Marketing and branding are influenced by the psychology of color.

The way a customer views the brand’s personality and representations are affected by the color they choose. It is important to be familiar with the colors you use to showcase your brand to ensure you make the best impression.

We are well-versed in the role of color psychology in branding and marketing. As an agency, we place a lot of importance on color theory in every branding project that we undertake.

Let’s look deeper at color psychology and how it can be used in branding and marketing.

What is Color Psychology?

The study of color psychology refers to the study of colors’ effects on emotions and behavior. Color psychology can impact the perception of your brand among your customers, regardless of whether you’re launching a new company, creating marketing assets, or pursuing a rebranding campaign. 

Many believe colors can trigger certain emotions. These emotions are often linked to the memories we have of specific tones in our lives. Blue is associated with calmness and stability, as many people who have experienced the ocean’s calmness find it relaxing. We also feel warmth and peace when we look at the yellow sun. For more information, see our article The science of shoppers psychology.

What does color psychology have to do with marketing and branding?

An effective marketing campaign will build a relationship between your brand, the consumer, and you. This will increase brand loyalty and awareness. This information is important for a brand. You want to make sure you have a strategy behind which colors you choose to reach your target audience.

You can build your audience and convert more customers by understanding the psychology behind color and choosing the right colors for your brand.

Colors will help you build a memorable brand

When it comes to branding, color is a powerful tool. A brand’s logo can be enough to identify it.

Coca-Cola’s red color is an example of this. It is the consistent color they use. The McDonald’s M will instantly make you recognize it as the McDonald’s logo, the happy, family-friendly restaurant.

Colors Can Improve Your Conversion Rate

Did you know that colors can be used to help your audience act?

Did you know that when you see a red light you stop and when you see a green one you move? Color is a key component of human behavior.

You can make your customers happy by choosing the right colors. Kobe Digital and other advertisers have done A/B testing which showed that changing the color of a button can increase conversions. HubSpot tested this and found that changing the button’s color increased their conversion rate by 21%.

Let’s now take a look at the colors and which one each represents.

Red

Red is a color that incites intensity in every sense of the word. What brands are you likely to think of when you think about red? Red is used in the logos of Coca-Cola and CNN as well as Nintendo, Nintendo, and Lego.

Coca-Cola is often promoted in sports ads because it promotes energy, action, and excitement. Coca-Cola may also benefit from the red color’s ability to stimulate appetite.

CNN is a news organization. They want viewers to be attentive when they watch their content and fully engaged with it. Their audience associates red with passion, energy, and excitement.

The primary target audience for Lego and Nintendo is children. Their products include interactive video games and blocks. Their audience will feel more excitement, energy, passion, and enthusiasm. Imagine these logos being dull and gray. You wouldn’t get the same effect if you went into one of their stores in person or online.

Red is a powerful call-to-action color. This is one of its main attributes in marketing. Red is synonymous with “Stop”, whether they are traffic lights, stop signs, or car brake lights. If you look at it, however, it is clear that red is used to encourage people to stop. Color psychology was used by the people who invented stop signs and lights. It will likely improve your results if you combine it with your call-to-action. Red can be a deterrent and a sign that there is danger.

Orange

Orange represents creativity, adventure, and enthusiasm. It is also associated with success and balance. Depending on the emotions your customers want to experience when they see it, orange is often used to call for action. Orange logos are used by brands like Penguin Random House, easyJet airlines, and Firefox. Let’s take a look at it.

Firefox’s logo is an orange fox, which covers the entire globe. It’s an internet search engine. For people who are curious about the internet and want to find out more, orange is associated with adventure and enthusiasm.

EasyJet airlines makes it possible for people to travel around the globe with their company. It is easy to see how an airline company would benefit from evoking excitement and adventure.

American publisher Penguin Random House is Penguin Random House. Orange is associated with creativity and success, so people who are trying to publish their books will likely be more attracted to the orange color than to other colors. Color may be associated with success. Every author wants their book successful, as far as I am aware!

It is also a common color used to call for action.

Yellow

Yellow is often associated with sunshine. Sunshine is associated with happiness, optimism, youth, summer, and positivity on a sunny day. It can also be perceived to be a warning sign or deceitful depending on the tone and color of the color. You can probably think of at most one brand that uses yellow. Yup! One is McDonald’s. Other examples include Best Buy and Nikon.

McDonald’s Big M is yellow. Humans are visual creatures and can see the color before it shapes. Yellow is also one of the most prominent colors in daylight. This is why McDonald’s can be easily seen on the road. It is also associated with happiness, which may explain why children in the backseat of cars would shout for Mcdonald’s just like they do when the ice cream truck plays their songs.

Pink

Pink is associated with femininity and playfulness. It also represents unconditional love. It’s easy to see why pink is used by brands for valentine’s Day specials and wedding invitations. Victoria’s Secret named one of its brands Pink. Barbie uses pink heavily as well.

Green

When you think green, the first thing that pops into your head is money and trees. So there is no doubt why green is symbolic of nature, fertility, and wealth. Brands like Perrier, Whole Foods, John Deere, and Whole Foods use it.

John Deere, an American company, manufactures and sells heavy equipment, heavy equipment, diesel engines, and other agricultural and forestry machinery. Because they cater to landscapers, they want to be connected to nature.

Whole Foods is a food brand. They use green in the brand logo to represent both nature and health. Many people in the food and health industry will attempt to include green elements in their branding.

Most people are familiar with Perrier, a major bottled-water company. Water is the most healthful drink in the world. Perrier is probably trying to symbolize eternity, as water has been shown to prolong your life expectancy. It is also important for your health and the environment. People want water that is free of chemicals and as pure as possible.

Blue

Blue is a powerful color to use in brand marketing. It is associated with trust and harmony, stability, calmness, peace, calm, and stability. It can also be associated with coldness or depression. It can be a benefit to brands that sell winter clothing. Industries that specialize in psychiatry may use blue to signify depression and how they relate to those with this mental condition. Facebook, Visa, and PayPal are some of the brands that use blue, as well as American Express, Intel, and Intel.

Facebook is a well-known brand. Facebook wants its users to trust it. They also want their large community to represent harmony and stability.

Visa, PayPal, and American Express all have payment systems that could benefit again from their user’s trusting.

Technology brands often use blue. Examples include Samsung, Dell, Nokia, and Nokia. Technology should be reliable and efficient for consumers. For a calm and trusting feeling, you can use colors such as blue to find tech support.

Purple

Purple is associated with royalty, power, and nobility. It also represents luxury, wisdom, spirituality, and wealth. People may see it as arrogant if it is used too often for your brand. This color is used by brands to make their offerings seem more prestigious.

White

Although white is often associated with innocence, goodness, and cleanliness, it can also be associated with humility. White is often used to make spaces appear larger. White is the most popular color on e-commerce websites. Because of its contrast with black, it makes it easier to read.

Black

Black is the color that evokes mystery, power, and elegance. Because these colors are the characteristics that retail stores love to associate with, black is the most popular color in retail. This is why black limousines are used by the president and other high-ranking government officials. Like white, black is a neutral color and has a powerful impact on spaces. Depending on how black is used, it can cause sadness or anger.

Hugo Boss and Ralph Lauren are some of the brands that use black logos. These are all retail brands that want to represent power, as you can see. Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Ralph Lauren can be associated with sophistication, mystery, elegance, and sophistication. Jack Daniels may also try to convey elegance and sophistication through its branding.

Gray

Gray is a neutral color and represents balance. Gray can also be associated with loss and depression or used in products that appeal to a large audience. Gray is not a color that elicits strong emotions. Interior designers recommend it for spaces where employees are to be objective. Gray should not be used if you are comparing products and services.

Brown

Brown is often associated with earth, wood, or stone. It’s very nature-oriented, just like green. It is also a symbol of security and comfort. It’s a great color for real estate because people can link it to their homes. Brands that sell natural food and products often use it.

Are you ready to take your brand to the next level?

The way a customer views your brand’s personality and representation will be influenced by the color they choose, so it is important to make the right first impression.

Kobe Digital is a digital marketing firm in Los Angeles and a brand development company. We are well-versed in the role of color psychology and how it is represented in branding and marketing. As an agency, we place great importance on color theory.