Colours are commonly used for aesthetic purposes on a day-to-day basis, however in the industry, colours are much more purposeful than that! In marketing and as a business owner, it is very important to understand the power of colours and the psychological impact it has on the public.
How Colours Influence People:
Black: A symbol of intelligence, power, authority, and strength. Overuse of the colour black can become overwhelming, so it is commonly used in balance with another accent colour.
Grey: Associated with solidarity and old age. Grey is a little more challenging to use because too much of it can convey a sense of lonliness and depression.
White: Pure, safety, and cleanliness. Perceived as a “black canvas,” white space is popular as it encourages creativity. White is commonly used alongside an accent colour as it plays the role as being the neutral tone.
Red: Urgent, excitement, passion, stimulates the body, and encourages appetite. Due to these qualities, red is popularly used during clearance sales and within the fast-food industry.
Blue: Peaceful, reliable, conveys a sense of security, and encourages productivity. This is why blue is used by many brands looking to gain trust or to promote trust in their products and services.
Green: Relaxation, power, a sense of healthiness, and commonly associated with the environment which is why it is used for many nature-based businesses.
Purple: Wealthiness, respect, and wisdom. The colour purple stimulates creativity and encourages problem solving. Purple is a common colour used in the beauty industry.
Orange & yellow: Optimistic, cheerful, yet also cautious and anxiety filled. Due to their warm tones, orange and yellow do convey a sense of happiness but because they are quite vibrant, they also create a sense of urgency. Many stores use these colours to trigger impulsive buying.
Colour in marketing can be adjusted based on each businesses’ needs. Although the examples shown above are fairly accurate in most places worldwide, each psychological effect will vary depending on different cultures. Many smart businesses tend to keep that in mind when establishing their brand and marketing colour story.
Choosing the right colours for your business is not easy and although the article doesn’t pinpoint the exact colours you should use for your business, it will at least bring you closer to conveying your services or message through the use of colour. Don’t get discouraged if your branding colours don’t fall in to place right away, always remember that the big companies you see today had a trial and error process too!