In creation of your product design, brand or web is really important to know how important is color. And because we’re fully aware how important is color, we’ve decided to prepare post for you about how colors are affecting your customers. You will discover how to choose proper color for your business, properties of every color and we’ll describe color changes and re-design of big brands who are changing their positioning.
Red as Ferrari
Do you know a situation when you see typical red can of Coca Cola and you immediately have taste on it? Or when you find out by photography of yellow cab that photo was made in New York? Or when you saw red sport car and you knew exactly that was a Ferrari?
Color is one of most exciting things in the world, because in its shades it mixes our emotions and perception of outer world. We can add to her color, our taste, our experiences, our feelings connected with brands and products.
Psychology of colors
On the other color perception is one of most controversial aspect of advertisement and marketing. Reason is that, that don’t exist any concrete definition of effect of colors on person, it’s more about estimation and unofficial theories about what connect people with every color.
Effect of color depends on race, color, gender and health condition. It is important to realize that our perception of colors is changing by our age. Living and light colors are popular among younger target group and older people are feeling well when they are surrounded by darker shades.
Describe your product and brand by color
You have option to use any color. It’s upon you what colors you will use in creation of brands or websites. When you choose correct color, you can increase properties of brands and products, you can stress dynamics, you can add reputability to brand and you can give your brand sign of prestige or luxury, on the other hand you can display your brand as playful and living. Correct choice of colors is art and therefore is very important to comprehend importance of colors in way that are supporting our goal.
Warm colors
Among warm colors belong red, orange, yellow and their combinations. They are colors of fire, autumn and falling leaves, sunrise and sundown. They’re energetic, temperament and they are making us positive. We’re using these colors for formulation of pleasant emotions, joy for product or service. They’re creating positive emotions, warm of family fire-place and they’re giving us positive view.
Orange is considered as very energetic color and it can represent change (for example periods of year). It’s considered for more friendly and less violent color as red. .
Yellow is considered as lightest and most energetic among colors. In many countries it means hopefulness, courage, shining, but it has negative sense too – cowardness.
Cold colors
Green, blue, violet are cold colors. They’re colors of water, night and nature. They’re making us to feel relaxed and satisfied.
Green color is mainly connected with nature. We know it as color that represents beginnings and growing of everything that develops. From green shines harmony, calmness and stability. Light green has more energy and dark green is more stable, connected with more experience and sign of luxury.
Blue color is decent and responsible. It represents calm emotions and is based on traditions. Blue color has also religious context (Hail Mary and other saints were displayed in blue robe). This color has a lot of forms similarly as green. Navy blue is connected with color of the sea, light blue calmer, dark blue represents stability, wisdom or important decisions.
Violet is connected with luxury and royal properties. It represents creativity and imagination. It represents love, romantic feelings and seriousness.
Brown is color of the soil, wood and stone. It’s often used in nature and characterize prosperity. It can add warm feeling and safety of family circle to visuals, homemade products or stability.
Neutral colors
Black, white or gray are referred as neutral colors, we’re using them as background that can help other colors stand out.
Black has two forms. It can be connected with something negative, mysterious or death. On the other hand it can make feeling of elegance and prestige. It is excellent for typography and it is used in traditional or modern design. Black is sophisticated color and it depends on that with which color is combined.
White is opposite of black color, it is connected with pureness, health, carefulness. Its positive purpose can be connected with religion, angels and good news. White is celebrating and very pure color that creates minimalist background for design and serves for standing out of other colors or graphical components. Like in black its existence is defined by other color, that we make shine.
Color as a tool
Color is a powerful tool because it can change our mood. If our website harmonic and it’s represented by delicious colors, it’s probability that your customers can feel comfortable and it can increase chance that customers will return. It is widely known, that our buying decisions and orientation on website are affected by our feelings, what we like not by logic. For example in Harley Davidson they are not selling motorcycles, they’re selling lifestyle, which is connected with dark colors. Thanks to them they’re creating position of rebel or fugitive, who goes his own way.
Brands with characteristic colors
How many brands we know by characteristic color? Telecom, Orange, Fanta, Dove, McDonald’s and many others. Thanks to colors of these brands we can add certain properties to them and we can add them to certain segment. Some brands are keeping their visual identities for years or decades, some like change and they’re not afraid to change their color.
Change in corporate colors means movement
Big trend of recent years is that brands are changing their specific colors and they want to attract by its communication certain target group. Advance in color affection shows that nothing is fixed and change is part of life and like people are changing, brands are changing too.
Good example is McDonald, which with their change of color identity makes step to nature and healthy diet. It reflects from what are its products made, how many nutrition substances are containing and also adds to its menu less caloric products. McDonald changed not only logo but also design of its spaces and they’re using more nature materials and symbols, that we can understand as advance to nature.
Lenovo changed visual identity and strategy
Recent redesign of our client Lenovo make important advance in positioning of brand. With new visual identity it emphasize adaptability in specific product categories like personal computers, mobile phones or tablets. They’re trying to adapt their products to young target group. Many color combinations that can logo use, represents variety of products and users. It serves as note that every person is unique and brand development is connected with development of users and their attitude.
How to define colors for your business
In color selection you have to keep few basic rules
1. Character – What character has your brand or product?
Ask yourself what character should have your brand. What properties do you want to emphasize, define colors that are appropriate.
2. Survey of competition
What colors are using your competitors? Before you will choose your colors, make a little survey. It’s great to differ, so try to use different colors than your competition
3. Your own style and story
Not only character of your brand, but also story that you want to communicate should be one of variables that you will consider as a entrepreneur in brand selection.
4. Get inspired and take advice from specialists
In color selection get inspired and take advice from specialists if you’re not good in design and branding
