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For years marketers have been fascinated by colour psychology. So much so, that colour psychology has transformed from a soft science into a research-backed goliath of marketing.
But, there’s also a wealth of misinformation when it comes to colour psychology.
As marketers, we’re obsessed with science and statistics. They give relevance and show significance that’s testable and repeatable, which means that science can help guide us to make smarter decisions and generate better results.
Today, we’re going to strip colour down to its core.
When we say that humans are visual creatures, we’re being generous. 92.6% of customers say that visuals are the #1 most important aspect of their purchase decision.
But, that’s visuals as a whole, right? What about just colour alone? 84.7% of customers say that colour is the primary reason that they purchase a product!
The idea that you can influence over 80% of your customer base using colours alone may sound crazy.
But, it’s true. HubSpot changed the colour on one CTA button from green to red and saw a 21% increase in performance. They didn’t alter the text, images, or anything else. They simply changed a colour.
That’s powerful. But, it doesn’t end there. Let’s look at two other CTA examples.
When we say that humans are visual creatures, we’re being generous. 92.6% of customers say that visuals are the #1 most important aspect of their purchase decision. But, that’s visuals as a whole, right? What about just colour alone? 84.7% of customers say that colour is the primary reason that they purchase a product! The idea that you can influence over 80% of your customer base using colours alone may sound crazy. But, it’s true. HubSpot changed the colour on one CTA button from green to red and saw a 21% increase in performance. They didn’t include new text, images, or anything else. They simply changed a colour.
Let’s look at the colour wheel and see how each colour impacts customer behaviour. The colour wheel can be broken down into three sections — warm, cool, and neutral. These are used to describe both the appearance of the colour as well as their impact on moods and emotions.
But, before we jump into the juicy stuff, let’s talk about some caveats.
First, it’s important to understand that research shows that predicting what colours your customers expect your brand to have is more important than the individual colours themselves. In other words, Holden probably wouldn’t go over so well if its logo was pink. People expect speed and prestige when they’re shopping for cars, and pink doesn’t have a cultural association with “speed.” But, remember, colours aren’t universal. They are cultural. So, one colour may not mean the same thing to two different people.
This means that your goal is to use colours in combination with your buyer’s persona. Now, on to the good stuff.
The warm colour group is typically associated with energy, action, passion, excitement, enthusiasm, and happiness. These are the colours that you typically see over performing on CTAs.
Red is the colour of urgency. Sales, promotions, and important reminders all work well with red. Coca-Cola, Levis, Monopoly, Target, and even NASA all share red logos. Why? For starters, the colour red has been shown to increase heart rates. Often called the colour of “passion” red can get people excited and ready to consume. Here’s the problem with the colour red. It also carries negative emotions like anger and frustration.
This influence of colour can often work in favour of those using it. Let’s look at fast-food restaurants — a significant portion use the colour red in their logo and branding. McDonald’s, Burger King, Sonic, Wendys, KFC, etc. all lean on the colour red. Why? Well, red sparks a sense of urgency and alertness. Fast food restaurants don’t want you to come in and sit down. They want you to get your food and leave as-soon-as-possible so that they can serve other customers. It’s a dynamic part of their overall profitability.
Let’s take McDonalds as an example of a company that knows how to use the colour red. In their fast food joints, red-and-yellow (both warm) are plastered everywhere. The walls, the sign, even the drive-through menu are drenched in red. But, when you go to their website, it’s completely different. Red is only used in the logo while black, blue, green, and dark greys are used as a predominant part of their nav menus.
Why? Because McDonalds wants you to stay on their website. But, they don’t want you to stay in their restaurant. While this works for McDonalds, you should always be wary of using red outside of food. Remember, it gives your customers a sense of urgency. Do you have any hospitals near you that use red as their wall colour? Probably not. What about an apartment complex? We’re guessing no. Here are some things to note about the colour red.
Try using red as an action statement. Leverage the colour red on your CTAs or any button that leads down your pipeline. When it comes to logos and websites, red works well for speedy brands or brands that rely heavily on the emotions of anger (think punk rock outfits) or romance (think flowers or candies). Red also works well when you introduce it early in a brochure as a way to draw action.
Did you know that yellow is the most visible colour in the spectrum? In fact, the human brain notices yellow before any other colour. Typically, yellow is associated with cheerfulness and joy. After all, the sun itself appears yellow. But, yellow also acts as a sign of warning across many cultures. This duality makes yellow a particularly interesting marketing tool.
Let’s get this out-of-the-way. Don’t go overboard with yellow. Since yellow is so bright and visible, it actually strains our optical nerves when we view it. Rooms that are solid yellow will act as an irritant rather than a joy.
Here’s the trick to yellow — it has three widely used business applications.
Here are some things to note about the colour yellow.
Since yellow is so striking, it works well as an attention grabber. Plug a yellow CTA on your social campaigns, use yellow links in a brochure, or use yellow on critical components of your website UI to help push users to engage. As a branding tool, yellow is hyper-effective with brands that promote speed, happiness or want to appeal to younger children.
Don’t go overboard with yellow. It’s an eye irritant, and the last thing you want is to irritate your customers.
Orange is the colour of action. Use it to tell customers to buy or subscribe. It’s the perfect CTA colour.
Whether you’re looking to add a dash of playfulness, humour, or enthusiasm to your brand, orange is the perfect colour. One of the main benefits of using orange as a branding mechanism is that it doesn’t have many negative associations. In fact, orange is used across a wide variety of industries. From Amazon to Jetstar and Harley Davidson, orange encompasses a wide range of brands.
Part of this is due to orange’s attention-grabbing capabilities. Most of these are cultural. Traffic cones, construction sites, and warning signs all come splashed in a bit of orange, so it’s only natural that orange grabs our attention.
Here are some things to note about the colour orange.
Since orange can grab attention and doesn’t have any significant negative connotations, it’s a great colour to use sporadically throughout your marketing materials. Just be warned, overuse of orange can look tacky. Most successful brands pair orange with another colour. Harley Davidson pairs it with black, and Fanta pairs it with blue.
Orange is one of the least-loved colours in the world. So, make sure that you use it effectively if your branding with it. Too much orange or orange in the wrong industry can be damaging.
If you’re looking for calm, relaxing colours, blue, green, and purple are the go-to. These cool colours have a wide range of applications, and they are by far the most common colours in corporate logos.
Green is the colour of nature. Use it to promote eco-centricity. Health, nature, and money is what green is all about. In fact, green is an incredibly powerful branding tool. But, be warned. It’s also the least “action-driven” colour on this list. It usually performs subpar when it comes to driving conversions or CTAs. But, the appropriate use of green as a branding tool is hyper-effective.
Land Rover, Energy Australia, Starbucks, and Holiday Inn all utilize green to spark specific emotions. Since green is universally associated with nature (i.e., leaves, grass, etc.), it makes the perfect companion colour for businesses looking to promote themselves as environmental or “green.” Since green is one of the cool colours, it’s also great for calming or relaxing situations like hotel chains or wellness products.
The versatility of green shouldn’t be understated. But, green is much more effective as a branding tool than it is as a conversion colour.
Here are some things to note about the colour green.
Green is an amazing branding tool. It can effectively brand a variety of services/products. In today’s ecosystem, green can be used to signify environmental consciousness. This can help you win over the eco-conscious consumers — especially the Millenial crowd. Green is also great in packaging as it’s noticeable, but not overly striking.
Since green is calming, avoid using it on CTAs or any other action-provoking piece of your marketing strategy. Green doesn’t shove people in the funnel; it gently lowers them into it.
Now, let’s look at the neutral colours. These are all going to be grouped together since they are unique, yet similar, in their marketing prowess.
People love the colour blue. In fact, blue is the worlds “most likable” colour. That’s not surprising when you think about how much blue is on earth (after all, the sky and water appear blue). But, blue isn’t just pretty, it’s also “pretty” amazing. Did you know that research conducted on mice show that the colour blue alone can stimulate their neurons as if the sun had just risen?
Blue makes us productive. In fact, workers are more productive in rooms that are painted blue as opposed to white, red, or yellow. So, when it comes to marketing with the colour blue, the possibilities are endless. In fact, the majority of Fortune 500 companies have a blue logo — making the “go-to” colour of business.
Are you looking to brand your business as calming, productive, and sound of mind? Choose blue! Do you want to draw people into your latest article and have them stay longer? Choose blue!
Here are some things to note about the colour blue.
Blue is hyper-effective as a branding tool and as a website element. Blue gets people to stick around longer and relax.
Blue isn’t a great CTA tool. The colour isn’t action-oriented or remarkably noticeable.
Now, let’s look at the neutral colours. These are all going to be grouped together since they are unique, yet similar, in their marketing prowess.
White and black are complementary colours. Use them to make your other colours stand out. When it comes to colours that fit in almost anywhere, neutral colours take the cake. There’s an interesting dichotomy between black and white. Sure, white is associated with cleanliness, purity, brides, and innocence while black is associated with elegance, fashion, and power. But, both black and white are complementary colours to every single colour listed above.
It’s important to be careful with the colours white and black. In some cultures, white is associated with purity, while in others (China for example) white is a sad colour. In contrast, black is associated with happiness in sole cultures and sadness in other cultures.
This makes both of these incredibly nuanced when it comes to branding specifically with black or white.
But, using black or white in combination with other colours is a great way to break up branding elements.
This makes both of these incredibly nuanced when it comes to branding specifically with black or white. But, using black or white in combination with other colours is a great way to break up branding elements.
Here are some things to note about the colours black and white.
The relationship between your brand and colour runs deep. Beyond the logo, colour can play an impactful role in converting, creating emotional connections, and pushing your customers to form deep relationships with your brand. Each colour can invoke different feels and emotions, and the science that drives each colour (neurological and otherwise) can help you when you’re deciding which colour to use in your branding.
If you’re looking for a business brochure expert that intimately understands the roles that colours can play in marketing, contact us.
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