Have you ever wondered why companies like Facebook use predominantly blue, while those organisations focused on growth and creativity choose green? The answer lies in the psychology of colour and design. Because the fact is, up to 90% of first opinions come from colour alone.

What exactly is the psychology of colour?

In simple terms, colour plays an essential role in creating a strong first impression for your customers or clients. The problem is, not every person will respond to colour in the same way. In fact, it’s not always a particular shade itself that has the biggest impact on your audience, but how “appropriate” that colour feels in the context of your brand.

So, the key to success is not only understanding what each colour means from a psychological perspective, but learning how your ideal customer will respond to the chosen colour(s).

The psychology of colour in marketing and branding

When it comes to the psychology of colour in branding and marketing, research suggests that colours improve brand recognition by up to 80% (Tiffany blue, anyone?). So, needless to say, it definitely needs to be considered in pretty much everything from logo design, to your marketing materials, and even the way you build your website.

In other words, a company shouldn’t just cling to a certain colour because it’s appealing to them, or because they think competitors in their space have done well using similar shades. Things like purchasing intent, customer affinity, brand relationships and even marketplace position all come down to how the target audience views a brand’s personality and identity, so pick a colour that works for them.

Choosing brand colours is actually not that hard if you know what you’re trying to communicate. But once you establish that, and what your brand’s personality traits are, how do you determine which colours will work best? It starts with first learning the emotional associations of each colour.

What’s the meaning of different colours?

Here’s a summary of meanings and the effect that different colours can have on people. But before you check out the below, keep in mind that the effect of a brand’s colours depends on the style and design they are used in, as well as the chosen colour combinations. Our list is fairly basic too. Our connection to colour actually goes a lot deeper than this (for example, too much yellow can actually cause anxiety).

Needles to say that we’re absolutely in love with Pantone’s Very-Peri (for obvious reasons)! To find out more about it visit their website.

If you want to learn more about how colour impacts emotions and behaviours or need help with your branding, then why not have a chat with us. We’d love to help!