What is Color Psychology?

Close your eyes for a second and think about the last time you saw an ad that really POPPED! Do you remember what color it was?

Using colorful palettes in marketing and ad design is a lot of fun, but a clever marketer also knows that certain colors work better than others in different circumstances. Some colors work better than others to grab attention, and we as an audience associate different colors with moods, feelings, and even sensations. Read on to get a good look at the intentional uses of color psychology in marketing.

General Rules

Studies have shown that audiences generally prefer and remember light colors better than dark colors. The same is true for bright instead of dull colors, and primary colors over secondary colors. If you think about advertisements you see on a daily basis, a good number of them will be using light, bright, primary colors to catch your eye.

Color can also have a subtle effect on our perceptions of other things. For example, warm colors (red, yellow, and orange) appear larger than cool colors (green, blue, violet), which some advertisers use to emphasize product size, such as ads for hotel rooms.

Color Breakdown

Red is interesting because looking at this color has physiological effects on the body. Studies show that when looking at something red, a person’s heart rate raises and their pupils dilate. It inspires spontaneity and encourages us to follow our impulses, which is why red is so often used in design for sales and promotions. Blue, on the other hand, is calm and serene. It provides a sense of stability and control, and you’ll find that many big businesses use blue in their branding for exactly that reason. Blue can also increase productivity by soothing the mind into a state of focus, and it’s the most common favorite color for people around the world.

Yellow is simultaneously the most visible color on the spectrum and also the most difficult for our brains to take in (so much so that just looking at yellow can make some babies cry!) This light color usually signals creativity, innovation, and optimism. Green is right in the middle of the color spectrum and is representative of balance. It’s associated with nature, health, freshness, growth, harmony, prosperity, and hope. It’s the easiest on our eyes because it requires no adjustment when it hits the retina, which is why green is used for thermal imaging technology such as night vision goggles.?

Orange generates feelings of warmth and is considered bright, light, and fun. People associate darker shades of orange naturally with Autumn, which is great for earthy brands. Pink is a color of transformation and creativity, and is often connected with stereotypically feminine associations like kindness, softness, and compassion. Unlike red, pink is a great mood regulator and is used in specific scenarios, such as holding cells for violent criminals, to calm and assuage the inhabitants. In branding, pink is usually used to target women, but darker hues are also utilized in more eccentric designs for broader audiences.

Purple is often associated with royalty and nobility, and for that reason it symbolizes power, luxury, and ambition. However, because it’s a combination between the intense energy of red and the calming tones of blue, purple creates a feeling of wisdom and good sense. It’s also associated with creativity, mystery, and magic. Brown, in contrast, is associated with stability and resourcefulness. When we see the color brown in marketing, we’re reminded of dependability, support, and resilience.

White, the absence of color, is associated with purty, innocence, freshness, cleanliness, and new beginnings. It’s also seen as a symbol of sophistication and is used by some choice brands such as Apple, Adidas, and Chanel, to align their brands with a chic, simplistic, minimal aesthetic. Black, on the other hand, signifies timelessness. It’s a symbol of power, tradition, sophistication, and steadfastness.

Grey is a versatile color, and when used correctly, can evoke feelings of composure, steadfastness, and dependability. It can also be used as the perfect backdrop for bold and bright designs to really pop. But where grey is solid and dependable, Gold signifies luxury, success, and wealth. It is used in designs to associate brands or products with sophistication and extravagance.

Key Takeaways

Putting together an advertising or marketing campaign is a complicated project, and choosing which colors will represent a product or brand can be a fun part of the process! It’s important to remember that certain colors will have different effects on your audience’s psychology than others and implement them accordingly.?

Stick to bright, light, and primary colors to grab attention, but don’t be afraid of darker and more neutral colors to convey peacefulness or dependability. Be aware of each color’s unique associations, choose your hues carefully (this tool is a great asset when putting a color palette together), and always keep color psychology in mind for best results!