We are visual creatures.
And do you know what draws our eye and sparks our imagination first? If you guessed color, you’re right. Color evokes ideas, imagery, and emotions. In the world of marketing and branding, color builds associations—and those associations should, ideally, be connected to your brand.
Why Color Matters for Winning Brands
You may have noticed that certain colors are common among certain brands and industries. Fast food brands tend to use bright, bold colors like yellow and red. Financial institutions and tech companies often use shades of blue in their logos and branding. This is not by accident. It’s strategic. Color increases brand recognition by 80% and brand recognition is linked directly to consumer confidence. 85% of shoppers said color was the main reason why they bought products as well.
Iconic Brands and Their Color Association
It’s pretty likely that when you think of, say, your favorite brand, you can picture the colors associated with it.
It’s just as likely that when you hear the name of a big national brand, an image of their logo flashes in your mind. Think of the Facebook logo. Did you see the blue square with the white F? What about something like Coke or Pepsi? Both colas are essentially the same but their color choices say very different things. Pepsi is predominantly blue. It’s recognizable but Coke is the number one soft drink in the world. Maybe it’s something to do with their brand color choice? Red creates a sense of energy and excitement. It also tends to stimulate the appetite. That’s why you see red so often in food and drink brands.
The Psychology of Color
Color does much more than just catch our eye. It sends a message to your brain. It creates those important associations I was talking about. So when it comes to choosing your brand colors you obviously need to keep those associations in mind.
Here’s a basic overview to get you started thinking about those colors and how they may work for your brand:
Red: As I mentioned above, Red is a color that signals passion, energy, and excitement. It can be very powerful and effective in creating your brand image. It’s also easy to overuse. Red is not a color that is easy on the eyes, so use it selectively.
Yellow: This is the first color the eye sees. It instantly grabs your attention. Yellow is associated with sunshine, joy, wisdom, and intellect. Like red, it’s better used as a way to draw people in rather than as a dominant color in your branding palette. A note of caution: too much yellow in certain shades has been known to cause nausea.
Blue: Blue is globally popular, across countries and cultures and genders. Blue brings to mind the sky, water, loyalty, and trust. It’s also associated with justice and peace. It’s a safe and pleasing color and easy on the eyes.
Green: Green creates a strong connection to nature. It’s associated with harmony, the environment, money, and growth. Keep in mind that it can also be associated with greed and envy. So, like any other color, use it wisely for its purpose.
Purple: This color is associated with luxury, royalty, wisdom, and imagination. Bear in mind purple is one of those colors people either love or hate. Do with that what you may. If it serves your brand and connects with your audience then, by all means, use it!
Orange: Orange is a less in-your-face version of red. It still draws attention, but a little less loudly than red. It’s associated with energy, vibrancy, stimulation, and health. It pairs well with blue and can add a bit of dynamic edge to your color palette.
Black: Black is a strong color associated with sophistication, formality, and elegance. It’s also associated with death, night and mystery. So, do with that what you will. Black is an excellent accent color or could be perfect for mystery writers or those that want to bring a sense of sophistication and elegance to their brand.
White: White, as you’ve probably observed, is strongly associated with cleanliness, simplicity, and virtue. It’s also associated with purity and innocence. When used in the right way within the right palette it can send a powerful message.
Gray: A classic color for financial institutions and universities, gray evokes a sense of neutrality and balance. Because it is a balance of white and black it provides its own compliment. This is a great color for showcasing other colors and is also associated with reliability, maturity, classicism, and intelligence.
It’s All Relative
Now here’s the deal. There has been some controversy over color psychology because not everyone has the same associations with colors. It depends on the audience you’re trying to reach, your message, and how you want your brand to be viewed. Cultural differences, gender, age, and class all play a roll in what colors convey as well.
Also, different colors can convey different feelings and emotions when they’re paired and balanced uniquely and effectively.
It’s all about context. You want to use colors in your branding palette with their associations in mind but you also want to speak directly to your intended audience. That doesn’t necessarily mean picking your personal favorite colors either. In other words, you want the colors to be effective but still be YOU. You also want them to send your intended message to your audience.
Still feeling a little unsure on where to start? Check out this awesome color theory guide from Canva to get you started. You’ll be inspired and coming up with your special mix of brand colors for your palette in no time!
Main Fall Trees image: Photo by Aaron Burden from Pexels
All other photos via Unsplash
