Colour is a powerful form of non-verbal communication. Red means stop. Green means go. An orange frog means “hey this frog is poisonous”. A yellow Lamborghini says “look at me aren’t I cool?”

Colour plays an integral part of our everyday lives. Big corporations even patent colours so no one else can use them (like Cadbury and their colour purple).

The psychology of colour in business branding and marketing materials is well documented, so what does your colour scheme say about your business?

PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOUR

Firstly, Google images is awash with pretty infographics that states things like “blue represents stability”, “green represents harmony”. The depth of analysis is limited.

Colour psychology is full of nuances and complexity and doesn’t seem to take into account certain aspects such as cultural differences.

The key with colour psychology in business branding is keeping it “colour appropriate”. Does the colour “fit” with what is being sold? What is the colour that first comes to mind and what colour just makes sense when you think of your product or service?

The truth is, while colour is super important for your business’s branding it’s too dependent on personal experiences to be universally translated to specific feelings.

However, with that being said, broader messaging patterns can be found in colour perceptions and this is usually what those lovely infographics show.

This is how certain colours are generally perceived in western markets:

Blue

Blue is popular among large companies. It is a colour that symbolises loyalty, strength, stability and trust. It’s not surprise that high number of banks feature blue in their branding.

Green

Green is associated with meanings of growth, nature, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and the environment. Green is soothing, relaxing, and youthful. Green is a colour that helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and nervousness.

Red

No other colour affects us on such a primal level as the colour red. Red is associated with meanings of love, speed, anger, danger, action, vibrancy, radiance, and determination.

Orange

The colour orange radiates warmth and happiness, combining the physical energy and stimulation of red with the cheerfulness of yellow. Orange is sociable, optimistic, cheerful, extroverted and creative.

Yellow

Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, the colour psychology of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun. Yellow is the colour of fun, creativeness, logic, confidence and humour.

Purple

Often associated with luxury, power, wisdom, creativity, and magic, it is the balancing colour between red and blue’s colour psychologies. While red brings intensity and energy to the colour, blue brings relaxation and stability, and together they make purple — the perfect balance of the two.

Pink

The colour pink represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing. Pink is associated with femininity, love, sweetness and hope.

Another Pretty Infographic

The Science of Colour in Branding

In a study titled “Impact of Colour on Marketing” researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on colour alone. As previously mentioned, colour psychology is full of complexity and nuance and generalisations should remain just that — generalisations.

However, this blog should steer you in the right direction if you’re stuck for branding directions for your new business or rebrand. For more tips and tricks read our “Why Is Graphic Design so Important for Your Small Business?” blog.

If your want to take your business to the next level then get in touch with the digital marketing and creative experts at Quentosity today. Our creative team can design and create all the marketing collateral your business needs to stand out among the crowd. We work alongside you to ensure your are left with an end result that you love.

Call us today on 0800 467 8932 to set up a casual chat over a coffee or just drop by our office at 88 Coast Boulevard, Papamoa for a no obligation chat.