green
First of all, green is associated with tranquility. For the same reason, people go to nature when they want to rest. When there is a lot of green around us, we relax. But it concerns light shades of green. For example, dark shades of green are associated with luxury.
This color is universal because it is enjoyed by both men and women equally. Unlike pink or purple.
Green is great for advertising companies involved in improving or preserving the environment. Eco-activists use this color because green is the color of nature.
But green isn’t only about nature and eco-websites. Green also is a good CTA color. In order for green to work in this capacity, you need to isolate it. This is a special hack. It is to display important information separately from the rest. It called “isolation effect”. Try it and you will find how useful it can be.
Yellow
And if various colors can be interpreted differently in different cultures, yellow is most often associated with the sun. This is a warm color that gives joy, positive, happiness. Different shades of this color can affect a person differently, but mostly yellow develops creative thinking.
The human eye sees yellow before others. This happens because it is bright and saturated. Therefore, it can be used as a warning about something important. Red is also suitable for this purpose, but with some differences. Red is an aggressive color and yellow is friendly. And if you don’t have the task of scaring a potential buyer, then it is better to use yellow.
Moreover, if you already bought the product in a yellow package and were satisfied with it, eating food in a package with a yellow logo or living in an apartment with yellow walls, your memory will probably remember this as a positive experience. Yellow isn’t only a bright color, but it also leaves bright memories.
Pink
The value of pink changes very often. If earlier this color was considered exclusively girlish, now you won’t surprise anyone with the look of a guy who wears a pink T-shirt. If earlier pink personified fragility, now it is also the color of unbridled fun and youth. This is the color of the riot of life. Teens love this color. Use it if teens are your target audience.
But if your target audience is women, then don’t rush to choose this color. Pink means femininity, but it doesn’t mean that all women like it. Moreover, with the growing popularity of feminism, girls express dislike for this color. By the way the results of the research say that among the female population the color pink is the least chosen as the favorite color. And it says a lot!
Conclusion
It was just the tip of the psychology of color. All colors can be divided into warm and cold. Each color has many shades, so many of them that we have never even heard of some. But it’s not at all necessary for us to delve so deeply into the subject in order to choose colors for our brand. It is much more important that these colors reflect its essence.
Choosing a color for a brand is like choosing a basic wardrobe for yourself. Not everything depends on it, but a lot. You can disguise some flaws later, but the general message will remain. Of course, you can dress yourself, but if it’s possible, then it is better to talk to the experts.
