Did you know that colors can often be the only reason someone buys a product?
All colors are known to have a powerful psychological impact on people’s behavior and decisions. This knowledge was widely used in Marketing, through studies carried out by designers and content generation professionals related to the psychology of colors.
Currently, it is recognized that each color causes stimuli and provokes different reactions in each individual. Likewise, studies carried out by Loyola University show that color is capable of increasing the recognition of a brand by up to 80%.
And do not think that everything ends there! In content production, color can help you stand out. You have to make your audience see what you want them to see, feel what you want them to feel, and do what you want them to do. The colors you choose can also affect the usability of your e-commerce and your marketing strategy.
This is precisely why understanding the psychology of color is so important to the success of your content.
All that said… Are you ready to get acquainted with the meaning of colors?
What is color psychology?
In 1810, the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published a book called ” Theory of Colors “. Perhaps, this is one of the oldest contributions in this field. Even without a scientific basis, in this book, Goethe asserts that black, from the point of view of human psychology, is a color, and not the absence of colors, as physicists assert.
Source: Wikipedia (https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_Theory)
Approximately 200 years later, the contributions of the psychologist, sociologist, and professor of communication theory Eva Heller, thanks to publicity and propaganda, became one of the most important contributions to the psychology of colors.
Today, his studies are considered essential for people who work professionally with colors, regardless of their specific area of activity.
To carry out such studies, Eva Heller interviewed some 2,000 people between the ages of 18 and 97 and with the most diverse professions, to discover the following:
- Your favorite colors;
- Least favorite colors
- Associations between colors and words.
The results of his investigations were published in a volume that became a reference on the subject. It is about the book « Psychology of color: How colors act on feelings and reason »
The importance of colors in marketing
Colors have a significant impact on our minds and the way we relate to products and experiences. Therefore, knowledge about the psychology of color is key when designing a successful Marketing campaign, especially if we talk about content marketing and lead generation. In addition, they can be great allies of freelance designers and professionals dedicated to similar areas, helping them to ensure a greater impact and scope in their work.
The right color palette can become a powerful tool that helps relationship marketing, attracting new customers through content creation and user experience. Likewise, the inappropriate use of color psychology could significantly reduce the effectiveness of your main Marketing strategies.
Additionally, colors impact the emotions of your potential and current customers, leading them to react and take concrete actions. Therefore, they can become a tool with a massive reach in the hands of specialists.
Jill Morton, a branding specialist and founder of Colorcom consultancy, discovered through her studies that people make a subconscious judgment about a particular product and that, from the first view, up to 90 seconds, 90% of this Judging is based solely on color.
One color can improve reading by 40%, learning by 55-78%, and comprehension by 73%. Colors are part of the brand image, so choosing the right color will help convey the right emotions, which will ultimately help a user opt for your services.
But after all, what is each color for?
With a wide range of colors, studies investigating their meanings have already revealed that each color has a function. But leaving the purely psychological aspect, and thinking like a marketing professional, I would say that the function of color is to ensure the visibility and differentiation of a particular brand versus its competitors, in addition to improving communication and highlighting the Image of the product or brand. your service.
As we told you before, color is the first impact a user receives, so take advantage of this non-verbal communication!
Just as a curiosity, 95% of brands use only one or two colors, and only 5% use more than two colors in the logo. At the same time, 41% of brands use only text, without additional visual effects.
It is also essential to remember that if you are developing a product that will be sold outside the country, it is worth studying the cultural characteristics of other parts of the world. Because the same color can have different meanings, depending on the culture and the place we are referring to.
First of all, to choose the right color for your business you must decide on the following:
- Segment: What is the branch of activity in which you will work?
- Target audience: who are your products or services dedicated to? What kind of people do you want to attract as customers? (age, social status, etc.);
- Understand the psychology of colors. Colors not only express our feelings but can even direct us. They are not only responsible for expressing our feelings, but also for directing us. Warm colors, for example, cause the most vivid and expressive emotions, while cool colors convey a feeling of comfort.
- The correspondence between the color and the type of product. For example, if your product is food, it is not advisable to use so-called “non-edible” colors such as blue. But in soap powder commercials, this color will be very efficient.
- Current Color Trends. Pantone, for example, annually launches color palettes that are trends in a certain season of the year and that are directly reflected in fashion. Therefore, think about whether the chosen color range is not only related to current trends. Do not blindly follow fashion – it is better to be guided by common sense and intuition
- Versatility. Choose a specific color and imagine that it will be present on product packaging, personalized boxes, or on a magazine cover, but also on websites and even on television: and not all colors look equally good in different places.
And what is the meaning of each color?
First off, I’d like to remind you that colors can have different meanings for various demographics, age groups, cultures, and nationalities, although there are some near-universal similarities.
The best method for determining the right color(s) for your brand or website is to consider the target group you’re trying to reach and the emotions you’re aiming to elicit, as I’ve cited in the previous topic.
Let’s take a look at the individual colors and how you can use them for your business.
Red
The basic meaning of red is to stimulate and excite. Red expresses emotions such as passion, strength, and sometimes even rage.
Use it for the following communications: warning, danger, strength, determination, and courage. Red conveys strength and reliability and is frequently used in the food, vehicle, technology, and agriculture segments, and very rarely in energy, finance, airline, and apparel businesses.
Blue
Blue conveys reliability, trust, and security; it is associated with the tranquility of the sea and oceans. Light shades of blue convey friendliness while dark shades communicate -experience, success, and stability. It is a reliable, respectable, safe, and responsible color, actively used in the energy, finance, airline, health, and agriculture segments.
Green
Green has a strong association with the plant world and life. It transmits serenity, rejuvenation, prosperity, health, and optimism. It is generally used in the energy, finance, food, home goods, and technology segments, while it is hardly used in clothing and vehicles.
Purple
Purple is associated with nobility, wealth, and luxury. Dark purple conveys elegance and mystery. It is frequently used in the financial, technology, and health segments, although it rarely appears in the energy and agriculture sectors.
Yellow
Yellow is one of the most beautiful colors, associated with the sun. It conveys a feeling of happiness, hope, and optimism. Bright shades of yellow are often used to attract attention and gain visibility, while dark ones connote wisdom, intelligence, and curiosity.
Yellow is actively used in the energy segment, in food and household products; but you will rarely find it in finance, vehicles, and technology companies.
Orange
This color transmits light, joy, and warmth. It is a mixture of yellow, along with the energy and courage of red. He is lively, energetic, friendly, and affable, ideally expressing movement and art. It is frequently used in technology and health companies, and rarely in companies related to the energy, finance, airline, vehicle, and clothing sectors.
Brown
It may not be the most visually stimulating color, but it is directly related to conservatism, experience, reliability, and durability. My recommendation is to use it carefully, as some consumers may associate it with impurity. It is also a very serious and realistic color that can be used whereas black cannot be very intense. Companies in the apparel, vehicle, and agriculture segment use it most frequently. It is not recommended to use it for finance, airlines, and technology.
black and grayscale
Black is used by companies that tend to convey traditional values and style. It is perfect for luxury products and services, as it requires power, modernity, and sophistication. Black is a color of sophistication, seriousness, control, and independence, although it can also be used to show evil, mystery, depression, and even death.
Unfortunately, as it is a very powerful color, too much black can cause general sadness and negativity, so use it sparingly and especially in your text, rather than in the visual itself. Black is actively used in the clothing, technology, and automobile segments.
White
White conveys purity, cleanliness, simplicity, and innocence. White can also represent new beginnings, which is why this color is often chosen by brands that offer products related to improving health and products for children. White is actively used in clothing and health companies. It is pure, noble, and smooth.
conclusion
In this article, we were able to see that colors and marketing are intrinsically linked. When you use color in marketing you understand its importance and power, and you recognize its central role in creating associations on a subconscious level. In other words, you begin to understand the psychology of colors, all the possibilities, and the benefits that they can offer to your business.
Color has a direct influence on human psychology and is a fascinating subject to study, both theoretically and psychologically. It is capable of attracting the attention of the potential buyer or frightening him by creating unpleasant associations.
From Newton to Heller, including Goethe: colors were constant objects of study in the most diverse areas of knowledge, thanks to their effect on human behavior and thought.
When it comes to choosing colors, having the help of a professional specialized in the subject can make a big difference. Choosing one or more colors in uncertainty and having doubts about how your audience will respond to your choice can delay the success of your business.
In this article, you have access to thousands of professionals specialized in Design, Content Marketing, to name just two important categories. These experts will be able to use the correct colors in your content and layout, without creating tests in the dark to determine which combinations of colors and channels will be able to generate more customers, leads, or traffic to your site.
And we know how these associations help drive emotional responses that can result in sales, brand loyalty, conversion, and shelf life.
So which way will you go from here?
