How Psychology of colour affects your Marketing and Branding
If you were to close your eyes and quickly open them to see a Macdonalds sign in your face - what would your first impression be? Bright, cheerful and happy perhaps with the use of the yellow and red combination - it gets you doesn't it!
Getting the basics right
Whatever you feel about the use of colour in marketing and branding (and we're all different), there is no denying it is a powerful emotional cue, and for any new business getting it right is fundamental to future growth and success.
Research suggests that 90% of us judge a brand and whether we are going to like or dislike it on colour alone. Seems harsh doesn't it? It is vitally important then for any fledgling business, to carefully choose the right colour for both brand and marketing, such as the business website, based on the personality
and emotions you aspire to portray going forward. What do you want your customers to see, experience and feel, and ultimately, how do you want them to act afterwards? According to Kissmetrics, colour increases brand recognition by 80% and the feeling, mood and image that is conjured up through the use of colour has a direct impact on persuading users to like and interact with a brand, product or service.
Let's put it to the test
Take these colours for example, how do they make you feel?
YELLOW: Happy, jovial, cheerful, optimistic (MACDONALDS/IKEA branding)
GREEN: Tranquil, healthy, at one with nature (STARBUCKS/TROPICANA branding)
RED: Fiery, urgent, intense, energy (COCA COLA/NINTENDO branding)
BLUE: Peace, water, reliable, secure (FACEBOOK/ORAL B *Blue is the most commonly used colour in global brands*
Start with these simple steps
Step 1: Start with the basic Primary colours: Red, Blue, Yellow
Step 2: Add a dash of Secondary colour: Purple, green, orange
Step 3: Bring in the Tertiary mix to take it further: Red-Orange, Blue-Green
Step 4: Then follow it up with tints, shades and tones, so you have a great starting palette to work from.
Hue says I don't matter?
It's all about the hue! Readability is key for any brand and marketing materials to appeal to potential users and stand out from the crowd. If the hue is wrong on your business website for example, the customer simply won't be able to engage with your content and will completely switch off and move on to one of your competitors - not good.
Giving business a colourful personality
Of course, how we feel about a colour is largely down to our own personal tastes, upbringing, experiences and cultural beliefs, but take yellow for example, it's a bright and vivid colour, and is universally accepted as the colour of happiness, so the user-feeling will be one of energy and motivation, which in turn can lead to a better response to a brand. A poor colour choice for any branding and marketing tools, can lead to a very negative response - even if you do have great content!
Is your business in need of a colour-lift?
If you need to bring some colour back into your marketing and branding, then get in touch with Holly Small Design today visit www.hollysmalldesign.co.uk or call 01923 260519
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