UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, TAXILA

FACULTY OF TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION ENGINEERING

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Assignment # 01

Submitted to: Mam Maria Andleeb

Prepared by: M ZAID SHAFQAT

Registration No.: 19-R-18-SE-71

Semester: 3rd

Course Title: M&M

Date: Dec 15 2020

What is color psychology?
Color psychology is the study of how colors affect perceptions and behaviors. In
marketing and branding, color psychology is focused on how colors impact consumers’
impressions of a brand and whether or not they persuade consumers to consider specific
brands or make a purchase.

It’s an important field of study to consider when creating marketing assets, building a
new business, or rebranding an existing one. Consider this: In a study titled “Impact of
color on marketing,” researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about
products can be based on color alone.

The problem with the psychology of color in

marketing and branding
There have been myriad attempts to classify how people react to different individual
colors:

But the truth is that color is too dependent on personal experiences to be universally
translated to specific feelings. Research shows that personal preferences, experiences,
upbringings, cultural differences, and context muddy the effect that individual colors
have on us.

So the idea that colors such as yellow or purple are able to evoke some sort of hyper-
specific emotion is about as accurate as your standard palm reading.
Consider the inaccuracy of making broad statements such as “green means calm.” The
context is absent: Sometimes green is used to brand environmental issues, like Seventh
Generation, but other times it’s meant to brand financial spaces, such as Mint.

And while brown may be useful for a rugged appeal — see how it’s used by Saddleback
Leather — when positioned in another context, brown can be used to create a warm,
inviting feeling (Thanksgiving) or to stir your appetite (every chocolate commercial
you’ve ever seen).

But there’s still plenty to learn and consider if we humbly accept that concrete answers
aren’t a guarantee. The key is to look for practical ways to make decisions about color.

How to make practical decisions about color in your

marketing and branding
The bottom line is that there are no clear-cut guidelines for choosing colors for your
brand. While it would be nice to be able to simply look at an infographic and make the
right decision, the reality is that the answer to “What colors are right for my brand?” is
always “It depends.”

It’s a frustrating answer, but it’s the truth. The context you’re working within is an
essential consideration. It’s the feeling, mood, and image that your brand or product
creates that matters.
The good news: Research into the psychology of color can help you make the right
choice.
The right color is appropriate for your brand

In a 2006 study, researchers found that the relationship between brands and color hinges
on the perceived appropriateness of the color being used for the particular brand. In other
words: Does the color fit what’s being sold?

When it comes to picking the “right” color, research has found that predicting consumer
reaction to color appropriateness is far more important than the individual color itself.

So when considering colors for your marketing and branding, ask yourself (or better yet,
collect customer feedback): “Is this color appropriate for what I’m selling?”

The right color shows off your brand’s personality

Purchasing intent is greatly affected by colors due to their effect on how a brand is
perceived; colors influence how customers view the “personality” of the brand in
question.

And while certain colors do broadly align with specific traits (e.g., brown with
ruggedness), nearly every academic study on colors and branding will tell you that it’s
far more important for colors to support the personality you want to portray instead of
trying to align with stereotypical color associations.

Psychologist and Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker has conducted studies on this very
topic, and her paper titled “Dimensions of Brand Personality” points out five core
dimensions that play a role in a brand’s personality.
Brands can sometimes cross between two traits, but they are mostly dominated by one.

Ask yourself: what do I want my brand’s personality to be, and how can I use color to
convey that personality?

The right color appeals to your audience

One of the more interesting examinations of color psychology in relation to gender is

Joe Hallock’s work on “Colour Assignment.”

Hallock’s data showcases some clear preferences in certain colors across gender. It’s
important to note, however, that most of his respondents were from Western societies.
One’s environment — and especially cultural perception — plays a strong role in
dictating color appropriateness for gender, which, in turn, can influence individual color
preferences.

Additional research on color perception and color preferences shows that when it comes
to shades, tints, and hues, men generally prefer bold colors while women prefer softer
colors. Also, men were more likely to select shades of colors as their favorites (colors
with black added), whereas women are more receptive to tints of colors (colors with
white added).

Although this is a hotly debated issue in color theory, I’ve never understood why. Brands
can easily work outside of gender stereotypes. In fact, I’d argue many have been
rewarded for doing so because they break expectations.

“Perceived appropriateness” shouldn’t be so rigid as to assume a brand or product can’t

succeed because the colors don’t match surveyed tastes, which leads me directly into the
next point …

The right color differentiates your brand

Additional studies have revealed that our brains prefer immediately recognizable brands,
which makes color an important element when creating a brand identity. One journal
article even suggests it’s important for new brands to pick colors that ensure
differentiation from entrenched competitors.

Choosing the right color can help your brand stand out. Consider the psychological
principle known as the Isolation Effect: It states that an item that “stands out like a sore
thumb” is more likely to be remembered.Research clearly shows that participants are
able to recognize and recall an item far better — be it text or an image — when it
blatantly sticks out from its surroundings.

Two studies on color combinations, one measuring aesthetic response and the other
looking at consumer preferences, found that while a large majority of consumers prefer
color patterns with similar hues, they also favor palettes with a highly contrasting accent
color.