4 Amazing Ways Brands Use Color Psychology For Marketing

We all begin to develop emotional connections with colors from childhood. Different colors give us a simple expression of likes and dislikes. Some of the right colors will make us feel happy and calm, and the wrong colors can arouse feelings of danger and fear.

A good logo is identifiable with the brand it represents. What color comes to your mind when you think about iconic brands such as Coca-Cola or Mac Donald’s? Their logos are recognizable in the blink of an eye, isn’t it? Brands like these use color psychology to create a powerful human connection.

A logo’s color can represent the hidden meaning of the brand relating to the company's history. In this blog, we’ll have a look at what is color psychology, why it is important, how it has an impact on our lives, and the psychology of colors.

What Is Brand Color Psychology?

It is the study of colors and how they impact the brand's perception and behavior. The brand color has a powerful effect on emotions and how it impacts the consumer's impression of the brand and persuades consumers whether or not to consider a specific brand or make a purchase.

Brand colors are used for creating and developing new business, marketing assets, and rebuilding the existing brand.

Let's take an organization, we will use brand colors in areas like;

• Website
• Logo
• Advertisements
• Store design
• Storefront

Why Is Color Psychology Important In Business?

Color evokes feelings and emotions.

For example, wearing an orange dress for one day because;

• We feel creative 
• Lifts up our mood
• Be ready to act

Selecting the right colors makes a difference between the brand stealing the show in the crowd or blending in. The primary role is to convey information, create moods, and influence the decisions that consumers make. Color preferences also make people choose their purchases, and the clothes that they wear and adorn the environment.

The Psychology Behind Colors Used By Brand

Every color has different emotions. Most of the brands follow this while choosing the color;

“Colors affect emotions and emotions affect the decision”

Let's take a look at each color to choose for the brand

1) Warm colors

 Includes shades of red, orange, and yellow

• Red - It is the most appetizing color and we will be able to find most fast food logos are red. To evoke our hunger popular brands like Mc Donalds and KFC make their entire store red. It also indicates power and danger, so the news channels and car brands go for the red color.

Positive attributes ( strength, passion, power )

Negative attributes ( anger, danger, warning )

• Orange - It is a color with high positivity and rejuvenates difficult moments. In marketing, orange is used to portray youth, playfulness, and boldness. The brightness of this color made a perfect choice for Home Depot to inspire innovation and confidence.

Positive attributes ( courage, innovation, confidence )

Negative attributes ( Ignorance, Immaturity, Frustration )

• Yellow - It represents happiness, fun, and sunshine. It is a cheerful color as lifestyle and entertainment brand goes with it. Denny’s known for their breakfast gives us the idea of  “rise and shine” with a good breakfast. Yellow is also associated with caution and safety signs.

Positive attributes ( happiness, warmth, creativity )

Negative attributes ( fear, irrational, caution )

2) Cool Colors

Includes shades of blue, green, and purple

• Blue - is the color of strength, wisdom, clarity, and communication. Health care, financial institutions, and IT companies consider this color as it relies on trust. According to brand color psychology studies blue is the world’s favorite color and is particularly preferred by men. 

Positive attributes ( security, trust, logic )

Negative attributes ( unfriendliness, uncaring, coldness )

• Green - This color makes to think of eco-friendly and the concept of “going green”. Departmental stores and food brands that need to be health-conscious choose green. It has also a negative side on both health and sickness, luck and jealousy

Positive attributes ( health, freshness, nature )

Negative attributes ( envy, boredom, sickness )

• Purple - It is the color of luxury, bravery, and royalty. For centuries, purple dye is rare and expensive, and only royal and upper-class citizens who are affordable wear purple outfits. Many beautiful things like butterflies and flowers showed in fantasies and fairies are purple. 

The purple shade also indicates the feminine touch. It is a color used by products and brands to sell products to girls and women. For example; Claire sells low-cost jewelry to teenage girls. Cadbury uses the purple color for their packaging and markets it to women first as buyers or consumers.

Positive attributes ( wealth, imagination, sophistication )

Negative attributes ( suppression, excess, moodiness )

3) Neutral color

Includes the shades of white, black, gray, and brown

• White - While black absorbs all light, white gives us the reflection and highlights the absence of any color. White symbolizes purity and innocence. For example, the bride's wedding dress is white even though it is an old-fashioned custom, it signifies the value of goodness. 
• Companies that choose white for the brand represent excellence and deliver peace and comfort.

Positive attributes ( cleanliness, simplicity, innocence )

Negative attributes ( caution, emptiness, distance )

• Black - In the U.S., black represents death and mourning. In the world of fashion, it is a powerful color associated with luxury and power. It may be simple black pants or a black turtle neck top, it will always be a style. Many sports brands use black as their primary color to show their strength.

 

Positive attributes ( power, security, authority )

Negative attributes ( evil, mourning, menace )

4) Multi colors

The brands which use these colors convey what they want, as they’ve got all the attributes. ( google, eBay)

Final Thoughts

Color is not only associated with what we see, particular tastes, scents, and sounds in our minds too represent a specific color. Because we know that different tints, tones, and shades of colors affect consumers differently. It's important to find the right combination to convince the consumer to make a purchasing decision. 

Remember we all connect through attributes and emotions; there is a powerful tool as the color will do it. By understanding the psychology of the color, choose the right color for the brand. Feel free to share with your friends who are interested in learning this topic.

Written By: Nivetha