We come into contact with an incredible variety of colors day in, day out. But how many of us really know much about the theory behind how colors work? Or what they mean to viewers on an emotional level? Color psychology is a far-reaching field of study and one that matters more than you may think when dealing with branding and marketing efforts.
Read on to discover the basics of color psychology and learn to combine colors like a pro to create standout company visuals that attract and engage your audiences and keep them coming back. Originally created by Isaac Newton in , the color wheel is a great reference with which to understand how colors relate to each other.
Primary colors—red, blue, and yellow—are the three off which all others are based. And secondary colors—orange, green, and violet—are obtained from mixing two of the primaries together red and yellow for orange, red and blue for violet, and blue and yellow for green. Accordingly, tertiary colors go further in-between, giving us yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, and yellow-orange.
A successful marketing color scheme consists of colors that work well together—and ones that speak to the brand itself. Reds, yellows, and oranges are known as warm colors that stimulate a viewer, while blues, greens, and purples are known as cool and calming.
These concepts begin to influence how colors work to impact emotion. When it comes to marketing, no choice should be made on a whim—and that includes color. The hues you choose to infuse into your work and your brand send underlying messages to your audience. Yes, they were purple, our most royal color that is associated with wealth, prosperity, rich sophistication. This color stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving.
However, when overused in a common setting it is associated with putting on airs and being artificial. Use purple most carefully to lend an air of mystery, wisdom, and respect.
Young adolescent girls are most likely to select nearly all shades of purple as their favorite color. This color is most associated with reliability, stability, and friendship. More are likely to select this as their favorite color. It's the color of the earth itself "terra firma" and what could represent stability better. It too is associated with things being natural or organic. Caution however, for in India it is the color of mourning. Color psychology is complicated field of study and goes deep into the meaning of combining colors for a particular desired effect.
We will broad brush some basics that may well enough for you to make good color choices for a web site with marketing in mind. Monochromatic Color Scheme This is the use of a single color in varying shades. This can be a clean and interesting look on a web site. It's soothing and pleasing to the eye especially in the blue or green hues.
Complimentary Color Scheme This is using high contrast of color by selecting colors directly opposite from one another on the color wheel such as pink and lime green. This puts a warm color with a cool color and is pleasing to the eye.
Triple Color Scheme This scheme uses three colors equally spaced from each other around a color wheel. It's popular with web designers and allows for a harmonious color scheme. You ARE that first flash of color seen on your web site. It's important to remember that color is the first thing registered by a person who goes to your site. If that is pleasing, they will read on -- if it's displeasing you may lose them in a nano second. So first select your background color and then select two other colors for your web site.
Remember to keep in mind the meaning and harmony of colors. ADA-Compliance - find out more. Color Psychology and Marketing - find out more. How To Design a Great Logo - find out more.
Top 10 Branding Mistakes - find out more. Branding strategic corporate branding. Social media marketing strategy. Psychology of Color: White For most of the world this is the color associated with purity wedding dresses ; cleanliness doctors in white coats and the safety of bright light things go bump in the night Psychology of Color: Gray Gray is most associated with the practical, timeless, middle-of-the-road, solid things in life. Psychology of Color: Red If you want to draw attention, use red.
Psychology of Color: Blue Ask people their favorite color and a clear majority will say blue. Psychology of Color: Green The color of growth, nature, and money. They eat less, produce more and don't fight as much. This decreases aggressive tendencies and birds are less likely to peck at each other causing injury. Perhaps everything looks red and they cannot distinguish combs, wattles, or blood. Click here. Stay in touch with the latest news about color in the Color Matters bi-monthly newsletter.
Look at the image at a distance of inches or centimeters from the screen. Stare at the black dot in the middle of the white star for 30 seconds. Once again, you must focus, you absolutely must hold your focus on the black dot in the middle of the white square after the 30 seconds pass, or this will not work. This time the issue is color contrast. The difference between white and black creates excessive muscular activity which fatigues the eye. The same thing happens when you try to read white papers on a black or dark desk.
You should have seen a grey star on the white square. If you didn't, reread the instructions, and take the test again. Make sure you are close enough to the image. Here are some practical examples: If you're in a corporate office, take this theory into the conference room or corporate boardroom. In many instances, you'll find a dark surface, and oftentimes highly lacquered.
It may have a high tech corporate look but it will not be conducive to the work at hand. As for your private residence, the kitchen is a critical task environment and the same theories apply. We take these two percentages, divide 80 by 5 and we get a Light Reflectance ratio. If you're in a commercial situation, consider hiring a professional interior designer who focuses on both visual ergonomics and aesthetics to create a more positive and productive interior environment.
How does color affect taste? Which color might help you lose weight? Color Matters is a registered trademark of J. Graphics and Text: Copyright c , J.
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