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COLOR
PYSCHOLOGY
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WHAT IS COLOR PSYCHOLOGY?

Color psychology is the study of colors in relation to human behavior. It aims to
determine how color affects our day to day decisions such as the items we buy. Does the
color of a dress compel us into purchase? Do the colors of a package make us choose one
brand over another? Does the color of an icon make us more likely to click on it? The
short answer is yes.

But the why part is a bit more complicated. Color meanings can have an impact on why
we prefer certain colors over others. The same color can also have different meanings
that are dependent on our upbringing, gender, location, values, and a variety of other
factors.

Red Color Psychology

Marketing colors like red can capture attention. The red color meaning is associated with
excitement, passion, danger, energy, and action. You might’ve noticed that some brands
use red for ‘order now’ buttons or for their packaging to stand out on the shelf. In color
psychology, red is the most intense color. And thus, can provoke the strongest emotions.
Red can also trigger danger so you want to use the color sparingly. If you add red to your
website, save it for the call to action or sale icons if it’ll contrast well with your store
design.

Red is the iconic color used for brands like Coca Cola and YouTube. Red tends to
encourage appetite hence why brands like Coca Cola use it often in their branding. They
also use words like happiness in their branding, so they use red to build excitement. Most
brands combine red with softer colors like white to indicate a sense of excitement,
without risking the perception of danger, or aggression. YouTube likely uses red due to
the excitement of watching videos online. Notice how the red part of their logo is the play
button which can help compel someone into action. It encourages you to want to press
play on their videos.
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Orange Color Psychology

In color psychology, orange represents creativity, adventure, enthusiasm, success, and

balance. Orange adds a bit of fun to any picture, website, or marketing material it’s on.
Despite its attracting color, it’s not as commanding as the color red. Many marketers still
use the color for call to actions or areas of a website that they want to draw the eye too.

Orange’s color meaning shines through in logos like Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon is a

children’s channel and so the logo accurately represents the creativity and enthusiasm
that a children’s show would need through their playful orange color.
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Yellow Color Psychology

In color psychology, the color meaning for yellow revolves around sunshine. It evokes
feelings of happiness, positivity, optimism, and summer but also of deceit and warning.
Some brands choose to use a cheerful yellow color as the background or border for their
website design. You can also choose to use yellow for your ‘free shipping’ bar at the top
of your website if it matches the rest of your website’s design. A little touch of yellow can
help your website visitors associate your store with something positive.

Yellow is used by brands such as Ferrari and Ikea. Many people dream of driving a
Ferrari. The luxury brand is associated with this feeling of happiness, summer and a
carefree lifestyle.

Pink Color Psychology

Pink is a popular color for brands that primarily serve a female audience. In color
psychology, pink’s color meaning revolves around femininity, playfulness, immaturity and
unconditional love. Some brands have chosen to use pink for the product packaging
especially for girl’s toys. Whereas other brands highlight the pink color in their logo,
website design, or to highlight key messages.

Since the color meaning for pink includes femininity, it’s no surprise that brands like
Victoria’s Secret and Barbie use the color so heavily. Victoria’s Secret even named one of
their brands Pink. On their website they use a combination of pink and black to highlight
key marketing details. Their logo and certain marketing messages also use the color pink.
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Green Color Psychology

In color psychology, green is highly connected to nature and money. Growth, fertility,
health, and generosity are some of the positive color meanings for the color. The color
meaning for green also carries some negative associations such as envy. If you’re in the
health or fitness niche, you might choose to add green to your online store. For example,
your homepage banner image or logo might include a green background.

John Deere’s entire brand revolves around nature. Their product line centers around
landscaping, agriculture, lawn care equipment and more. So even if your products don’t
necessarily tie to a niche, you can use color to help you attract a specific demographic.
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Color Psychology Blue

In color psychology, blue’s color meaning ties closely to the sea and the sky. Stability,
harmony, peace, calm and trust are just some of the feelings your customer may feel
about your brand when you integrate blue into your branding. Conversely, blue can also
carry some negative color meanings such as depression and can bring about a sense of
coldness. Blue can be used in your website’s logo or on your website’s top navigation.
Some retailers add their guarantee, trust certification or free shipping icons in a blue
color to strengthen the trust aspect the color is known for.

Tech brands like Facebook, Twitter and Skype often use blue in their marketing. But
retailers like Walmart and Oral B also use the color. The blue in the Walmart logo can
help position the brand as trustworthy, reliable, and relaxing. After all, Walmart is a place
where you can buy groceries and do shopping all in one convenient location. Oral B is a
dental health brand that sells toothbrushes. Healthcare niches, like Oral B, typically use
blue in their branding to help people associate the brand with a quality, reliable and safe
product.
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Purple Color Psychology

In color psychology, purple is a royal color. The color meaning for purple is connected to
power, nobility, luxury, wisdom, and spirituality. But avoid using the color too much as it
can cause feelings of frustration. Some perceive its overuse as arrogant. You can add
hints of purple to your website’s design such as on your free shipping bar, your logo, and
as an accent color in your graphics.

Purple is a color brands like Hallmark and Yahoo use. When browsing both websites,
you’ll notice that purple is an accent color. On Hallmark, the logo and the top navigation
are purple, but the rest of the website uses a variety of other colors. On Yahoo, the logo,
top navigation words, and Yahoo icons like Mail use the color purple.

White Color Psychology

In color psychology, white showcases innocence, goodness, cleanliness, and humility.

Keep in mind, that this is the meaning in North American culture. In some parts of the
world, white has the opposite meaning. You’ll want to keep this in mind based on the
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target audience you serve. The color meaning for white also has a negative side where it
symbolizes sterility and cold. On an ecommerce website, white tends to be the most used
color. You’ll likely use it as the background color for your product photo. Your pages will
likely have a white background with a black font. This is because, black font on a white
background is the best color combination for readability.

On Adidas’ online store, the top navigation is black. The use of a white logo helps create
contrast. Since their background is white, they’ve chosen to use grey as a background for
product photos to add another tone to the mix. Many brands who have white as a central
color tend to pair it with black or grey.

Black Color Psychology

Black is a popular color in retail. In color psychology, black’s color meaning is symbolic of
mystery, power, elegance, and sophistication. In contrast, the color meaning can also
evoke emotions such as sadness and anger. Many fashion retailers have used black in
their logos. Black is also a popular color for text as it’s an easy color to read. Some
brands choose to use black and white photos for lifestyle banner images or icons to
create a certain tone or consistency on their website.

Chanel uses black for their logo and has several black and white images on their website
to maintain a consistent look. Once you start browsing their website, a thick black top
navigation background appears. They use a black font on their graphics for images and
for their text. Noticeably, their call to actions are also black. Many retailers in the fashion
niche, especially, use black call to actions that contrast well against a white background.
Nike also uses a black, white and grey color scheme for their website. Their logo and font
are black throughout their website. Thus, making the website easy to read. Like Chanel,
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their call to actions are also black which draws visual emphasis to add to the item to your
‘bag’ (cart).

Grey Color Meaning

In color psychology, grey represents neutrality and balance. Its color meaning likely
comes from being the shade between white and black. However, grey does carry some
negative connotations, particularly when it comes to depression and loss. Its absence of
color makes it dull. Grey can be used for font color, headers, graphics, and even products
to appeal to a mass audience.

Apple is an example of a brand who uses the color grey in their branding. After all, many
of their laptops are in a grey or silver-tone as its neutral color doesn’t put anyone off. On
their website, they use the color grey for their header to contrast against a white logo.
However, throughout their branding, you’ll see a balance between white, black and grey
used which can help maintain a clean, neutral look.

Brown Color Psychology

Brown is an earthy color. After all, it’s the color of earth, wood and stone. So naturally,
color psychology highlights that the color meaning for brown relates to comfort, security
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and a down to earth nature. In marketing, you’ll find that brown is often used for natural
products and food. Brown is a color that shows up in logos, banner images, and
sometimes even text due to its contrast on a white background.

UPS is an example of a brand who takes advantage of color meanings in their branding.
On their website, the brown in their logo is emphasized in the navigation and drop down
menus. You might also notice that complementary colors include yellow and green which
all have natural elements to them. For example, yellow might represent the sun and
green might represent nature. Altogether, it helps position UPS brand as a secure,
reliable and down to earth company which is exactly what you’d want from a delivery
service.

TIPS FOR ACCESSING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR AND DESIGN

It’s impossible to ignore the psychology of color in marketing and branding. However,
results from studies like the “Interactive Effects of Colors” demonstrate that the
relationship between brand and color hinges on the “appropriateness” of the color used.
In other words, your company shouldn’t just cling to a shade because it’s appealing to
you, or because you think that competitors in your space have done well using similar
pigments. Purchasing intent, customer affinity, and brand relationships around color all
come down to how your customers view your personality, and identity.
Harley Davidson simply wouldn’t portray the same attitude of ruggedness and exploration
if their logo was decked out in shades of purple and pink. Finding the right shades in
relation to the psychology of color means looking closely at your brand manifesto, and
keeping the following concepts in mind.

1. Never underestimate the psychology of color

Around 93% of customers examine visual appearance when making a purchasing choice.
Additionally, research shows that most customers make a subconscious assessment
about which brands or products to choose within 90 seconds of an initial viewing. Up to
90% of that assessment is then based on color alone.
Underestimating the psychology of color and design could be devastating for your brand.
However, it’s not enough to simply choose the brightest, or most “trendy” shade.
Instead, you need to think about color appropriateness, and examine which pigments
your customers feel go best with certain products. The psychology of color dictates that
different shades are viewed differently according to gender, experiences, and personal
preferences.

One study conducted by the Cardiff Business School found that if you want your branding
to work, you need to choose colors that fit the image of the service or product you’re
selling. In other words, think about how you want clients to perceive you when you’re
building your brand, and focus on what seems “relevant” to your industry. Health
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companies don’t typically use reds and yellows, while male-focused businesses generally
steer away from pinks, purples, and other stereotypically “feminine” shades.

2. Know your audience

Since color psychology is all about adjusting perceptions and adding weight to your brand
recognition strategy, it’s important to make sure that you’re picking hues based on the
preferences of a specific audience. There’s a huge difference between the preferences of
genders when it comes to color selection. While blue is the favored color for both
genders, men often prefer bolder colors, while women opt for softer hues.
Before you settle on a color pallet for your brand, think carefully about the
psychographics and demographics of your intended audience. Often, user personas will
be the most useful resource you have here. Remember, a 20-year-old male obsessed
with technology and video games will often have different reactions to color in branding
than a 60-year-old mother.
Making the most of the psychology of color in marketing and branding means choosing
shades that resonate with your audience. For instance, a pink and yellow site color might
be a huge turn-off for those 20-year-old gamers, but it might be much more appealing
for moms.

3. Keep it real (be authentic)

Just because your business wants your product or brand to reflect a certain idea through
your choices in color and marketing materials, doesn’t necessarily mean that the path to
success will always be that simple. Customers tend to know intuitively when brands and
colors connect, and when their connections are authentic.
If your customer doesn’t agree with the “image” you’re trying to portray, then they’re
likely to look elsewhere for a brand that feels more natural. Therefore sometimes,
companies think that choosing a “popular” color will help them to improve sales, but in
truth, it simply sets them further apart from their audience.

Whether you’re creating a brand from scratch, or refreshing your brand with a whole new
image, think about how you can portray yourself in an authentic way using color. As an
example, when Volkswagen introduced a new beetle, many of their billboards featured a
green car. That wasn’t a typical color for cars at the time, but it was perfect for
communicating ideas of renewal, and rebirth.

Key points to keep in mind:

If you’re simply looking for a quick checklist to make sure that you never make
dangerous choices with the psychology of color and design, remember that you should
always consider:
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 Customer expectations: Which shades seem the most “appropriate” based on your brand
history, personality, and position.
 Customer preferences: Are you choosing a color that evokes trust in your consumers, and
represents the hues they like most?
 Brand message: What kind of emotions and characteristics is your brand trying to
portray? Your use of color should match these as closely as possible.
 Competitor colors: The last thing you want is to be lost in a sea of competitors that look
the same as you. Pay close attention to the color of other brands and try to make your
company stand out.
 Consistency: When you’ve come to a decision about the psychology of color, and chosen
the hues you want to use, you should ensure that they remain consistent over time.
Constant colors can solidify the picture of your brand in your customer’s mind.

It’s time to consider color in branding

The psychology of color and design has been a focal concept in the branding world for
some time. Over the years, countless companies have experimented with their brand
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message, through new logos and color modifications. In fact, if you look back into the
history of many of your favorite brands, you’re sure to see a few brand makeovers
centered around the use of color.

Color psychology is key when it comes to making sure that your brand identity has
weight and power. Choosing a hue that embodies your brand personality can help you to
convey a more authentic brand, and the process should never be left to a whim or a vote
of popularity. The more you understand about the psychology of color, the more you can
decide based on scientific understanding and human behavior

By examining your market, your competitors, your customers, and the purpose behind
your brand, you can build a pallet for your company that’s based on a deeper
understanding of how different shades can influence the thoughts and behaviors of your
customers.