Color Psychology in Marketing The Complete Guide

Color Psychology In Marketing: The Complete Guide [Free Download] 5/18/16, 3:36 PM
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The Ultimate Guide To Using Color Psychology In

Marketing + Free Color Schemes
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In content marketing, color is an emotional cue.
In an ocean of content marketing (http://coschedule.com/blog/too-much-content/),

color can help yours stand out.
It’s what gets your audience to see what you want them to see, feel what you want them
to feel, and to do what you want them to do. Which hues you choose can also affect
usability and whether content is readable it or not. This is what makes understanding color
psychology so important for the success of your content.
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However, poor color choice can also negatively change the impact of your message. Get it
wrong, and your great content and your amazing call to action
(http://coschedule.com/blog/how-to-write-a-call-to-action-template/) will be easily
ignored. Even NASA is concerned about color (http://colorusage.arc.nasa.gov/); enough so
that they provide free online resources to help non-designers choose just the right shades.
After reading this post, you’ll understand basic color theory and psychology. Plus, we’ve
included a free hex color chart to make picking the right colors with easy with any design
tool.
Ready to become an expert? Let’s jump in!
Understanding Color Theory
The Basics of Color Theory
Understanding Contrast and Color
Choosing Color Combinations
The Psychology Of Color In Marketing
The Meanings of Color
Gender Preferences in Color
Testing Your Best Colors
The Know It All Guide To #ColorPsychology In

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Let’s Start With The Basics Of Color Theory
Understanding how color works isn’t just for artists dipping their hands into paint and
pigments all day long. Anyone in content marketing needs to understand the basics of
color theory because no matter what you are using color in your content.
Primary Color
Primary colors are the three colors that make all other colors. They are red, blue, and
yellow. These three colors can be used to create the next level of colors, called the
secondary colors.
Exceptions, of course, abound when it comes to talking about primary colors. If

you’re talking color theory in regards to light, your primary colors would be cyan,
magenta, and yellow. Let’s not forget CMYK for print and RGB for screens or
monitors. And, when mixing paint, it matters what particular pigment you’re using
to get that red in order to come up with the proper new color. But let’s keep this
simple and stick with red, blue, and yellow.
Secondary Color
Secondary colors are purple, green, and orange. They are created using the primary
colors. If you look on the color wheel, you’ll find the secondary colors in between two
primary colors.
red + blue = purple
blue + yellow = green
red + yellow = orange
Tertiary Color
Tertiary colors take secondary colors one step further. They are the “two-name” colors,
such as red-purple, red-orange, yellow-green, etc.
They are created by adding more of one primary color than the other creating not a true
secondary color. It ends up being closer to the primary color.
Pure Color
Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, without the addition of white, black, or a third
color, are pure (or saturated) colors. They are intense, bright, cheery, and untainted colors.
These are the colors of children’s toys, daycare decor, and summer clothes.
Tints
When white is added to a pure color, you get a tint. Some people refer to these as pastel
colors. They are lighter and paler than a pure color, and not as intense.
Tints range from slightly whiter to almost-white.
Shades
When black is added to a pure color, you create a shade. These darken and dull the
brightness of pure colors, and range from slightly darker to almost black.
Tones
When gray (black + white) is added to a pure color, you create a tone. You often hear
people saying that a color needs to be “toned down”, meaning it’s too intense and they
want to drop the level of intensity.
Adding black and white in different amounts to a color subdues the intensity quickly.
The Completed Color Wheel
Whew! So there we have it: a complete color wheel with primary, secondary, and tertiary
colors, plus their tints, shades, and tones. You can see how it all fits together on the color
wheel below.
Cool colors are all on the left side of the wheel, in the blues and greens. The warm colors
are all on the right side of the wheel, in the yellows and reds.
Now that you understand color theory and the color wheel, you can start to use color
purposefully in your content marketing.
Back To Top
Using Contrast Correctly With Color
When it comes to color techniques, the use of contrast is particularly important, and it’s
probably the one that will lead you to butt heads with your designer the most
(http://coschedule.com/blog/how-to-work-with-designers/).
Contrast is how one color stands apart from another. It’s what makes text or objects
distinguishable from the background. High contrast is when colors easily stand apart from
each other. Low contrast is when they don’t.
Often, people assume a difference in color is what creates contrast, but that’s not true. You
might have two colors that are completely different but have no contrast at all
because their tone is the same. To test out your colors contrast, turn them into grayscale
and review their contrast.
Colors, in their pure form, have inherent differences in how light and dark they are.
Yellow is bright (http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/2011/theres-something-about-

yellow/), for example, while blue is darker. Yellow and orange have little contrast with each
other, despite being different colors. When different colors have the same tone (level of
gray as you just learned), they will not have much contrast, either. It isn’t enough to simply
pick two different colors when making decisions about contrast.
Using High And Low Contrast
Generally, high contrast is the best choice for important content, because it is most easily
seen. Dark on light or light on dark–it’s the easiest to read. It might not be exciting, but it is
readable.
One word of caution, though: If everything is high contrast, nothing stands out
and it’s tiring on the eye after a while. (e.g. Think of black computer screens with
bright green text.)
Designers often prefer low contrast techniques. They like to make things look beautiful,
but beautiful isn’t always the best for readability. Tone-on-tone similar colored
combinations are very popular and while their subtlety is quite attractive, they are also
difficult for people to read.
Pro Tip: Try to find the balance between beautiful color schemes, and legibility for
optimal clarity in your visuals.
In order to use similar colors, while getting the contrast you desire, create a color scheme
with both complementary and analogous colors. What’s that? Let’s keep reading!
Choose #colors and contrast that is readable.

Beautiful content that can’t be read is a fail….
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dable.+Beautiful+content+that+can%27t+be+read+i
s+a+fail....&via=coschedule&related=coschedule&url
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marketing/)
TIFUL+CONTENT+THAT+CAN%27T+BE+READ+IS+A+FAIL....&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
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Choosing Color Combinations
The color wheel can help you choose great color combinations for your call to action
button, your infographics, and your lead collection pop-up
(http://coschedule.com/blog/collect-more-leads/).
Keeping your color combinations simple will help you in the long run.
A study from the University of Toronto

(http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~donovan/color/colorcomp.pdf) showed on how people
using Adobe Kuler (https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/) revealed most people
preferred simple color combinations that relied on only 2 to 3 favorite colors.
People like simplicity; it makes your content easier to understand if they don’t have to
interpret it through many colors. And remember, color has meaning so each color adds or
takes away from your message.
Too many colors make for a confusing message. So how do you choose those 2 or 3
colors? The color wheel can help.
Using Complementary (Opposite) Colors
Complementary color combinations make things stand out.
Complementary colors are “opposite” colors. They are opposite of each other on the color
wheel, meaning the one color they lack is that one opposite of them.
They are geographically and color-wise the opposite, and provide a kind of visual tension
because they are so opposed to each other.
You might even notice that some of your favorite sport teams use complementary colors.
From football to hockey, opposite colors are used for some great color combinations.
Blue is the opposite of orange.
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Red is the opposite of green.
Yellow is the opposite of purple.
Opposites attract!
When the human eye sees a painting full of different kinds of greens, any bit of red is going
to stand out amazingly well. Why?
Because red is the opposite color of green. When the eye has been looking at a lot of the
same color, it wants to see the opposite for a visual break. Using complementary colors is
the easiest way to get something to stand out. Use them with caution to keep your
content from being too visually jarring.
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You don’t want 50% orange and 50% blue because neither color wins and it causes distress
to the eyes.
Pro Tip: pick a primary color as your main color, and then accent it with its
complement color for more of a 7:3 ratio. This provides a beautiful color pairing,
but also lets your eyes break on the opposite color.
Let’s look at the CoSchedule homepage (http://coschedule.com) as an example. What

colors do you see?
It’s mainly dark blue, but our most important button, the “Get Started Now Free” button, is
orange. Orange is the opposite color of blue. In a sea of dark blue, your eye is going to
naturally notice orange faster than any other color. We also ensured that the orange
button contrasted from the dark blue to make it even more visually present.
Caution: Addressing Color Blindness
A quick word of caution: Red and green, two complementary colors, present
a sticky problem. Some people have color blindness and cannot distinguish
between certain colors, and red and green are a common problematic
combination.Colors with heavy amounts of red and green in them get
bungled up, too. Did you know that Facebook is blue because Mark
Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind (http://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-
of-colors-in-marketing-why-is-facebook-blue)? He sees blues the best.
The above example shows the three types of color blindness: Deuteranope, protanope,
and tritanope. Similar to Mark who sees blue best, it’s no wonder why blue is one of the
more popular colors as it stretches even beyond color blindness.
To help with color blindness when using complementary colors, remember there must be
high contrast. Try to never use a color solely as the information source. Include text in
graphs and infographics whenever possible as well.
High contrast and additional text will ensure that even when color blindness is present,
your visuals will be both readable and enjoyable to see.
Using Split Complementary Colors
If you want to use three colors instead of just two, using split complementary color
schemes is a way to capitalize on the power of complementary colors but add a third
color to your palette. To use it, you’ll choose one color as your base color, and then the
two colors adjacent to its opposite.
For example, if we decided to choose green as our main color, we’d look across
the color wheel for its complementary color, red. Then, look to the two colors
directly beside it. Now, we have green, red-orange, and red-purple for a perfect
split complementary color scheme.
A split complementary color scheme doesn’t have quite the same level of tension that a
complementary color scheme does, but it’s still visually exciting for your eye. It also adds a
level of variety to your color scheme that can be used in a very dynamic, meaningful way.
Using Analogous Colors
Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They are “related”, a kind of
family of colors that creates pleasing and relaxed visuals. They aren’t jarring, opposite, or
clashing. They also don’t stand out from one another. Analogous colors can create subtle
and beautiful content, but you may need to add a complementary color to get any
particular item to stand out.
Using Monochromatic Colors
Monochromatic colors are a single color, with its tints, shades, and tones. They are even
more soft and subtle than analogous colors since it’s a color palette based on one single
color. Monochromatic colors work great when paired with a single complementary color.
On the CoSchedule website, we use monochromatic blue colors with orange for the
content we want to get noticed.
Most designers—when using complementary colors—pair a rich collection of

monochromatic colors with a single complementary color.
Pair a rich collection of monochromatic colors with

a single complementary #color #design
text=Pair+a+rich+collection+of+monochromatic+c
olors+with+a+single+complementary+%23color+%2
3design&via=coschedule&related=coschedule&url=h
ttp://coschedule.com/blog/color-psychology-
marketing/)
H+A+SINGLE+COMPLEMENTARY+%23COLOR+%23DESIGN&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
Using Triangle, Rectangle And Square Colors
It isn’t difficult to create color combinations that stretch the boundaries of the easy power
of complementary opposites and the related analogous and monochromatic palettes. All
you need is a triangle, rectangle, and a square.
A triangle (triad) is a color combination made of three colors that are evenly
spaced around the color wheel.
A rectangle (tetradic) is a color combination made of four colors that are made up
of two complementary pairs.
A square is similar to a rectangle palette, but the two sets of complementary pairs
are colors evenly spaced around the circle.
These three combinations can be visually noisy if you’re not careful. The best application is
to use one color as the dominant color, and the others for highlighting content. The
triangle combination is particularly vibrant; three is a “stable” number and using three
colors is visually stabilizing.
Back To Top
The Psychology of Colors in Marketing
Color is an essential tool because it has an impact on how we think and behave. Color
directs our eye where to look, what to do, and how to interpret something. It puts content
into context. It helps us decide what’s important and what’s not. That’s precisely why, as a
content marketer, you need to understand what colors mean to people.
While color psychology has been studied and analyzed over time, the psychological
impact of color is still moderately subjective.
We don’t all react the same way to colors, as we all have previous experiences with colors
from significant events, cultures, people, and memories. However, there are a few
generalities about how people respond to color, and that’s what we’re going to look at.
The Color Psychology of Red
Red is a very powerful, dynamic color that reflects our physical needs whether to show
affection and love, or to portray terror, fear, and survival. Red is also a very energizing color
that can portray friendliness and strength, but can also be demanding and show
aggression depending on its context.
Overall, if you’re looking to have a really powerful presence or get someone’s attention
fast, red is your go-to color. Just remember to use it sparingly to avoid the extreme
negative reactions it can so easily awaken.
Red is commonly seen: Stop lights, Valentine’s Day, and horror films.
The Color Psychology of Orange
Orange has a very interesting psychological meaning as it combines red’s power and
energy with yellow’s friendliness and fun. The mix makes orange a good representation
of physical comfort in our warmth, food, and shelter. (It even stimulates our appetite so
watch out if you’re hungry!)
Orange is also known to be a color of motivation, lends a positive attitude, and general
enthusiasm for life. Overall, orange is great for bringing comfort in tough times, and
creating a sense of fun or freedom in your visuals.
Orange is commonly seen: Fruits, sporting events, and board games.
The Color Psychology of Yellow
Yellow is the epitome of joy, happiness, cheerfulness, optimism—you name it. Anything
happy is almost always yellow. The wavelength of yellow is particularly long, making
it have one of the most powerful psychological meanings, while also being the easiest
color to visibly see. (Did you know yellow is the first color infants respond to?)
Whenever you need to lift someone’s spirits, increase their confidence, or provide
inspiration, use yellow. However, avoid using yellow too much because it’s also known
to make us more critical causing self esteem issues, fear, or anxiety. Find the right balance
of yellow to motivate rather than bring others down.
Yellow is commonly seen: Traffic crossings and signs, smiley faces, and window-
front displays.
The Color Psychology of Green
Green is a color of balance and harmony. It lends us a clearer sense of right from wrong
since green incorporates a balance of both the logical and emotional. Green is one of the
most-seen colors in nature reflecting life, rest, and peace. It is also a sign of growth,
whether that’s in a physical object like plants or in our income and wealth.
Overall, if you’re looking to portray health, rest, and to relieve stress, green is your color.
While green does have minor negative aspects like over-possession and materialism, it has
a more positive affect than most other colors.
Green is commonly seen: Nature, economic exchange, health-based stores, and

restaurants.
The Color Psychology of Blue
Blue is known for its trust and dependability. It’s reliable, responsible, and mentally
soothing. For that reason alone, it’s one of the most-liked colors across the entire world.
Unlike red, blue lends a more mental reaction rather than physical that allows us to
destress, calm down, and think of the most ideal situation. Unfortunately, it also is one of
the last colors to be seen, and can be perceived as distant, cold, or unfriendly if used it
great amounts.
Overall, blue is a well-liked color that can bring a sense of calmness and trust when
building relationships, especially in marketing.
Blue is commonly seen: Workout facilities, hospitals, and spas.
The Color Psychology of Purple
Purple is most commonly known for its imagination and spirituality. It possesses the energy
and power of red, with the stability and reliability of blue, making it a perfect balance
between the physical and spiritual. Purple is often used to show luxury, loyalty, courage,
mystery, and magic.
It’s a very intriguing color as it soothes, but also presents space for mystery and new ideas.
This is why creativity is most often associated with the color purple. When using purple,
avoid using it too often as it can also cause too much introspection or distraction as
thoughts begin to wonder.
Purple is commonly seen: Magic shows, fairy tales, and luxury products.
The Color Psychology of Pink
Pink is a softer, less intense version of red that creates a sense of compassion and
unconditional love. While it’s a very physical color, it soothes rather than stimulates,
making it a perfect color for caring, understanding, and nurturing those in need.
Pink is a sign of hope. It is also known to be very romantic as it shows empathy and
sensitivity. If too much pink is used, it can be very draining, show a lack of power, and even
immature. Overall, pink can be a great counter-option to the color red when used
appropriately.
Pink is commonly seen: Cancer patients, little kid objects, and bathroom products.
The Color Psychology of Brown
Brown, while maybe not the most visual stimulating color, is a great sign of structure,
security, and protection. Whether it’s family, friends, and material possessions, brown
offers constant support.
It’s also a very serious, down to earth color you can use where black might be too intense.
The downfall to brown is that it’s the most safe color and can seem reserved, scheduled,
and boring. Overall, use it when necessary, but don’t depend on it too heavily.
Brown is commonly seen: Campgrounds, home furnishings, and coffee shops.
The Color Psychology of Gold
Gold has quite a few different meanings depending on your culture. Across the world,
though, gold consistently represents some variation of charm, confidence, luxury, and
treasure. It also can have an element of friendliness, abundance, and prosperity that is
naturally attractive. Too much gold, however, can seem egotistical, proud, and self-
righteous. Similar to colors like brown and black, try to use gold more sparingly to
highlight rather than be the main attraction.
Gold is commonly seen: Luxury products, rings, and trophies.
The Color Psychology of Black
Black is a color of sophistication, seriousness, control, and independence. Although, it can

also be used to show evil, mystery, depression, and even death. Black is a very reserved
color that completely lacks any light as its an absence of all the colors. It likes to stay
hidden, in control, and separate from others. For this reason, black is a great color for high
contrast and easy legibility. Unfortunately, since its a very powerful color, too much black
can cause sadness and overall negativity so use it sparingly and in your text more so than
the visuals itself.
Black is commonly seen: Professional attire, luxury products, and limos.
The Color Psychology of White
White is color that is complete and pure, making it a perfect example of purity, innocence,
cleanliness, and peace. White can also represent new beginnings, providing a blank slate,
and gives refreshment for new ideas. Since white has an equal balance of all the colors, it
can exemplify several meanings, with equality outweighing them all. White is a great color
for simplicity, cleanliness, and idea creation; however, avoid using too much white as it can
cause isolation, loneliness, and emptiness.
White is commonly seen: Weddings, website backgrounds, and doctor’s waiting

rooms.
More Scientific Findings of Color
Bright Colors
Faber Birren, a 20th-century color researcher and author of Color Psychology And Color
Therapy, discovered something interesting about general color groups.
He found that bright light and bright colors promoted “big muscle” activity, while softer
and deeper colors promoted mental and visual tasks better. He also discovered that red
stimulates our nervous system while blue relaxes it. Red and related colors also caused
people to overestimate the passage of time while cooler colors like green and blue were
the reverse.
That means that:
Bright colors promote physical activity but make the passage of time seem
slower.
Cooler and softer colors are better for mental activity and make the time
seem to fly by.
Cooler and softer #colors are better for mental

activity and make the time seem to fly by!
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+mental+activity+and+make+the+time+seem+to+fl
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+ACTIVITY+AND+MAKE+THE+TIME+SEEM+TO+FLY+BY%21&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
Cultural Color
Color also means different things in different cultures

(http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/). According to
researcher Joe Hallock (http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/index.html) “Eskimos
use 17 words for white as applied to different snow conditions, where in the Northwest
United States there are only 4 or 5.”
Every culture understands a color differently

(http://webdesign.about.com/od/color/a/bl_colorculture.htm). It has a role to play in
religion, politics, ceremony, and art. The culture your audience is in affects how they
understand deeper meanings of color. Even the context you use the color in affects the
meaning of color. For example, in India, red means purity, while in the U.S. it denotes
passion and specific holidays.
Word Connections To Color
In a survey (http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/associations.html), people were

asked to choose the color they associated with particular words.
Trust: Most chose the color blue (34%), followed by white (21%) and green
(11%)
Security: Blue came out on top (28%), followed by black (16%) and green
(12%)
Speed: Red was overwhelmingly the favorite (76%)
Cheapness: Orange came first (26%), followed by yellow (22%) and brown
(13%)
High Quality: Black was the clear winner (43%), then blue (20%)
High Tech: This was almost evenly split, with black the top choice (26%) and
blue and gray second (both 23%)
Reliability: Blue was the top choice (43%), followed by black (24%)
Courage: Most chose purple (29%), then red (28%), and finally blue (22%)
Fear/Terror: Red came in first (41%) followed by black (38%)
Fun: Orange was the top choice (28%), followed closely by yellow (26%) and
then purple (17%)
Blue is clearly a color people are positively drawn to, but beyond that, little else can be
said.
Depending upon the context of the rest of your content, black can mean high quality and
trust, or it can mean fear and terror. It can’t do it on its own, but surrounded by your
content, a color choice can bump up your intended meaning a notch.
Blue is one of the most preferred colors, with the

most positive connotations. #color #creativity
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Preferred Colors By Gender
Compiling the results of many studies, the Kissmetrics blog came up with an excellent
infographic (http://blog.kissmetrics.com/gender-and-color/) on how men and women
experience and react to color differently. Men and women have different color
preferences.
According to both the Kissmetrics blog and Hallock

(http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/index.html):
Blue is the favored color by both men (57%) and women (35%), though it is
more heavily favored by men
(http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html).
Men dislike brown the most while women dislike orange the most.
Colors that were disliked were also seen as “cheap.”
Men tolerate achromatic colors (i.e. shades of gray) better.
Women preferred tints while men preferred pure or shaded colors.
A majority of men (56%) and women (76%) preferred cool colors

(http://www.colormatters.com/color-symbolism/gender-differences) in
general.
Orange and yellow grow increasingly disliked as both genders get older.
(http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html)
Women see more colors than men, generally. They are more aware of slight color
differences (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/where-men-see-white-
women-see-ecru-22540446/?no-ist) within a color range.
This may explain why men simply call the color blue…blue. Women, on the other hand, see
cerulean, sky, teal, turquoise, and all sorts of varieties of blue. Perhaps it is a combination
of being able to visually see more differentiation and considering it worthy of a more
specific name. Perhaps men are better able to tolerate both colorless and bright color
palettes (http://www.colormatters.com/color-symbolism/gender-differences) because
they aren’t as sensitive to the nature and nuances of the color as women seem to be.
Did you know that women see more colors than

men? #color #contentmarketing
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S+THAN+MEN%3F+%23COLOR+%23CONTENTMARKETING&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
What does this mean for you?
Well, is your audience mostly men or is it women? What age are they? Do the colors you’re
using in your content marketing attract or repel that audience? If your audience is women,
in particular, you must carefully choose colors that are not too raucous. If you are selling a
luxury product, you want to avoid colors that are seen as cheap.
Back To Top
Mood Colors And Emotions (Infographic)
There are a few generalized understandings of what specific colors often mean to a large
cross-section of people, with each color having negative and positive emotions associated
with it.
Back To Top
Color & Brand Recognition
How people behave when they see color has a direct effect on your conversions. Will they
click the button on your CTA? Will they read your pop-up graphic? Will they notice your
email subscription box?
According to the Institute for Color Research (http://www.zeroabove.co.uk/the-colour-of-

success-whats-your-flavour/), people make a judgment about your content in 90 seconds
or less. And, up to 90% of that judgment in that brief amount of time is influenced by the
colors they see. Blogger Neil Patel gives further proof
(http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/01/24/how-colors-affect-conversion-rate/) of how
Get Your Free Color Psychology Take Charge
Marketing of Your Content Marketing with CoSchedule. Try CoSchedule Free for 14 Days
colors affect your Bundle!
conversion rate, revealing that 85% of consumers base buying decisions
on color, and that full-color ads in magazines get recognized 26% more often than plain
(http://coschedule.com/sign-up)
Get It Now!
old black and white ads.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/xy4jp3wj0iua91c/Color-
In fact, color helps people recognize your brand by up to 80%
Psychology-Bundle.zip?dl=0)
(http://www.zeroabove.co.uk/the-colour-of-success-whats-your-flavour/). It’s important
to choose your color carefully, and stick with it.
When it comes to getting people to click a button or sign up, it’s not a question of which
color is magic and makes it happen all the time. It’s a question of passive and active colors
(http://socialtriggers.com/best-color-for-conversions/), of high and low contrasts, and of
opposites, like our CoSchedule example where the orange button stood out from the blue.
And it’s a question of which color tested best for you.
The best #color for conversions in your content is

the one you’ve tested yourself. #creativity
text=The+best+%23color+for+conversions+in+your
+content+is+the+one+you%27ve+tested+yourself.+
%23creativity&via=coschedule&related=coschedule&
url=http://coschedule.com/blog/color-psychology-
marketing/)
E+ONE+YOU%27VE+TESTED+YOURSELF.+%23CREATIVITY&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
Back To Top
Testing Your Best Colors: A CoSchedule Case Study
The color combination of orange and blue is a powerful one. It’s fairly safe in respects to
color blindness, and repeatedly gets favorable marks by people as a combination.
But is it enough to just pick a great combination?
Not at all; you need to know how to use those colors individually. Let’s look at CoSchedule
and our Facebook promotions as an example. We’ve created several designs over the last
year, some with a blue backgrounds, and others with orange backgrounds.
The promotions with the orange backgrounds consistently made people more likely to
click than those with the blue backgrounds! It made sense, though. Think about Facebook.
It is a predominantly blue network, and so our orange image stood out more than our blue
image did.
This doesn’t mean that orange is the color you must use. It means we tested our two
colors and found that orange worked the best
Test your colors to find out which colors will make

people click into your content more often.
text=Test+your+colors+to+find+out+which+colors
+will+make+people+click+into+your+content+mor
e+often.&via=coschedule&related=coschedule&url=
http://coschedule.com/blog/color-psychology-
marketing/)
E+PEOPLE+CLICK+INTO+YOUR+CONTENT+MORE+OFTEN.&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
It means we tested our two colors and found that orange worked the best for us on
Facebook. It might even vary from social network to social network so make sure that you
do your own testing.
What worked on Facebook might look different than Twitter. You need to find out if your
red button beats your green button (as Hubspot discovered
(http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/20566/The-Button-Color-A-B-Test-Red-
Beats-Green.aspx)) on your own. The color of the rest of the page, your content, and the
placement objects will make your results different from what someone else has
discovered.
Now You’re A Color Psychology Expert!
Color in general is fascinating to study, from both a theory and psychological standpoint.
From Newton (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/newtcol.html), Goethe,

Itten (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Itten), Hering
(http://www.ehow.com/about_6836844_hering_s-color-theory.html), Young-Helmholtz,
Birren (http://www.ehow.com/about_5366927_birren-color-theory.html), or Müller
(http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/09/02/the-muller-formula-or-predictable-
color-preferences) (yes, there have been many theories on color throughout history
(http://www.ehow.com/facts_5033489_history-color-theory.html)), the lowly color wheel
has been considered and reconsidered again and again. The effect color has on us and our
behavior has been studied repeatedly.
When it comes to choosing colors, you must test. You cannot know how your audience
will respond to your colors in your content and layout without creating thoughtful A/B
tests (http://coschedule.com/blog/content-marketing-tips/) to determine which color
combinations and placements generate the most leads and traffic in your content.
What have you learned about #color in your own
#contentmarketing? (https://twitter.com/share?
text=What+have+you+learned+about+%23color+in
+your+own+%23contentmarketing%3F&via=cosched
ule&related=coschedule&url=http://coschedule.com
/blog/color-psychology-marketing/)
23COLOR+IN+YOUR+OWN+%23CONTENTMARKETING%3F&VIA=COSCHEDULE&RELATED=COSCHEDULE&URL=HTTP://COSCHEDULE.COM/BLOG/COLOR-
Content Marketing (http://coschedule.com/blog/content-marketing/) , Top Content

(http://coschedule.com/blog/popular/) / April 18, 2016
Take Charge of Your Content Marketing with

CoSchedule.
Get organized and plan ahead with our all in one editorial calendar and social
scheduling.
See Pricing Plans (http://coschedule.com/pricing)
Start Your Free 14-Day Trial Now (http://coschedule.com/sign-up)
(http://coschedule.com/blog/author/ashton/) Written By Ashton Wirrenga

(http://coschedule.com/blog/author/ashton/)
Ashton is CoSchedule's graphic designer

who takes written content, throws it through
an unbelievable design brain, and makes
everything we do even better. Photographer,

designer, artist.
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(https://plus.google.com/109044144411536714656/)
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Strategy That Will Boost Your Results 21+ Marketing Templates That Will
By 434% Make You More Efficient And
Organized
(http://coschedule.com/blog/content-strategy/)
Content (/blog/content-marketing) (http://coschedule.com/blog/marketing-
templates/)
If you want to build and execute a data-driven, agile
Content (/blog/content-marketing)
content strategy to get massive results from your
content marketing, this post is for you. Need help creating more effective content, more
easily? Download these 21+ marketing templates, each
Continue Reading designed to help you do your best work now.
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Join the discussion…
Debbie Rodrigues • 5 months ago

I still don't play much with A/B tests when it comes to my images. I choose a very specific color combination
because even though it's not among the popular ones, it does reflect what I want for my brand to be.
I love that you also include the negative aspects of each color, Julie. Very helpful!
Thanks a lot for such great info.
Thanks a lot for such great info.

3△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Smallbiz-emarketing • 8 months ago

Simply amazing guide! Thanh you for a brilliant piece of work! Have reposted it on Social networks as WOW
Colour Guide
Ivy Shelden • 3 months ago

Awesome, comprehensive post! Great for people like me who are design challenged. I am going to keep this
handy when choosing a new theme/design for my blog.
Ashton Wirrenga > Ivy Shelden • 3 months ago

Hey Ivy, I'm so happy we could help! I think this other post on design will come in handy too:
http://coschedule.com/blog/how.... Enjoy!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Mike Brown • 4 months ago

This guide is extremely helpful. You guys do an amazing job of working with color schemes and pallets it
makes your content a pleasure to read and allows for a much easier digestion of the material.
Ashton Wirrenga > Mike Brown • 3 months ago

Wow, thanks Mike! I appreciate the feedback!
Rena • 21 days ago

This was the most interesting article I've read in forever! I was absolute fascinated the whole way through. I
can't remember the last time that I didn't actually skim something. I learn so much. Thank you that was
amazing.
Ashton Wirrenga > Rena • 20 days ago

Wow, I'm so honored to hear that, Rena! I'm glad we can help provide quality content for ya!
Alex Ratynski • a month ago

What a fascinating post! Thanks for sharing I have a certain addiction to learning the balance between
psychology and marketing and how the brain interprets things and how it relates to making decisions, and
how that can be implemented in marketing. Thanks for sharing!
Ashton Wirrenga > Alex Ratynski • a month ago

Awesome, you're very welcome, Alex! Stay tuned for Monday as we'll have some new info on the same
topic. Cheers!
asim11 • 5 months ago

very good and awesoem
Sabah • 6 months ago

Wow! it's a great Idea about Color theory in marketing....and absolutely a details guideline for working with
color in marketing era. I do prefer to use cool color's! Because, that is great for our eye's and concentration
both!
Ashton Wirrenga > Sabah • 3 months ago

Yes, I would agree! I've heard that blue is the easiest color on the eye. Nice and soothing :)
Viktoriya Zakharova • 9 months ago

Great article! Definitely have a lot more color understanding.
Ashton Wirrenga > Viktoriya Zakharova • 22 days ago

Glad to hear! I think you'll enjoy the updated color info, too!
Christy Harvey • a year ago

Outstanding! This is the exact information I've been wondering about. Thank you for sharing this complex
subject in a clear, simple way.
Ashton Wirrenga > Christy Harvey • 3 months ago

You're very welcome, Christy! Glad we can help. If you'd like more design tips, you might enjoy this
post too: http://coschedule.com/blog/how.... Cheers!
Fern • a year ago

Wow! I really appreciate this well-written and in-depth article on color psychology. Lots of great take aways,
for sure.
Ashton Wirrenga > Fern • 3 months ago

Thanks Fern, appreciate it!
Rana Campbell • a year ago

Great article! I am going to use some of these tips on my site.
Integraphix • a year ago

Love the easy breakdown of the color choices and color psychology! As a Chicago marketing agency
branding exec, color psychology is one of my favorite aspects of branding.
Ashton Wirrenga > Integraphix • 3 months ago

Me, too! I find it so fascinating. Thanks for reading!
Nathan David • a year ago

This is so awesome I love this site its really helped me to do my work
Ashton Wirrenga > Nathan David • 3 months ago

Glad to hear, Nathan! If you'd like more design advice, you might enjoy this post, too:
http://coschedule.com/blog/how... Cheers!
ExtraCashOnline • a year ago

We like orange and red!
Ashton Wirrenga > ExtraCashOnline • 3 months ago

We use orange quite often as a brand color, and it seems to be a high-performer. Thanks for your
feedback!
Nandini Jammi • 2 years ago

Just the refresher I needed on color theory. Bookmarked!
Ashton Wirrenga > Nandini Jammi • 22 days ago

Wonderful! I'm excited to see what you think about our updated info!
Anastasia • 2 years ago

Amazing summary. You helped me a lot with these contrast colors. Will test them too!
Arlie Wall • 25 days ago

One of the best color guides I have seen to date. Bravo!
This comment was deleted.
Nathan Ellering Mod > Guest • a year ago

Hey @nichughes, we really appreciate that! Thanks for reaching out. And if you're interested in even
more stuff about psychology and marketing, this recent post may be right up your alley:
http://coschedule.com/blog/how....
Penny • a year ago

re: colours bring emotion infographic
SINCE WHEN WAS FEMININITY A NEGATIVE!!
Sean • a year ago

"red + blue = purple
blue + yellow = green
red + yellow = orange"
- this isn't correct. It's been known to not be correct since the 19th century. Red and Yellow make an okay
Orange, but if you mix purple or green from the above, you will have atrocious, muddy, grey colours. People
who mix colours from these 'primaries' often find themselves having to add purple and green from bottles to
keep their colours bright.
Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are better primaries. You can make Blue from Cyan and Magenta, and Red from
Magenta and Yellow. That proves these colours to be secondary.
Julie R. Neidlinger > Sean • a year ago

Hi Sean,
It's definitely true that color mixing varies. Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are the colors used when talking
about light and also in some printing scenarios (if you add in black for CMYK). RGB is familiar to
designers who work on the web with monitors, etc. As a painter, I know that the kind of green and the
kind of red make a difference. Phthalo blue with cadmium yellow medium, for example, will give you
more of a turquoise than a true green. Alizarin crimson and phthalo green make the perfect black.
Ultramarine blue might be the better pigment to use as your mixing blue as long as the paint company
didn't dilute it with black or other fillers, and crimson is probably the better choice than a cadmium red,
which tends to veer towards orange. And so forth. It really depends on what medium you are using
when deciding what to use as your primary. I see in some of your other comments on other blogs that
talk about color that you mention the blame cheap paints (and fillers) have received and don't
necessarily agree that that is the case. However, if you've ever taken a cheap paint and begun mixing
white in with it bit by bit, you can start to see evidence of graying or other filler that was used. So that
does have a role to play. It does matter what blue, red, or yellow you use. There are so many pigments
out there. A cyan or cerulean blue will give you a particular kind of purple, but an ultramarine will give
you another. Understanding that the family of blue, in general, is the primary is the goal. Which blue
you choose makes a difference in what kind of secondaries you will end up with.
The idea with this post, though, is not to use it necessarily as a color mixing guide, but as a way to
understand how colors work with each other across the color wheel and how our eyes look for
opposite colors. There are many color wheels and approaches to color theory, but this is a good
general start to understanding the "math" behind color.
Dante • a year ago

Thank you for the 'colorful' insights. ;) I really like how the basics were spelled out — kudos! I definitely agree
that selecting appropriate and contrasting color combinations for context and audience are an integral part of
that selecting appropriate and contrasting color combinations for context and audience are an integral part of
great design.
But I will play devil's advocate; as stated in the article, "The psychological impact of color is subjective. We
don’t all react the same way to colors." As a designer, I take these color meanings with a grain of salt because
of color's subjective nature. IMHO it's far more important HOW colors are used than the color itself.
So in the FB promo and A/B example, the orange version was attributed with 6x higher click thrus. I'm going
to poke a hole in that conclusion because it's more likely that the design LAYOUT of the blue version wasn't
as strong as the orange:
-typography, contrast, spacing: there is a clear hierarchy and contrast of importance of the text and visual
elements in the orange version, plus the calendar graphic is much smaller and allows for balanced spacing in
the layout. For the blue version, all the elements and text barely contrast or stand out from each other –
they're competing for importance, plus the enlarged calendar bunches up all the visual elements creating a
busy layout.
Just my humble opinion...

Garrett Moon Mod > Dante • a year ago

Great thoughts, all of those things certainly play a part. With those two ads, though, everything was
pretty much the same other than the background color. We also saw identical results with pop-up ads,
web banners, and Twitter Ads. Somethings the color just makes the difference.
Monica Duffy > Garrett Moon • 7 months ago

I have to disagree with you on the sameness of the two. The calendar on the blue layout was
clearly larger than the one on the orange layout. And the word "Co-Schedule" was (needlessly)
enlarged on the orange layout. For what its worth, I prefer the blue version.
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(/blog) Blog (/blog) Content Social Product Culture

The Ultimate Guide To Using Color Psychology In

What's Your Headline Score?

In content marketing, color is an emotional cue.

In an ocean of content marketing (http://coschedule.com/blog/too-much-content/),

Ready to become an expert? Let’s jump in!

Understanding Color Theory

The Basics of Color Theory

Understanding Contrast and Color

Choosing Color Combinations

The Psychology Of Color In Marketing

The Meanings of Color

Gender Preferences in Color

Testing Your Best Colors

The Know It All Guide To #ColorPsychology In

Want to use Click to Tweet on your blog? (http://coschedule.com/click-to-tweet)

Get Your Free Color Psychology

Let’s Start With The Basics Of Color Theory

Exceptions, of course, abound when it comes to talking about primary colors. If

red + blue = purple

blue + yellow = green

red + yellow = orange

Tints range from slightly whiter to almost-white.

The Completed Color Wheel

Using Contrast Correctly With Color

Yellow is bright (http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/2011/theres-something-about-

Using High And Low Contrast

Choose #colors and contrast that is readable.

Want to use Click to Tweet on your blog? (http://coschedule.com/click-to-tweet)

Choosing Color Combinations

A study from the University of Toronto

Using Complementary (Opposite) Colors

Complementary color combinations make things stand out.

Blue is the opposite of orange.

Red is the opposite of green.

Yellow is the opposite of purple.

Let’s look at the CoSchedule homepage (http://coschedule.com) as an example. What

Caution: Addressing Color Blindness

Using Split Complementary Colors

Using Analogous Colors

Using Monochromatic Colors

Most designers—when using complementary colors—pair a rich collection of

Pair a rich collection of monochromatic colors with

Want to use Click to Tweet on your blog? (http://coschedule.com/click-to-tweet)

Using Triangle, Rectangle And Square Colors

The Psychology of Colors in Marketing

The Color Psychology of Red

The Color Psychology of Orange

Orange is commonly seen: Fruits, sporting events, and board games.

The Color Psychology of Yellow

The Color Psychology of Green

Green is commonly seen: Nature, economic exchange, health-based stores, and

The Color Psychology of Blue

Blue is commonly seen: Workout facilities, hospitals, and spas.

The Color Psychology of Purple

The Color Psychology of Pink

The Color Psychology of Brown

Brown is commonly seen: Campgrounds, home furnishings, and coffee shops.

The Color Psychology of Gold

Gold is commonly seen: Luxury products, rings, and trophies.

The Color Psychology of Black

Black is a color of sophistication, seriousness, control, and independence. Although, it can