To Make Color Work for You: To Understand the Power of Color

The power of color is evident. When used properly, it helps guide us to what's on the shelf, shapes our first impression and influences our buying decisions.

While color plays a vital role in all forms of marketing, its effect is especially pronounced in print. Consider the following statistics:

Color increases direct mail response rates by 80%

Color ads are read up to 42% more often than the same ads in black and white

Color improves reading comprehension by 73%

But not all colors behave equally, and some perform better than others. To successfully incorporate color into your next printing project, you must first understand the psychology behind color.

To keep you consistent with what you're about to read, keep the following in mind:

What this article says: A reference to help designers, marketers and printers understand why people react to color a certain way and how to take advantage of this.?

After reading this article, you will be able to better understand:

What causes our brains to make emotional connections to color

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Colors

7 Winning Strategies for Using Color to Your Advantage

Color is not one size fits all people

The first thing to remember about color psychology is that it is both an art and a science.

There are many studies that reveal how and why our brains respond to certain colors, and it's largely situation-based.

Let’s say that you're sending direct mail and want a safe color that appeals to both men and women, you might choose blue, which is rated as one of the most popular colors for transgender people. But maybe the qualities it evokes (peace and tranquility) don't align with your email goals.

This is where color becomes an art form.

It is important to incorporate scientific and contextual factors into your unique situation. Keep this in mind as you read ahead, and you'll get some tips to implement.

Meanings and associations of specific colors

We tackle this question first because it's definitely one of the most popular questions: what does each color stand for?

To answer this question, we recommend that you check the information provided by Pantone's official website, Pantone is a world-renowned authority specializing in the development and research of color, and a supplier of color systems, providing many industries including printing and other information about color such as digital technology, Professional color selection and precise communication language for textiles, plastics, architecture and interior design. It gives a good overview of the various qualities that each color represents, as well as the well-known brands that use them.

How does color affect behavior?

Remember, there is no real generalization when it comes to color. So why are some colors more successful than others in influencing target behavior, you ask?

Research has shown that our minds experience varying degrees of excitatory responses when exposed to colors. This arousal is characterized by higher adrenaline, blood pressure and heart rate - leading to more stimulation.

The degree to which we are aroused depends on the color. For example, colors at the ends of the wavelength spectrum (red and violet) elicited much higher levels of brain activation than colors in the middle of the spectrum (yellow and green).

Nick Kolenda did a great job illustrating and explaining these aspects.

https://www.nickkolenda.com/color-psychology/

So does that mean red is bad? Are low wake colors better than high wake colors? Read on and you'll learn how to choose colors based on the goals of your marketing communications.

What are the key factors to consider when deciding on color?

As we discussed, colors have no clear meaning. Subconsciously, we assign different meanings to colors based on many factors.

When picking a color, consider the following factors as a "checklist":

Experience:

Colors trigger different meanings based on each person's experience with changing colors. Students may develop stronger associations between red, grades, or failures, triggering feelings of anxiety. Adventurous water lovers may form a connection between blue and a sense of excitement. While it's hard to generalize this completely, this concept underscores the importance of knowing your audience.

culture:

Remember that colors have no universal meaning. For example, while purple represents honor and courage in the United States, it symbolizes death and sorrow in many European countries.

Context:

As mentioned earlier, a color can have many meanings, but the context in which it is used plays an important role in determining how to interpret it. To demonstrate this, a study looked at red - which is known to have very different meanings depending on the situation (love/passion in romantic situations, anxiety/danger in achievement situations).

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7 Ways To Use Color To Your Advantage

This is where things really get interesting.

As we mentioned earlier in this article, certain colors perform better than others depending on certain factors and circumstances. How do you unlock the secret to success? Next time you're evaluating which colors to use in your printing product, consider the following factors.

1. Arousal levels: As mentioned earlier, warm colors increase our arousal, while cooler colors decrease arousal. In a state of reduced arousal, we are more relaxed mentally and spend more time rationalizing and debating. Meanwhile, higher levels of arousal equate to excitement and anxiety. This can lead to impulsive decisions.

Consider choosing warm colors when you want recipients to make an immediate decision; consider choosing cool colors when you need them to process the message more carefully.?

2. The depth of processing required: We process information in two basic ways. We use heuristics when we need to analyze quick and easy information. System processing is used for thorough, rational analysis. Cool colors trigger systematic (planned) processing, while warm colors trigger heuristic (quick, by habit) processing.?

For example, the color you choose will depend on the strength of the case you are trying to convince your audience with your PPT. If your argument is strong, choose a cooler color because you know you'll survive a deep analysis. Instead, consider using warmer colors to reduce the effect and try to make a quick decision.

3. Sales method: In an auction-like environment, where consumers race to buy rare or limited-edition products, studies have found that warmer colors generate more revenue. This is because higher levels of arousal lead to more aggression and a greater likelihood of continuing to bid. At the same time, if you are negotiating the sale of the product, it is recommended to choose cool colors to reduce the aggressiveness of buyers.

4. Brand personality: If your brand is trying to convey certain characteristics, consider an earlier infographic that paired colors with it.?

5. Gender of target audience: Men are known to prefer cooler colors and shades, while women prefer warmer colors and shades.?

6. Product Type: Limited color styles are most acceptable for utility products that provide functionality. At the same time, fun and lighthearted hedonic products perform better when combined with more colors.?

7. Content volume: The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, yet our brains must process both within the limited attention span of text and images when presented in a communication. To help the brain and give your marketing the greatest chance of success, think of content volume as a table of how you should approach color.?

If your content pages use complex or heavy content, consider lowering the color level to a softer appearance to facilitate better understanding. And feel free to increase the color level if the design of the content department is simple or light.

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