How do Colors Influence People?

Colour psychology is an interesting phenomena that studies how colours are a determint of human behavior. Colours also illicit emotions and affects mood. It is necessary for brands to think about the colours that they are using for their communication from logo, branding to packaging. Here are what some of the colours signify and examples of brands that use them for the same reasons.

Red – Creates a sense of urgency, which is good for clearance sales. Red also encourages appetite, thus is frequently used by fast-food chains. It also represents excitement, fun and youth. Some brands that use red also fall under the same category, such as Coca Cola, KFC and Lego.

Blue – Globally used to identify with males. It’s associated with peace, water, tranquility, and reliability. Blue provides a sense of security and stimulates productivity. Brands that use blue want to communicate that they are reliable and trustworthy. Blue is a tech favourite colour as well which represents the internet and innovation. A few brands who use blue for this are; Aquafina, HP, Dell, WordPress and Facebook.

Green – Associated with health, tranquility, power, and nature. Used in stores to relax customers and for promoting environmental issues. Green stimulates harmony in your brain and encourages a balance. A few brands that adapt this are Subway, Starbucks, Carlsberg and Heineken.

Purple – Commonly associated with royalty, wisdom, and creativity. It stimulates problem-solving and is a ‘fun’ colour. Some of these brands are; Yahoo!, Cadbury and Hallmark.

Yellow – A cheerful colors that promotes optimism. Yellow is fun, friendly and confident but may also be used to create a warning or highlight something. Hence, used a lot on roads. Brands that use yellow are Shell, Lipton, IMDB and Mcdonalds.

Orange – A friendly and cheerful colour that is playful and creates rejuvenation. Brands that use orange are Nikelodean, Fanta and Harley Davidson.

Black – Associated with authority, power, stability, and strength. It’s also stylish, luxurious, sophisticated and sleek. Brands that use black to communicate this are; Bodyshop, The New York Times, Apple, Gucci and Sony.

Grey – Symbolizes feelings of practicality, old age, and solidarity. But too much grey can lead to feelings of nothingness and depression. Brands that use Grey are Honda and Wikipedia.

White – Associated with feelings of purity, cleanliness and safety. Can be used to project an absence of color or neutrality. White is always associated with another colour to make it stand out.

Multicolour – Brands that use multicolour represent diversity and emote that they are wide, open and fun as well. Brands that use more colours are Google, Ebay, OLX, Microsoft Windows and NBC.

It is important to understand that colours are also interpreted differently in various cultures. Black may be considered depressing in some cultures, while white may be considered gloomy in others. It is also necessary to consider the context in which the colour is being used since one colour may have two varied meanings. At the end of the day, a solid understanding of your brand personality is integral to choosing the right color for your brand which can be based on rationality rather than personal preference.