What is Color Psychology?
Color psychology is the study of colors in relation to human behavior. In other words, it examines how colors affect our moods, bodies, and day-to-day decisions.
In terms of marketing strategies, color psychology answers questions like: Does a certain-colored packaging compel us to buy a product compared to similar products with different-colored packaging? Is there a suitable color to use in your restaurant? Do certain colors make your logo stand out more?
And, yes: the choice of colors can be essential in shaping our shopping behavior.
Marketing and advertising experts understand the benefits of utilizing colors in their strategies. Many tactics are used to boost sales, such as stores playing music to enhance customers’ moods and affect their shopping habits. In visual marketing, customer habits are shaped using colors.
Fun Fact: In a U.S. study, blue is the top choice at 35%, followed by green (16%), purple (10%), and red (9%). Orange, yellow, and brown are the least popular colors.
Color Symbolism
Colors evoke emotions. A marketing expert should ask: Who is my target audience, and which emotion do I wish to evoke in my customers?
Up to 90% of an initial impression comes from colors, which further influence our snap judgments. How color influences individuals may differ depending on age, gender, and culture, as well as the color itself.
For example, white is a mourning color in some parts of Eastern Asia, while in Western cultures, white is worn by brides on their wedding day.
When designing a product or visual identity for a brand, a designer must keep in mind that almost every color can have double symbolism, where the second meaning is often the complete opposite of the intended effect.
In the following examples, we will describe in more detail the symbolism behind some colors.
Let’s say you are designing a product in the health industry and wish to incorporate the color green. Green is associated with nature, plants, growth, and health. However, it is also linked to toxicity, sickness, and poison. As a designer, you need to be aware of these associations and guide the consumer’s perception in the desired direction. In this example, using other symbols of health and medicine, alongside an appropriate font, can prevent any misconception about the product.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “That person’s energy is color yellow”? Studies show that yellow evokes feelings of joy, happiness, and energy—just like the energy some people project. Similar to yellow, orange symbolizes success and a burst of high energy. These are good examples of the positive associations with both yellow and orange.
When it comes to yellow, negative connotations could include sickness, jealousy, and envy. When designing a character with bright yellow skin (like in The Simpsons or Lego minifigures), the additional elements help indicate that the yellow skin is not associated with illness. For instance, Lego minifigures all have wide smiles to prevent any misunderstanding. This additional characteristic helps avoid the misconception that yellow skin represents something negative.
Let’s say you are designing a logo for your brand and you know you want it to be blue, but you haven’t yet decided on a shade. The tint and shade of the color you choose are as important as the color itself. Different shades of the same color can evoke different emotions in consumers.
Blue is often associated with intelligence, loyalty, and stability. It reflects feelings of harmony, calmness, and a peaceful state of mind. Darker shades of blue are better at conveying maturity and stability, while lighter shades represent harmony and calmness.
If you are designing a logo for a cosmetic brand targeting a younger audience and wish to appear playful and approachable, a light shade of blue is a very suitable choice. On the other hand, if the logo is for a bank, incorporating both lighter and darker shades of blue would still be a good choice since the bank needs to appear reliable, while still conveying a sense of harmony and calmness.
When completing the visual identity of a brand, making the wrong choices can lead to a negative representation that can damage your brand. When choosing colors for your logo, you want to create an attractive, easy-to-read, and recognizable design that people will remember.
Take Coca-Cola’s logo as an example. Over the years, they have successfully raised global awareness of their brand, and their logo is instantly recognizable. The logo features distinctive typography on a bright red background.
Red is a color that always pops and attracts attention easily. Its visibility is one reason why it’s commonly used in ads on the streets, as well as on stop signs and fire engines.
Colors Affecting Purchasing Habits
Customers generally make an initial judgment about a product within 90 seconds of interacting with it, and about 62–90% of that judgment is based on color. How does this apply to product packaging?
When it comes to food and drinks, color affects how we perceive their edibility and flavor. Using a misleading color for a product could lead the customer to the wrong conclusion about its flavor. For example, a cherry cola in yellow packaging might be mistaken for lemon-flavored cola.
It’s not that one particular color attracts all audiences, but rather that certain colors are more appropriate for certain products. When the impression of a product matches its marketing, it’s more likely the customer will purchase it.
Colors can also affect how a place influences customers in a store, and therefore how much they are willing to spend or how long they will stay. Many restaurants use red when designing their interiors, as it is known to stimulate appetite.
On another note, studies show that people are subconsciously drawn to warm-colored store displays, even though they consciously find cool-toned displays more attractive. If you want to encourage customers to make a quick decision to enter your store, a warm color is the way to go. Cool-toned displays are better suited for stores where customers make planned purchases.
Conclusion
Colors can have a big effect on our moods and decisions. They are a useful tool in marketing and design, as colors create 90% of the initial impression before we buy a product. Whether it’s a logo for your brand, a poster, or an ad you are designing, think about the impression you want it to convey and choose a color that matches that intention.
