Our world is full of colors. Have you ever wondered how monochrome the world would be without colors?
And did you ever notice or wondered why always pink color is associated with girls, while blue is a color associated with boys, for nature, we always use green color.
See, different colors have different meanings and represent their auras. These colors play a vital role in representing your brand. A perfectly chosen color can help to attract and connect with your ideal customer.
Understanding the different colors and meanings behind them can help you to make your business thrive.
This article will discuss color psychology and its importance on branding.
What Is Color Psychology?
In layman’s terms:
“Color Psychology is how color affects our day-to-day decisions, behavior, and perception.”
Branding and marketing take full advantage of color psychology to represent their brands, associate with their customers, and market their products.
It is the most crucial thing to pick, as the different hues of color have different associations according to distinct cultures and brands.
Why Is Color Psychology Important In Branding?
Color plays a vital role in decision-making.
Choosing the right colors for your brand can improve brand recognition by up to 80%.
Color has the power to evoke the emotions of your clients and helps them in making decisions.
These effects of colors vary from person to person, based on gender, culture, personal experiences, upbringing, and thinking ability.
A branding and design company can assist you in choosing the perfect colors for your brand.
With the power of colors, you can represent your brand and speak your message clearly.
For instance, think about KFC. You will imagine Colonel in red background and KFC written with bold white letters. Or McDonald’s, you will quickly recognize it everywhere from a big yellow M.
Meanwhile, let us know about some of the colors and their hidden meanings:
1. Purple Color Psychology
Made with the perfect combination of red and blue, purple is one of the rarest colors in nature, so the color is often created artificially. Even though purple has the shortest wavelength in the visible spectrum, it is closest to the UV rays.
Purple color is associated with royalty because, in the past, the dye used to create purple color was very rare and expensive, and so was its value.
Some of the meanings associated with purple colors:
Positive
- Creativity
- Emotionality
- Royalty
- Spirituality
- Bravery
- Courage
- Wealth and Luxury
- Power
Negative
- Suppression
- Decadence
- Inferiority
- Moodiness
When to use purple in marketing?
Purple color is the best choice when you want to convey your imagination and creativity to your customer or when you want them to enjoy the feeling of luxury and prestige.
But overusing the purple color can cause frustration. So use different shades of purple wisely.
Some famous Brands use purple color:
- Yahoo
- Hallmark
- FedEx
- Tacobell
- Cadbury
2. Blue Color Psychology
The blue color is a symbol of calmness and a serene environment. You can see blue everywhere in the skies, oceans, and lakes, representing boundlessness.
According to a survey and even proven by psychological studies, blue is one of men’s most common favourite colors.
The blue color also evokes a feeling of trust, logic, and security. This is the reason why it is widely used in infographics.
Some meanings associated with the color Blue:
Positive
- Trust
- Loyalty
- Security
- Dependability
- Serenity
- Logic
Negative
- Depression
- Coldness
- Emotionless
- Unappetising
When to use blue in branding?
As suggested, the blue represents a calming, trustworthy, and serene environment to work in. So mostly, IT companies, Financial companies, and healthcare departments, who rely on these attributes, use this color in their branding.
The wrong shade can lead to the mental stress of a person so be careful while choosing the perfect shape.
Some famous brands use Blue color:
- Skype
- Ford
- Paypal
- Samsung
- Nokia
- Volkswagen
- Nivea
- Visa
3. Green Color Psychology
When we hear the word green, we immediately associate the word with eco-friendly campaigns. Over the decades, the significance of green color is with nature.
Green is the fourth color in VIBGYOR and has the most flexible wavelength.
This means our eyes do not have to strain themselves to perceive the color, leaving a relaxing sensation in our nervous systems, which gives us calmness.
For example, how do you feel looking at the scene full of trees and greenery? Isn’t it calming?
Some meanings associated with the green color:
Positive
- Health
- Hope
- Freshness
- Calmness
- Nature
- Growth
- Prosperity
Negative
- Boredom
- Envy
- Blandness
- Sickness
- Stagnation
When to use green in branding?
If your brand is associated with healthcare or eco-friendly products, you should incorporate more green on your website. Moreover, green represents power- most of the country’s military uniforms have green.
But, as said, shades may hinder your message as green represents health and sickness, luck and envy, boredom and freshness, so choose wisely.
Some famous brands use green color in branding
- Starbucks
- Wholefoods
- John Deere
4. Yellow Color Psychology
One of the characteristics of yellow is that it stands out the most. This is the main reason why taxis are primarily seen in yellow color. Yellow is a vibrant color and strains our eyes the most. However, it is one of the least favorite colors chosen by the audience.
But, when used correctly, it has a more optimistic approach than any other color.
Some meanings associated with the yellow color:
Positive
- Happiness
- Warmth
- Intellect
- Optimism
- Creativity
Negative
- Cowardice
- Caution
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Fear
- Irrationality
When to use yellow in branding?
When you want to radiate youthful energy, Yellow represents sunshine, a feeling of warmth and cheerfulness. It can even raise one’s self-esteem if used correctly.
No doubt, yellow is a fantastic color, but its lighter shades hurt the eyes, while the darker shades can make anyone sick. So choose these colors very carefully.
Some famous brands use yellow color:
- McDonald’s
- Nikon
- IMDb
- DHL
- Shell
- Ferrari
- IKEA
5. Red Color Psychology
Red color evokes varied human emotions, so it should be better used wisely. Red color has the most contradictory behavior.
For example, the red color represents the best feeling in the world, “love.” On the contrary, it also represents the most hated feeling, “anger.”
Moreover, red sometimes represents danger too. Do you remember you were always graded with red ink because it represents mistakes? No worries, the red color is the epitome of excitement.
Have you ever noticed the “order now” button in red on most of the sites?
Red is the last color in the rainbow; hence, it has the longest wavelength. It takes time to reach our eyes, appearing nearer to the rest of the colors.
Some meanings associated with the red color:
Positive
- Power
- Passion
- Energy
- Fearlessness
- Strength
- Excitement
Negative
- Anger
- Danger
- Warning
- Aggression
- Pain
- Defiance
When to use red color in branding?
The red represents love and passion if you own a dating website. The red color is bold and energetic and creates urgency. Taking advantage of this, you can use call-to-actions in red colors.
Many food companies even use red color to intensify their hunger. For example, what is the background color of McDonald? Red, right?
Some famous brands use a red color:
- Coca-cola
- Netflix
- Youtube
- Zomato
- Target
- Nintendo
- KFC
6. Magenta Color Psychology
The magenta color is the perfect choice if you are dealing with feminine products. Magenta does not have its own wavelength in the visible spectrum. As we mentioned before, you can see it as a mixture of red and violet-purple light.
Magenta represents physical harmony, emotional balance, compassion, support, and kindness. Yet it is also an example of childishness and rebellious behaviour.
Many industries are using this color to stand out from their competition.
Some meanings associated with magenta color:
Positive
- Innocence
- Imagination
- Passion
- Caring
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Quirkiness
Negative
- Outrageous
- Rebellious
- Impulsiveness
- Flippancy
When to use magenta in branding?
If you want to make your niche female-oriented, then incorporate more magenta colors on your website. It is also the best option to branch out from old traditions.
Overuse of magenta can make something look overwhelming.
Some famous brands using magenta color:
- Barbie
- Bourjois
- T-mobile
- Donut king
- Cosmopolitan
- Over to you
Color is one of the main components of your brand’s visual identity. Choosing a perfect color is hard, but the answer lies within your brand’s message.
Brand visuality plays a vital role in establishing your brand and shows how the world perceives your brand.
For every message, you want to convey there is a color and its hue will help you deliver it effectively.
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