Wanting to use colours in your marketing campaigns, but not sure if it invokes the right emotion for your customers or clients? Here is a quick guide to colour psychology and how you can use them to benefit your business.
Understanding Colour Psychology
The first step to learning colour psychology is to first learn what it actually means. Colour psychology is defined as the study of how colours determine human emotion and behaviour.
This is great to know for marketing because colours have a psychological impact on how we react to certain stimuli.
For example, if you wanted to invoke sadness in a reader, you wouldn’t want to use a bright colour like pink, as this conveys the wrong emotions.
A connotation is an idea which a word invokes for a person, in addition to its literal meaning. Essentially, it’s what comes to mind when you see a particular word/image.
1. Red
The first colour to cover is red. This is a bold colour which has connotations of love, passion and anger – all very strong feelings. Using it in marketing could make the audience feel energised, powerful, or excited, hence why most call-to-action buttons are red. It gives the reader a sense of urgency and makes the cause feel important.
Equally, it could convey more negative emotions, which businesses can use to their advantage. It represents anger, warnings and danger. A good example of using this in the right context would be something like a health product promoting, say, a vaccine. Using red in this context could make the audience feel a sense of danger – that they may be at risk if they do not do what the company says. This should be used carefully and sparingly, so as not to panic your readers. Using a brighter shade of red may help avoid this issue.
2. Orange
Next, we have orange, the colour of warmth, creativity and friendliness! A sweet colour, this is perfect for non-corporate companies. Orange is associated with the sun, which gives it a feeling of warmth, and this is partly why you will see lots of cartoon companies use orange in their logos (eg, Nickelodeon).
Paired with this, orange may also be seen as immature, once again linking to why cartoon companies and products aimed at children may gravitate towards this colour. However, if this is not the feeling you’re trying to invoke, it may be best to try a different colour with similar connotations (like yellow), or use a more toned-down shade of orange.
3. Yellow
Yellow is similar to orange, in that it is often associated with the sun, meaning it gives off a warm feeling. It promotes feelings of optimism, happiness and innovation, making it perfect for marketing companies which are more light-hearted and may improve the quality of life.
Of course, like any colour, yellow also carries negative connotations, including fear, caution and anxiety. This is why things associated with the police are often yellow (eg, police tape, police cars). This is easier to avoid if it’s not the feeling you’re going for. Try to stay away from more orange-toned or neon yellows, and go for more pastel, sunny shades.
4. Green
Green is one of the most powerful colours – it quite literally represents life. Think about grass, leaves, flowers, etc, they are all green, giving this colour a natural feeling. It can be used to bring on feelings of relaxation, prosperity and freshness – so it’s perfect for a natural brands, food brands, eco-friendly brands, or brands working with new technology.
On the flip side, some may see green as bland and boring, linking to things like broccoli or other vegetables, which may be considered ‘dull’. To combat invoking these feelings, avoid using grey-tones, or extremely bright shades. Additionally, ensure that you’re not overusing the colour can help dramatically improve how your brand may be viewed.
5. Blue
Positive connotations of blue include trust, loyalty and security. It may make the intended audience feel calm and/or at ease with using your product/service. Many social media brands have or had this in their logo to make them appear more dependable, which is important as they store personal data. This is a great colour for health brands (think NHS), or any brands that will store user information.
However, if you are a food brand, blue may not be the colour for you. With there being very few naturally occurring blue foods, it subconsciously suppresses our appetites. It may also come across as cold and unfriendly if it is a darker, greyer shade. Avoid this by picking vibrant and purple-hue blues, and steer away from blue if you are promoting a food product.
6. Purple
Since the Roman Empire, purple has been seen as the colour of royalty, and due to this association, many people align purple with wealth and sophistication. Using this colour can indicate that a product or service is superior to other similar items. This can be amplified by choosing strong and bold shades of purple, as opposed to pastels.
Alternatively however, if used in particular ways, purple may come across as moody and miserable. This is particularly the case if more blue-toned purples are used. However, if you are wanting to use a blue-purple colour in your marketing, try opting for a lighter shade, as it makes it come across more understanding than sad.
7. Pink
A very popular colour amongst women, this colour is perfect if you are marketing a more feminine product. It typically comes across as youthful and creative, which makes it perfect for companies like Mattel (Barbie), who market their product at young girls.
Similar to purple, pink can come across as moody and rebellious (think Victoria’s Secret) if more blue shades are used. This is an easy fix if you want to avoid this – simply use the bright, lighter shades, and avoid darker hues.
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