Branding and Marketing: The Meaning of Colors

When it comes to branding and marketing one’s business, colors should be chosen very carefully. The colors being used can enhance how customers react to your business’ products or services. Large companies tend to invest heavily in branding research – especially colors – to target their audience.

ConceptDrop’s blog states it best, “Up to 90% of people’s assessment of products or services is based on colors alone. Provided we perceive the brand color as one that fits the brand personality, our likeness of the brand can be greatly persuaded.” With that said, the colors of your brand must be consistent with your products or services’ personalities.

Colors Influence on our Emotions

According to Yahoo! Small Business, this is how colors influence people:

White and Grey – Associated with feelings of calm, balance, purity, cleanliness, and safety. Neutral greys can also symbolize feelings of sophistication, practicality, and solidarity. Too much grey may lead to feelings of nothingness and depression.

Yellow and Orange – Cheerful colors that promote optimism and cheerfulness. Yellow has been shown to trigger a sense of caution (think wet floor signs) and to make babies cry. These colors are commonly used to create a sense of anxiety that can draw in impulsive buyers and window shoppers. You’ll notice the yellow is difficult to read against the white background which can cause a noticeable amount of stress, particularly in the reader’s eyes.

Red – Creates a sense of urgency and youthfulness. Red is associated with physically stimulating the body, raising blood pressure, and encouraging appetite. Fast-food companies use generous amounts of red in hopes that customers will purchase more to eat and stay for shorter periods of time.

Green– Health, peacefulness, and nature. Used in stores to relax customers and for promoting environmental issues. Green has been shown to stimulate harmony in your brain and encourages a balance leading to decisiveness. You’ll see a lot of “eco-friendly” products using green. Starbucks is a popular company who hosts green as its primary color in hopes of providing a sense of calmness and tranquility to their coffee shops.

Purple – Wise and imaginative. Commonly associated with royalty, quality, and respect. Purple is commonly used to brand beauty and anti-aging products.

Blue – Strength and dependability. It’s associated with peace, tranquility, and reliability. Believed to stimulate productivity, it is the most common color used by conservative brands looking to promote trust in their products. You’ll see a lot of technological and IT companies using blue.

Black – Symbolizes luxury, authority, power, stability, and strength. Black is commonly used by high-end clothing brands and car manufacturers.

When it comes to branding, cultures should be taken into consideration when choosing colors to personify your products or services. In western societies, for example, red is mainly associated with passion and love. However, in eastern cultures red means luck and fortune, whereas in Africa red is used for mourning.

Below is the Color Emotional Guide from the Logo Company to help with how your brand is perceived.

Need help with your branding or logo? Courtland’s graphic design experts create innovative and effective branding and logo solutions.  Contact us today for a free consultation.

Looking for more helpful ideas on branding?  Check out this article:  Guess Who?  Branding + Web Design.

Written by P.T. Phan, Web Developer and Digital Designer @ Courtland Consulting