The impacts of color psychology in marketing
Have you ever considered the impacts of color psychology in marketing?
First, you might ask, what is color psychology?
We often think of color psychology as affecting emotions or feelings, but color psychology is also the study of how colors affect our behavior. The colors you use in your branding can elicit different thoughts and feelings from users but can ultimately affect their decisions as well, so you should be intentional when deciding which ones to use. Color psychology can help to uncover and understand the less obvious effects of using different colors in your branding and marketing.
Since we always consider both the strategy and the design at EnticEdge, we’ll also mention a huge caveat here and say that color alone won’t be responsible for advocating for your company, nor will it single handedly launch your company into unicorn status. We know we sound like a broken record, but knowing your market (read: vetting your market with research) and getting your messaging right will also have a huge impact on your consumer’s understanding of your brand.
With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s have some fun with colors! First, let’s look at the positive feelings that different colors evoke:
Red
Red is bold. It is often linked to feelings of excitement, love, and passion.
Common industries: Media, Retail.
Orange
Orange is oftentimes characterized as energetic, and it can evoke feelings of happiness, optimism, and enthusiasm.
Common industry: Fitness.
Yellow
The color yellow can help to release Serotonin in the brain, a chemical that promotes various positive benefits, but is commonly known for controlling your mood. This helps to explain why it is associated with feelings like joy, warmth, and positivity.
Common industry: Wellness.
Green
The color green is frequently associated with money and nature, often evoking feelings of luck, prosperity, and abundance.
Common industries: Food Manufacturing, Green Tech, Environmental Organizations.
Blue
Blue is an overwhelmingly popular color, especially in the corporate world. It elicits a calming feeling, which helps to explain why it also translates to feelings of trust, loyalty, and security, as a few examples.
Common industries: Healthcare, Finance, Insurance.
Purple
Purple is regularly associated with royalty, and causes people to experience feelings of power, luxury, and creativity.
Common industry: Luxury.
Now, it is also important to acknowledge the potential negative feelings these colors can evoke. This isn’t to say that if your logo is red your customers will feel angry, but rather give you a tool to consider when thinking about the context of your marketing materials or branding. For example, if you really want to emphasize anger, you could lean into red accents or a red background. Again, these are really all just food for thought – more tools to have in your creative toolbox, if you will!
Red
Red is known to evoke feelings of danger or anger. Be intentional when using it in your branding because, while it can be effective, it can also divert your target audience if they get the wrong idea.
Orange
Orange may spur feelings of frivolity or stress. It is a stimulating color, so you want to avoid being overbearing when using it in your messaging.
Yellow
Yellow can cause feelings of anxiety or caution. Be cautious (no pun intended) of this when using it in your branding.
Green
Green can evoke feelings of materialism or envy. Be aware of this to avoid sending the wrong message, or maybe lean into it in a marketing campaign to demonstrate your non-customers envy of your existing-customers.
Blue
The color blue can be seen as unappetizing or cold. So, be careful when using it if your marketing efforts involve the promotion of food, specifically. Although, maybe if it’s something icy already, you might consider leaning into blue even more heavily.
Purple
While purple spurs feelings of power, too much of it can be seen as frustrating or arrogant.
It is important to note that different people may perceive colors differently. There is no guarantee that people will have the reaction you are hoping for, but understanding color psychology will surely help to steer you in the right direction when developing your digital marketing materials.
There are so many layers to this topic, and we have only grazed the surface, but we hope it got you thinking!
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