If you are new in the industry, you must have heard how other businesses incorporate color psychology into their brand logos. Why is it done so? Color psychology takes your brand to the next level as the game is about colors that affect the consumer’s mind and influence their purchasing decisions. Don’t believe us? Worry not as the blog will shed light on giving you detailed insight regarding color psychology, color psychology in marketing, who came up with the concept of color psychology, the role of color psychology in marketing, the psychology of popular colors, and some examples of famous brands that have used the color magic to attract customers.
The Concept Of Color Psychology
Color psychology is the study that tells how different colors affect human behavior and mood. It takes us to another world, where we get to learn and discover the impact of colors on our emotional responses and how people react to multiple colors concerning their culture and age.
Colors emerge as powerful sources of communication as different colors are instilled with distinct meanings. Some are used to give signals, while few tend to change our physiological reactions like boosted metabolism and eyestrain, and can be a great mood turner.
Interior designers and artists have been firm believers in color psychology that the shades can drastically affect the emotions, moods, and feelings of the customers.
Renowned artist Pablo Picasso shared his feedback on color psychology that colors follow the changes of emotions.
Rachel Goldman, a Ph.D. holder, backed up color psychology by saying that it is amazing how colors appear to affect our moods and behavior accordingly.
The Masterminds Behind The Color Psychology
Are you curious to know who were the masterminds behind the color psychology? Let’s travel a bit behind in time to spill the beans!
Egyptians
We have landed in Egypt as they were considered to be the first ones to use color psychology on their locals. The Egyptians applied color psychology as a part of therapy to heal patients. The method was also known as Chromotherapy, light therapy, and colorology.
They made the most out of the following colors in their practice:
Yellow – A good body purifier and helps the nerves
Red – Escalates circulation followed by body and mind stimulator
Blue – Pain soother
Orange – Increases energy and lung healer
Purple – Excellent cure for those who dealt with skin issues
Sir Isaac Newton
It’s time to move ahead to the late 17th century and see what Sir Isaac Newton discovered. The inventor came forward with the color spectrum and explained the organization and composition of the spectrum. He studied how every color has a distinguished wavelength and introduced the color wheel.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a renowned German poet and politician of the 18th century. In 1810, he published his work known as The Theory Of Color. What did the project comprise? It highlighted the function, nature, and psychology of colors. His contribution was overlooked by many experts representing the Scientific community present at that time. Despite the resentment, his hard work was still acknowledged in History and regarded as one of the most beneficial explorations that explain the effects of colors on emotion and mood.
Kurt Goldstein
Kurt Goldstein possesses the title of being one of the first psychologists to carry out scientific research in the domain of color psychology. After reading Goethe’s color concepts, he expanded the topic. Though he was recognized to be a neuropsychologist and treated patients suffering from central nervous system disorders, in 1942, he executed a series of experiments on his previous five patients to confirm whether colors could work out in improving motor functioning or not. By colors, we mean particular shades and not all of them.
How did he conduct the tests? Goldstein arranged a system, where he made his patients look at different objects of red and green color. Those patients had issues with tremors and balancing. The color test proved to be an excellent way of witnessing how it affects the symptoms of the problems. The results were interesting: red turned out to mount their symptoms. On the other hand, green raised the bar of betterment in their motor abilities. When the report was broken down, red was revealed to be a triggering color, while green spread calming vibes. Therefore Goldstein ended the experiment by saying that green benefits everyone and is not restricted to his patients.
Carl Jung
The Swiss psychiatrist of the early twentieth century, Carl Jung, provided his valuable opinion regarding color psychology by saying that colors are the mother tongue of the subconscious. Moreover, he showed an immense eagerness to study the effects of the colors on human mind which led him to bring art therapy to the table. What was art therapy? It was a trauma and distress recovery solution, where he encouraged patients to express their ideas through images and colors. Jung forwarded the conclusion that colors play a pivotal role in stimulating our body’s reactions.
How Do Colour Meanings Affect You?
When you purchase objects of multiple colors then have you ever thought about how their color meanings affect you? Everyone has color preferences children are usually attracted to vibrant colors, whereas older citizens are inclined to lighter colors. Today you will get that reality check as this is how the shades affect your mind and behavior:
Black
Many people are fond of black. The color drives a sense of being powerful, sexy, and mysterious. Males often prefer purchasing black cars as it gives them the authority to drive a luxury vehicle and female celebrities also wear black at major events as it elevates their confidence within them and steals the limelight.
White
The color white stands out in the list of colors as it portrays freshness and cleanliness. In short hygiene. White brings forth modernity and youth.
Red
It is considered to be a very bold color. Whoever wears red whether clothes or cosmetics grabs the attention at parties. If your favorite color is red then people view you as a person who is confident, will not think twice before taking any action, and wants the power in their hands.
Yellow
Yellow yellow dirty fellow! You must have heard this rhyming line throughout your childhood and how the color was used for rhyming. Color experts share their two cents on this color that whoever prefers yellow is a happy soul and will not be afraid of taking more risks than an average person is scared of.
Silver
Where is Silver commonly spotted? Hmmm …. High-technological products that are Silver in color that are designed to make everyday work efficient and convenient. People find it a connection to innovation and modernity. Plus the shade is associated with cutting-edge technology, modern and new.
Gray
Few people opt for gray and the likeness is often witnessed in senior citizens. Gray represents subtlety. The ones who usually prefer buying stuff gray in color reveal that they are not interested in standing out of the crowd and are content staying low-key.
Color Psychology And Marketing: The Connection
How about we discuss the connection between color psychology and marketing so it helps your marketers in designing your brand’s logo too? Nice to see that all of you are super eager to learn about color psychology.
But before jumping on the bandwagon, it will be better to share some statistics with you so you can have a good idea regarding colors to make your logo look more inviting to your target audience.
Xerox Corporation conducted a massive survey that brought forward the following results 90% of their employees felt that color played an important part in increasing their clientele. Another 81% said that the colors infused in their brand helped them to stand out in the crowd from other brands giving them a distinct identity. Besides that 83% of them noticed that whatever colors they chose to add to their brand logo facilitated them in acquiring more success in the market.
The story does not end here as another research was conducted by Colorcom . The results display that customers tend to make a subconscious judgment within the first 90 seconds related to the environment, a person, or a product they view, and in that initial viewing 62% to 90% of the analyzing is done based solely on color.
The researches make it evident that color psychology and marketing are closely connected because the combination of tones and shades elevates your brand’s identity amongst the customers and market. Even when you are on the purchasing end you identify your favorite product from its color and at times also end up mistaking it to be your desirable article just because the color is the same. Happens right?
The Role Of Color Psychology In Marketing
According to Enterprise Apps Today, a business gets 80% more recognition in the market if it uses its signature color in the brand’s logo. Then 78% of the people actively remember brand colors and only 43% of them recall the actual name of the brand. That is so relatable, right? When you want something and fail to recall the name of the product, you give hints by telling the color of the product, and bingo the product is presented in front of you.
Do you remember the days when ads were black and white color? They were boring but the color concept was an alien then. But with the colored ads brands get 42% more impressions.
Therefore color psychology should not be underestimated as it holds the authority to increase your brand’s existence in the following ways:
Facilitates Marketing Teams
Out of the several tools, color psychology facilitates marketing teams to come up with innovative strategies that help in escalating the brand and planning the next strategy. Hence color psychology emerges as an essential tool for a company’s branding because the marketing teams can sit together to design a logo that defines your brand and appeals to the customers.
Reputation Builder
When the brand is still in its initial stages very few recognize and the presence in the market and in the eyes of customers is near to zero. But as the brand successfully manages to establish itself in the market, then what happens is people start recognizing it with the colors of the brand’s logo. For instance when ladies discuss their favorite brands of cosmetics or clothes then they try to indicate the brand’s colors to each other for quick recall.
Whatever colors the business uses in its brand’s logo hold great potential in building the platform’s reputation. Example: Purple color, when kids see purple candy placed on the shelf they say Dairy Milk as the brand has earned good respect in the market and the color is sufficient to grab the attention of their target audience.
Brand Can Set Itself Apart
All businesses have a mutual desire to see their brand set itself apart from other rivals in the market. How is this made possible? The use of color psychology does the honors. It is important for the owners of the business, who are new in this industry or are launching another brand under their name to instruct their marketing teams to pick the right and accurate colors that reflect their energy. The colors should be so strong that on finding the product online or in the store, the customer finds it a challenge to ignore the product and prefers picking up the rival’s brand. Your brand’s colors must attract customers to select your product and read what is it about and how is it going to add value to their everyday lives regardless of where the brand is placed on the shelves of the store.
The Psychology Of Colors
Finally we have reached the section on the psychology of colors and the new business owners will find this interesting to read and maybe take the necessary measures to correct the brand’s logo if they are going on the wrong track. Therefore we have shared the list of the following colors:
Red
Red leads the color race in being the most emotionally charged color and the impact it puts is not even soft. Hence while planning colors for branding, businesses should be careful with red. It is not that brands have not used red as a part of their brand, but their teams have made sure that the color does justice to their brand as they have sketched it tactfully.
The color is known to lessen analytical thinking because red elevates and triggers how we react to things. Because of this factor marketers include red in their brand’s logo and instantly pull attention when it is used for advertising purposes too. Have you ever noticed that when shops put a sale on their products, the discount tag red in color? Why? The shade stimulates your excitement that you are getting the article at a reduced price and serves the purpose of the business as they generate revenue through that color psychology.
Eateries also market their new dishes through red as that is considered to increase your craving.
Examples of companies are Netflix, Canon, CocaCola, Adobe, CNN, and H&M.
Yellow
Yellow is used the least of all. Why? The color has little fan following in the sphere of marketing, but those who have the color own it proudly. It is popularly known for spreading delight and cheerful hue. Overloading yellow causes trouble as then negative reactions like frustration anger, and anxiety.
The color can boost metabolism and escalate self-esteem if utilized skillfully. Having a comparatively longer wavelength the color holds the ability to hold your visibility for the longest time.
The shade is normally found in traffic signs, post-it notes, and warning labels.
Examples of companies are McDonald’s, Hertz, National Geographic, Ferrari, and Nikon.
Orange
Orange lovers raise your hands in the air! The color brings song mixed feelings of excitement, warmth, and enthusiasm. Apart from that Orange works best in displaying fun, and boosts energy, therefore it is commonly found in the uniforms of several sports teams.
Like its siblings red and yellow, orange too has a habit of drawing attention. The color is used in the buttons on many websites and traffic too. According to research, consumers find value in the color, hence Home Department has enjoyed using orange as its logo color generating a lot of profits.
Orange arouses comfort through food, warmth, and shelter.
Examples of companies are Dunkin, Popeye’s, Nickelodeon, Penguin Publication, and Soundcloud.
Green
Looking at the color green, your mind automatically relaxes. The eyes love it because they face no issue in adjusting as soon as it hits the retina. The color is known to spread pleasing, restful, and calming vibes. For this reason, even celebrities prefer sitting in the green room as the room’s atmosphere relaxes their nerves.
Green promotes sustainability, adds life to things, and the color of nature, and soothes your vision.
Examples of companies that use green are Spotify, Starbucks, Tropicana, Land Rover, and Green Giant.
Conclusion
Color psychology plays a crucial role in affecting you and your brand. The blog covered the major aspects of the psychology behind the color concept starting from where it first emerged, the researchers who contributed to it, the connection between marketing and color psychology, and of course the psychology behind the main colors. Hence the next time you sit down to design your business logo make sure that it is visually appealing to attract your target audience.
