Have you ever noticed that fast food restaurants are decorated with bright colors such as red, orange and yellow while banks are often in muted tones of green and blue?
We see varying color schemes every day or our lives and generally don’t think much about it. But color is a meaningful and powerful psychological tool. When it comes to advertising, colors can make consumers feel either positive, negative or simply leave them cold. But whatever the takeaway, it can undoubtedly affect our moods and our behavior. Effective use of color in your business or your advertising can increase brand recognition.
The Psychology of Color
Black
The color of authority, power, sophistication, and strength. Black is a serious color, which is why you’ll often see it utilized in electronics and luxury items advertising.
Red
The color of energy. Red easily draws attention and is associated with movement and excitement. In fact, seeing the color red actually stimulates breathing and heart rates. Red is great for headlines, phone numbers, or text that needs to grab attention. But bear in mind, it can also induce angst which may or may not be appropriate.
White
The color of purity, cleanliness, truthfulness and safety. White is a refreshing, soothing and offers high contrast to other which is why it’s the background of choice for most websites. In hospitals white denotes sterility and in the cosmetics industry, cleanliness.
Blue
The color of dependability, security, wisdom, and loyalty. Seeing the color blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming. It is a very soothing color. This color is used for businesses, newborn’s rooms, and in doctor’s offices. Blue is the most well-liked color and the second most powerful color.
Green
The color of growth, maturity, health, and money. Dark green promotes masculinity and wealth, while light green promotes harmony, peace, and energy. In business, green is often used to communicate wealth and status.
Yellow
The color associated with laughter, optimism, and happiness. A person surrounded by yellow generally feels optimistic because the brain releases more serotonin when surrounded by the color yellow. Also, yellow enhances concentration and speeds up the metabolism.
Purple
The color of wealth, prosperity, sophistication and royalty. The color purple stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving, while also being a feminine and romantic color. Purple is often used in women’s cosmetic packaging.
When embarking upon a new advertising campaign, along with choosing your target audience, color is an important component. Think about the emotions you want your customers to feel or not to feel and craft your advertising messages accordingly. Color is a powerful tool and can help you engage your target audience, which in the end will be beneficial to your advertising campaign’s success.