First impressions happen in less than 3 seconds - your marketing (which includes your brand, print media, website design and advertising) is no different!
Choosing the right look and feel of your brand is a critical step in your marketing foundation. Understanding how color will affect your brand and marketing message is key to making sure that your message is heard...and better yet - acted upon. The kind of colors and background you choose can have a strong or subtle impact. The wrong combinations - could be a disaster.
Colors relate to Emotions - Emotions relate to Buying
Primary colors are intense to the eye. If you combine too many in an ad or website - you could be creating a design that is blaring and unpleasant to look at. On the other hand, if too many light or pastel colors are used - a person might skip over it because nothing stood out. So in this post - we've compiled some info about each color so you can be sure you know what your color choices are saying.
Some Background on Colors:
Red is the most emotional color that will deliver any one of the following feelings to your visitors depending on the mannerism you use it and intents you have to use it: Energy, strength, passion, eroticism, fire, lust, desire, blood, risk, war, danger, attention and romance.
Pink is an easy one and is more of a soft color that will deliver the following feelings: Romance, love, friendship, femininity, truth, passivity, good will, emotional healing, peace, calming, affection, emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, sweet tasting, sweet smelling, ethereal, delicacy. It can also give the emotion of devoting to breast cancer. For obvious reasons you can see why the National Breast Cancer Foundation chose this color for the breast cancer awareness month.
Orange is a stimulating color and is used to be associated with life and health. In restaurants, it is used to encourage appetite. Orange is also associated with being tropical, fresh and invigorating. Orange usually is associated with the following feelings: warmth, energy, vibrancy, the sun, friendly, intense, joy, tropics, growing things, heat, creativity, autumn, earth, appetite stimulant, and youth.
Brown is an earthy tone and usually is associated with growth and life. When using brown it is usually to associate with health and nature. The typical emotions derived from brown are: earth, materialistic thoughts, home, outdoors, inexpensive, reliability, credibility, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity, comfort, longevity, intimacy, tranquility, masculine, nurturing, contentment, fertility, generosity, dirt, substance, practicality, and hard work. Brown is best used with a texture.
Gold is a color that exerts wealth and has a general sense of class associated with it. In order for it to be used properly to get these connotations though it must be shiny in some mannerism otherwise it can lookcheap. Money and wealth are the two main and universal associations with the color gold.
Yellow is said to stimulate mental activity and be one of the primary colors of attention. When using yellow it is best to not use it too lightly or loses it’s stimulating effects. The typical emotions that are derived from yellow are: intelligence, light, cooperation, sunshine, joy, happiness, intellect, energy, cheerfulness, optimism, purity, warmth, honor, caution (only when used in small amounts), cowardice, imagination, hope, summer, philosophy, uncertainty, restlessness, glory, and enlightenment.
Green is an earthy and calming color that can also imply intelligence. It also has the implications of money but typically only in the US. Typically green is associated with the following emotions: earth mother, physical healing, monetary success, abundance, fertility, growth, renewal, youth, stability, endurance, freshness, nature, environment, tranquil, refreshing, quiet, hope, immortality, health, healing, good luck, renewal, youth, jealousy, trees, grass, vigor, growth, harmony, envy, calm, contemplation, and friendliness.
Blue is the color of wisdom and trust, it is also the favorite color of over 2/3 of the world and is least disliked by most cultures. This may be because the sky is blue and the water reflects the sky making most things seen on the planet blue. It is generally associated with technology and progressive creativity. The most common feelings that people have with blue are: communication, wisdom, protection, spiritual inspiration, calmness, reassurance, fluidity, water, sea, creativity, peace, calming, higher thoughts, the sky, devotion, progress, freedom. trust, loyalty, intelligence, reassurance, artistry, compassion, sadness, tranquility, confidence, security, cleanliness, order, comfort, cold, technology, intellect, ideas, sharing, empathy, relaxation, affection, inspiration, friendship, patience, contemplation, infinity, harmony, non-threatening, and dependability.
Purple is a color typically associated with royalty and is also the most liked color of pre-adolescent children. When thinking about purple the most common feeling are: influence, spiritual power, self assurance, dignity, high aspirations, royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, sophistication, arrogance, dreams, imagination, wealth, extravagance, magic, creativity, energy, ego, ambition, fame, luxury, and power.
White is a clean color and is typically associated with purity and is therefore the most religious color. The typical emotions that are derived from white are: spirituality, peace, higher self, purity, virginity, reverence, simplicity, cleanliness, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, cold, clinical, sterility, clarity, perfection, innocence, goodness, light, fairness, safety, faith, coolness, charity, union, self-sacrifice, holiness, feminine divinity, pristine, chastity and positivism.
Black is a color that has mysterious and sometimes negative connotations that can create the wrong image if used improperly. The typical feelings that are derived from black are: protection, repelling negativity, power, sexuality, sophistication, elegance, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, underground, space, secretiveness, night, emptiness, dramatic, authority, prestige, grief, anger, and serious.
How do you avoid using the wrong color? Test, test and test! Create several variations of an ad or home page and get feedback from friends, family and clients. You can also split test your market by running side by side ad or email campaigns with the variations to see which garners more response. Marketing is not an exact science - but it pays to understand the science behind the buyer's mind. Good Luck!
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