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The Psychology Behind Brand Colors: How to Select the Appropriate Colour Scheme for Your Brand

So, when it comes to branding, colours are not simply a graphic decision but they are an essential part of your business. From real like red of Coca-Cola to ease of blue of Facebook, the colours that are selected for a brand can make a gigantic difference with regard to the way in which customers perceive, and interact with them. Exploring the psychology behind brand colours, this article also discusses how a particular colour can influence your brand’s message and offers real-life examples on how to find the right colour combination for your brand. 

Tips on how to use colour in branding includes: 

Thus, color psychology is defined as the objective study of how certain colours can influence people’s emotions and behaviours. It’s a scientifically and artistically-oriented industry, where knowledge and creativeness are used to develop logos and build feelings in the hearts of customers. Colors can create different emotions and ideas, and this can be used in order to convey the identities of the brand. 

Color psychology in the workplace implies that everyone’s reaction to the color belongs to the recesses of evolution as well as individual memories. For instance, red is understood as the danger or excitement because it is a bright and clear color while blue is calm and stable because it is found in nature. Of course, it serves to help brands select the colours which meet the needs of its target audience and also which reflects the fixed brand statement. 

Small is Beautiful: Understanding the Effects of Select Colours 

Let’s break down how some of the most common colors are perceived and their associations: Let’s break down how some of the most common colors are perceived and their associations: 

Red: Largely related to vitality and power, red is a colour that stimulates and provokes interest and this colour can be associated with passion or even more – with urgency. Of course, caffeine is also used to produce appetite and refers to action. Companies such as Coca Cola and Netflix have associated red with bravado and passion hence making their logos easily identifiable and grabs the attention of the viewer.  

Blue: Being associated with stability and calmness, this color is utilised by brands that seek to establish the impression of professionalism and big business. It is said to be a colour that promotes trust and safety, that is why we tend to see it in use especially by banking and IT organizations. Some companies like IBM and Facebook to mention but a few incorporated the color blue just to give an outlook of a company that is stable and honest. 

Green: This color is usually associated with nature, growth and even health. Green is connected to fresh and new and is popular among brands related to the environment and health. Another example is Whole Foods Globe and Starbucks Logo where green color represents goals of their companies, health and sustainability. 

Yellow: Having close links with smile and joy, yellow is the color which attracts the attention and warms up. Thus, it often has the connotations of happiness and friendliness. McDonalds, and IKEA are good examples of companies using yellow to depict a warm environment and appeal to the customers since the color’s liveliness is somewhat energizing. 

Purple: Traditionally associated with richness, inspiration and ribs, purple is utilised by companies that would like to convey the image of elegance and innovativeness. It is of course a color that blends the steadiness of blue with the live-avidness of red giving out a different set of characteristics. Some of the goods which use this color include Cadbury chocolates and Hallmark cards where the color is used to signify premium quality and uniqueness respectively. 

Orange: Orange is a bright and lively colour that is derived from red and yellow. It is most commonly used to express such attributes as energy, idea, and initiative, as well as to display friendliness. The use of orange can be seen in the Packaging of Fanta and Home Depot as an example because of the power and friendly look the color gives brands. 

Black: regarded as formal, prestigious and authoritative color black is used by most prestige brands to portray the idea of prestige and elitism. It’s a very typical color which at the same time may signify authority and seriousness. Black provides a brand with a sheen of sophistication and luxury hence the use of the colour by brands such as Chanel and Apple. 

White: As a colour associated with purity, simplicity and cleanliness, white is employed to give a clear feeling enriched with minimalism. It’s a color that can bring the feeling of newness and welcoming into the perception of people. Apple and Nike especially have opted to use white to signify simplicity and new age and thus free of the old complications. 

Examples of How Colour really Works 

To see color psychology in action, let’s look at a few examples of brands that have effectively harnessed the power of color: To see color psychology in action, let’s look at a few examples of brands that have effectively harnessed the power of color: 

  • Coca-Cola: The colour red for Coca-Cola goes far beyond being just a shade as it represents energy and excitement. The use of red colour makes it visible on the shelves and makes the consumer have to make the decision to pass it, buy it or avoid it. The other thing that one can associate with the color red is warmth and friendliness and that’s why it fits perfectly with the concept of Coca-Cola brand as the drink that unites people. 
  • Tiffany & Co. : The Tiffany Blue is a better example of how the perfect shade of blue became a symbol of the brand itself. This specific shade of blue is intended for creating an image of exclusivity and This allows Tiffany & Co preserve its status as a manufacturer of luxury jewellery. For the Coke brand, the colour has even been associated with it to the extent that one does not need the written script to take him or her to the Coke company and once seen the script attracts the perception of elegance. 
  • IKEA: The colour combination used in IKEA, which is yellow and blue, has vast relation to the brand values of IKEA company which include affordability and practicality. First, it is bright yellow to create an impression and warmth and the blue at the bottom to represent trust and reliability. This casts a clear message of IKEA’s mission of offering good design furniture at a reasonable price with a friendly tone. 
  • Spotify: The use of green in Spotify is a good example of how a colour can convey the values of a brand. The color green has the element of growth and renewal in it and this correlates with the Spotify goal of offering a fresh approach to the listening of music. The use of the green color is also a plus for the brand because it is bright, attractive and easily recognizable against the background of the multitude of applications. 

Useful Advice on Brand Colours Selection 

Choosing the appropriate colour scheme for a brand is an art and science. Here are some practical tips to guide you through the process: 

  • Understand Your Brand’s Personality: Materials and colors should be selected after you know the personality and values of your brand. What do you want to convey to the readers: fun and joyful or serious and business-like? Your color choices should reflect the above stated traits so as to give your brand a unique and comprehensive look. 
  • Consider Your Target Audience: Consider their first of all, the customers’ personal inclinations and cultural connotations. Some colors might have different connotations in distinct societies, therefore, select the correct color which will appeal to your target group. For instance, the colours red which are energizing for people of the western region might have a different connotation for people of other cultures. 
  • Analyse Your Competitors: You can examine the strategies of your competitors and focus on what kind of hues they selected for their products’ designs. Despite the fact that you should not emulate their selections, it is possible to learn from them and arrive at a different yet distinctive color palette for your brand. It is advisable to use colors that set your brand apart while at the same time are not very far from what the rest of organizations in the industry are using. 
  • Test and Refine: You can install apps that can help with color editing such as Adobe Color Wheel, Colours or Paletot to help one try out color schemes. Design samples in use and try out the chosen color schemes based on the selected area of its application such as website and papers/ advertisers. Consult with focus groups, customers, or potential clients regarding color preferences in order to choose the chosen colors popular. 
  • Stay Consistent: After determining the colour scheme to apply, do it throughout all the brand’s aspects. Appropriate and sustained use of color can also enhance your company’s familiar feelings, so that your brand is more distinct. Using these colours, create a brand standard that states how the colors should be used in diverse situations so as to ensure the brand has a consistent look. 
  • Consider Color Accessibility: Make sure to select the colors which will be equally visible to both normal vision and colour vision impaired individuals. If you are unsure about the readability of your color combinations then there are resources such as the Web AIM Color Contrast Checker can be used to check this. 

Conclusion:

Brand colours proved also beneficial as one of the psychological pillars of branding web design services. It is possible to say that colors do have an emotional influence on people and using these, as well as avoiding those, which do not fit your brand and its goals, will contribute to the creation of a proper look and feel for the organization. Just like with many things in life, selection of appropriate colors can leave long-lasting impressions; and you can watch it build your brand identity. 

Choosing the right colours for creating a brand identity can not only provoke an adequate reaction of people but also help a company to be unique and build a better relationship with viewers. So it is wise that you dedicate enough time to find out which colors are best suitable for your business and let it be a color that revolves around the story of your brand. 

Divyesh Dayani

Divyesh Dayani is a skilled content writer and digital marketing expert with a passion for creating compelling narratives that resonate with audiences. With years of experience in content creation, he specializes in crafting engaging articles, blogs, social media posts, and website copy that drive traffic and enhance brand visibility. His expertise extends to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing), ensuring that the content not only appeals to readers but also ranks well on search engines.

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