Have you ever wondered why most sales and discount signs are in red or why do most organic food product companies use green in their logos and packaging? Well, there is an interesting reason for this.
Researches have shown that different colours make us feel differently. It is called the Psychology of Colours. But why do colours have this power over us? This is because when our eyes absorb the different colours, the colours induce different reactions in our brain and nervous system. So, warm colours like red, orange, and yellow raise our pulse and respiration rate, and cold colours like blue, green, etc. calm us and also slow our metabolism.
The big companies know about colour psychology and use it effectively to manipulate our reactions. Which brands come to your mind when you think of the colour red and yellow? You may have thought about fast food brands. This is not by accident. These colours are a perfect combination for fast food companies to trigger the feelings in their customer’s minds. The colour red grabs the customer’s attention and makes them feel hungry whereas the colour yellow emits a feeling of happiness and friendliness. Yellow is also the most visible colour in the daylight so you can see it from a far distance. So, fast- food companies have a perfect way of communicating the message of guilt-free binge eating without even saying it.
Thus, brands don’t randomly choose a colour for their logo. They decide it based on the message they want to convey to their target market. However, colour psychology is not limited to seeing colours. Just imagining a colour in our minds is enough to communicate different emotions. Many brands use the name of colours in the brand names and taglines to create a visual effect.
Men are often teased for their inability to differentiate between colours like fuchsia pink and strawberry pink. But the truth is that it is scientifically proven that females are better at discriminating colours while males excel at tracking fast-moving objects. The Cosmetic Industry has made full use of this information by creating different shades of lipsticks, nail- polishes, and other makeup products for their target audience.
Another way of branding is the Seasonal Colour Palette. It is a technique used by many brands to understand which season does their brand resonates with and accordingly brand elements are designed. There are 4 main season personalities-
-
Spring Personality
The spring season is usually associated with a warm and youthful vibe, the businesses that can be put here are youth-oriented, creative agencies, retail outlets selling baby toys, etc.
-
Summer Personality
The summer season is more about muted colours and calm feeling. This season is best suited for floral businesses, jewellery shops, gift shops, and luxury businesses.
-
Autumn Personality
The autumn season focuses on being intense and organic so the best fit for this season is handmade, natural, and organic product businesses.
-
Winter Personality
The winter season has a minimalist vibe and makes us think about cool undertones. Thus, winter colours are often seen in high fashion and professional businesses.
Here are some tips you can use to effectively implement colour psychology in your business.
- Identify the message you want to communicate with your target audience. It could be a feeling of trust, joy, or mystery.
- Think of your brand as a separate entity that will interact with the customer. Now think, what season personality does your brand have. It could have the youthfulness of spring or the authentic feeling of autumn, the calmness of summers, or the minimalist vibe of winter.
- Once the season personality is decided, you will have a range of colours in that season palette to choose from. Pick up 2-3 colours that you like the most.
- Now you need to use these colours everywhere to represent your brand. All the colours need not be used together. But use these colours in different brand elements like for example the logo can be blue and packaging can be a combination of blue and purple giving the brand a winter vibe.
- With consistency, time, and good promotion these colours naturally become a part of your brand identity. Customers will be able to recall your brand when they think about that particular colour combination.
Now don’t wait any longer. Take these beautiful colours and paint your brand in your customers’ minds.
