Psychology of Color

Marketing
 Warm-up
1. What are the three elements that make up
the marketing concept?
a) Pricing, Planning, & Promoting
b) Selling, Marketing, & Distributing
c) Improved standard of living, more resources, & increased
international trade
d) Customer Orientation, company commitment, & company goals
Elements of the Marketing Concept

 Customer orientation: Do it their way.

 Finding out what customers want and producing those products the way they
want them

 Door-to-Door sales versus a company surveying clients to see what they want

 Company commitment: Do it better.

 Make/price the product better than the competition’s model.
 Putting money into research & development so your products stays #1

 Company goals: Do it with success in mind.

 Maintain your firm’s purpose while you apply the marketing concept.
 Increase profits, be more socially responsible, increase market share, etc…
The interrelationships among marketing functions

 Can’t forget to advertise even if you have a great product

 Can’t forget to have a sufficient supply of those great

products in stock

 Can’t forget to set prices that are competitive and attract

customers

 Forgetting any of these functions means your marketing

effort won’t be as effective.

 Your competitors will have an advantage

 Agenda
• Psychology of Color Lesson

• Choose your favorite color

• Look at color chart to see if your favorite color

relates to description given.
– 3-5 sentences. Include level of agreement.
– Are there any other colors that describe you?
Step One: Choose Favorite Color
Compare your color & description
• List at least 2 ideas
/ emotions

When you see orange,

what do you think
of?

• List at least 1 Brand

 Color Psychology
• 90% of an assessment for trying out a
product is based on color alone

• Color is the first thing a customer notices

about a company’s logo

• Most popular logo colors:

– Blue (33%)
– Red (29%)
– Black/Gray (28%)
– Yellow (13%)
 Red in a Business
• Best when used as an accent color
– Too much will overwhelm

• Encourages customers to take action & make a

purchase

• Elicits a response
– May be a positive or negative response
– Response is dependent on the customer

• Best used in businesses specializing in food & appetite,

energy, passion, or speed
 Orange
• Stimulates appetite & social conversation

• Lighter shades of Orange & Red are seen as more

feminine

• Gives impression of affordability

– Too much orange will come across as too cheap

• Good for restaurants & food outlets

– Important to the décor of a business

• Combined with blue, purple, or aubergine for a

contemporary / classy look
– Phoenix Suns
 Orange in Business
• Apply sparingly as it is disliked in the Western World

• Suggests fun, affordability, reasonable quality, & adventure

• Invaluable color in restaurants, cafes, bistros, and diners

– Stimulates appetite & conversation

• Social color that is frequently used in hotels & resorts and on travel websites

• Sports teams pick orange a lot due to energy associated with it

• Orange appeals to the youth market

– Teens like its fun & affordability
– Kids see it in toys a lot

• Softer colors of orange such as peach are often used to represent upper
class businesses
– Example: Spas, Beauty Salons, Treatment Centers, Expensive Restaurants
 Gold in Business…
• High perceived value

• Promotes wisdom and wealth

• Products that use gold are seen as expensive /

exclusive

• Best when combined with dark red, dark blue, or

dark green
 Yellow in Business
• Effective if combined with other bright primary colors
– Combined with black will act as a warning

• Great color for children’s products

– Stimulates mind & creativity

• Helps keep people moving because most people don’t

like yellow for long periods of time
– Popular in fast food

• Good for leisure products

– Enhance the promotion of any fun and entertainment
business
 Yellow in Business
• It is a good color to highlight but too much can cause
anxiety, especially with older people
– Subway & McDonalds remodeled

• Use in Point-of-Sale purchases

– Eyes follow yellow first

• Avoid using yellow on expensive items

– Men view it as cheap and unsophisticated

• Dirty versions of yellow have negative connotations

– Example: Mustard
 Green in Business
• Green is a good color for health & healing

• Promotes natural, safe, & organic products

– Environmentally friendly

• Suggests something new and fresh

– Motivates people to join social groups
– Helps people thing more clearly

• Dark green is good for money & financial institutes

• Lime Green suggests anticipation

• Olive Green is negative unless used to emphasize nature /

environment
 Blue in Business
• Blue is the most universally well-liked color in the world
– Safest to use
– Helps build customer loyalty

• Blue is best suited for the conservative, corporate world

– Trust, honesty, dependability are important

• Popular for companies dealing with air & water

– Airlines, Boating Companies, Air Conditioning, etc…

• Best if used for companies seeking one-on-one customer

relationships versus mass communication
– Insurance, accountants, banks, & other financial institutes

• Reduces appetite and slows heart rate

• Too much blue can encourage boredom, manipulation, or a rigid look

Blue / Green
 Turquoise in Business
• Good for businesses focusing on communication
– Teachers, trainers, public speakers, media communication, & computer
technology
– Aids in self-expression & clarity of thought
– Has an innovative side that goes well with sports teams

• Popular in health clinics & practitioners

– Balances emotions & calms spirits

• Good for products promoting water

– Pool companies, water filtration, water sports, etc..

• Often used in cleaning products as it reflects cleanliness without

being too sterile

• Too much Turquoise creates indecision

• Best if used with red, pink, magenta, or purple

 Purple in Business
• More suitable for products & websites relating to women
or children
– Younger men are starting to see appeal
– Kids like purple & bright colors
– Lighter shades appeal to women
• Craft items, antique stores, selling things like lace, etc..

• Academic institutes will frequently use a medium shade

of purple
– Inspire thought & achievement

• Portrays wealth, extravagance when combined with gold

– Gold is not a good color on websites
– Gold is effective on packaging & print material
 Pink in Business
• Pink is popular with charities & their marketing programs
– Relates to hope, compassion, warmth, and understanding

• Pink works well in businesses promoting women's products

– Beauty salons, fashion businesses, & cosmeticians
– Effective in candy stores & places selling sweet products

• Brighter pinks are popular amongst the younger market

– Promotes less expensive and trendy items

• Dusty pink is popular in businesses focusing on older

generations or sentimental services
 White in Business
• White is probably the best color to use as the
background color for websites
– Exceptions are yellow & pastels
– Helps clean up negative space

• Suggests simplicity, cleanliness, & safety

• Promotes hi-tech products, kitchen appliances, bathroom

items, infant, and health related products

• On its own white is viewed as cold and sterile

 Black in Business….
• Black is beneficial for companies selling luxury, elegance, &
sophistication
– High quality professional products
– Upper class car companies

• Black packaging is viewed as heavier & more expensive

– Creates classy, elegant look

• Good color to promote to wealthy teens

– Music companies
– Seen as cutting edge, trendy, sophisticated, & rebellious

• Can be seen as dramatic when combined with bright, rich, jewel

colors such as red, emerald, yellow, or orange

• Too much black is viewed as unfriendly and intimidating

– People think of salesmen wearing a black suit, black shirt, or black pants
 Silver in Business
• Reflects quality craftsmanship and artistry

• Beneficial for businesses promoting quality modern

appliances and equipment

• Appropriate for high-tech, innovative computer market &

scientific companies

• Doesn’t work well on websites

– Appears gray which is cold and impersonal

• A good complimentary color not primary color

 Assignment
• Pick your favorite color and compare it to
definition

• Complete the psychology of color

worksheet

• Choose 1 of 3 options to accentuate the

use of color for a company
 Option #1
• Create a female jersey for a Division II Humboldt State
College
– School lacks attendance for women's athletics.
– Currently use Green, White, & Yellow. 
– You would create something that attracts female fans or
attracts interest period. 
– If I were doing this I would choose pink or something neon. 
However, you can do whatever. 
– You also need to turn the Lumberjack logo into a "less
manly" mascot.  Simply putting Lady Lumberjacks on a
jersey would work too.
 Option #2
• Rebrand the Washington Redskins Jersey. 
• New colors & new mascot needed. 
• You would get away from their current image and try
to let people know that they are culturally sensitive &
receptive to fans. 
• You can only use one (or none) of their existing
colors
• If you look at what colors really stand for it should
help you pick one for them.  
 Option #3
• Best Buy, Wendy's, Coca-Cola, Facebook,
McDonalds, IKEA, FedEx, Ford, & KFC are all
companies that typically attract an older audience. 
• They are hiring you to create a new color scheme
& employee uniform that appeals to a younger
demographic. 
• You do not need to alter their logo, just the colors it
uses.  Best Buy could be Black & White versus
Blue & Yellow.  Change geek squad outfit from
white button up to black v-necks.