Colour My World

But while many people use colours in their marketing, not everybody understands the extensive psychology of colour and how to use it most effectively.

Utilising colour

Colour is powerful because it can affect our emotional response, which is one of the most defining factors in whether or not we, as potential customers, will pursue a product or service.

Finding the right colour choice is no easy task. We all interpret colours differently, and no single colour scheme will be universally successful. The trick is to understand the social, cultural, and emotive meanings of colours so we can find which ones will work best for your business.

Understanding the palette

A good starting point in deciding which colours will provoke the right behaviours is to look at commonly used colours and determine their impact based on warmth and brightness. Here’s a basic summary:

Warm and bright — colours like red, orange, yellow, and pink are dynamic and eye-catching, encouraging feelings of courage and energy in viewers. They can also visually enlarge objects and make them seem closer and more prominent.

Cold and bright — sky blue, lavender, silver, and so on are often interpreted as modern, professional and fresh. They are usually more subtle than warm bright colours and thus are a good alternative to quietly draw attention to certain elements in your advertising.

Warm and dark — shades of gold, brown and purple can express classic luxury or tradition. These more muted options blend well with other palettes to create an impression of elegance.

Cold and dark — blue, green, indigo, navy and turquoise frequently feature as the main colour scheme for websites of ambitious and professional businesses, as these types of colours promote feelings of stability and quality.

Neutral colours — black, white and grey play a complementary role, creating contrast and supporting other colours. Their use is universal in a massive variety of applications, from websites and videos to flyers and business cards.

As previously mentioned, these interpretations are overly simplified and will not be true for 100% of individuals, but these groupings have been psychology tested to provide a popular summary. Warm colours provoke actions; cold shades encourage thought; and the choice of colour should reflect the business’s services, motives, and future goals.

Understanding and utilising these palettes is an ideal way for us to discover the best colour scheme for your business, and provoke the right reactions.

The power of colour

Our designers’ role is to create a clear and effective communication through the impact of colour. When done right, colour can be the most important element in your business’s advertising campaigns. So what are some of the things that colour choice can do for your company?

Create a first and lasting impression — the careful use of colour can immediately draw the viewer’s attention, which is very important. When it comes to websites, the average user will click out within 59 seconds unless their attention is captured (according to the Nielsen Norman Group). Moreover, a consistent and distinct colour scheme helps to establish a memorable brand that remains in your customers’ minds for future reference.

Be persuasive — the emotions, attitudes and moods interpreted from a colour scheme can be one of the most influential factors of a marketing campaign. Colours can inspire, impact energy levels, and generally influence how a person feels and responds to different elements.

Convey a message — your brain can process visual information 60,000 times faster than written text. That means that the emotions and overall ‘feel’ of a business, as interpreted through a colour scheme, will be registered by a viewer far more quickly than any written information. Effective colour choices thus could be the deciding factor for whether or not potential customers approach your business.

Remember, there is no one colour that works for all businesses, no perfect pairing to get the best results, and no universal scheme that can be used time and time again. It is the designer’s job to try and test their colour choices, gain an understanding of colour psychology, and discover the opportunities that colour can provide for your business.

Are you interested in colouring your world and reinvigorating your business’s identity? Get in touch with our talented designers at nucleo!