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The Psychology of Color in Design

Color psychology can play a very important role in your design. Weather you are re-designing your current business signage, or perhaps you are looking to purchase for a creative project. Do not overlook the importance of selecting the best colors to help convey your message to your audience.

Though there are a large number of factors that can influence a customer’s purchase decisions, a great deal is aided by visual clues, the most influential of which being color. Colors shape our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. They can invoke as much as an 80 percent change in motivation when it comes to advertising, and marketing campaigns.

Although some colors have universal meaning, colors that attract shoppers in North America are different from those that attract shoppers in Asia. This short post will cover the 10 most popular colors used in advertising and marketing in North America and the effects they can have on influencing a decision.

Yellow

Color Yellow

Marketing

  • Optimistic and youthful
  • Often used to grab attention of window shoppers
  • Shows clarity

Personality / Emotions

  • Increases cheerfulness, warmth
  • Stimulated mental processes
  • Stimulates nervous system
  • Encourages communication

Red

Color Red

Marketing

  • Increases heart rate
  • Used by restaurants to stimulate appetite
  • Creates urgency often seen in store clearance designs

Personality / Emotions

  • Evokes strong emotions
  • Encourages appetite
  • Increases passion and intensity
  • Red roses symbolize love

Blue

Color Blue

Marketing

  • Often used in corporate business graphics because it’s productive and non-invasive
  • Creates a sense of security and trust

Personality / Emotions

  • Associated with water / peace
  • Most preferred by men
  • Represents calmness or serenity
  • Increases productivity
  • Most used color for offices

Green

Color Green

Marketing

  • Used to relax in stores
  • Associated with the wealthy
  • The easiest color for the eye to process

Personality / Emotions

  • Healthy & tranqulity
  • Symbolizes money
  • Denotes nature
  • Alleviated depression
  • Represents new growth

Orange

Color Orange

Marketing

  • Found in impulsive shoppers
  • Creates a strong call to action: Buy, Sell, Subscribe
  • Represents a friendly, cheerful brand
  • Creates a sense of affordability

Personality / Emotions

  • Reflects excitement, enthusiasm
  • Shows warmth
  • Warns of caution

Pink

Color Pink

Marketing

  • A feminine color that conjures feelings of innocence and delicateness
  • Often used in logo’s and signage to add a feminine flair
  • Used to market products to women

Personality / Emotions

  • Nurturing and physically soothing
  • Positive
  • Femininity

Black

Color Black

Marketing

  • Powerful and Sleek
  • Used to market luxury products
  • Boldness, simplicity

Personality / Emotions

  • Sophistication
  • Glamor
  • Sense of security
  • Authoritative

Purple

Color Purple

Marketing

  • Often used in beauty and anti-aging products
  • Used to soothe or calm
  • Represents a creative, imaginative brand
  • Implies royalty and sophistication

Personality / Emotions

  • Expensive
  • Regal
  • Nobility
  • Wealth

Brown

Color Brown

Marketing

  • Brown indicates nature and utility
  • Imparts a sense of calmness

Personality / Emotions

  • Simplicity
  • Richness
  • Depth
  • Calmness

Grey

Color Grey

Marketing

  • Neutral and cool
  • Often used in interior business signage
  • Works well with most colors

Personality / Emotions

  • Corporate
  • Authority
  • Practicality
  • Respect
  • Stableness