A quick look into the psychology of color & how you choose the right palette.
Colors Stimulate Feelings
Have your ever painted a room blue to create a “relaxing” atmosphere? Thrown on that saucy red dress to add a little fire? Been turned off by a website using obnoxious colors?
Or maybe subconsciously connect brands with specific colors?
Color is one of the quickest ways to instantly give your audience an idea about your brand–good or bad. There is a direct tie between our perceptions and colors we use, even on a daily basis. The good news? As a business you can use this knowledge to your advantage and communicate your brand with the help of color.
According to Forbes, customers make a purchasing decision within 90 seconds and up to 90% of that decision is made on the color of the product...I’m going to allow that to sink in…That’s INSANE. Not to mention color increases brand recognition by 80%. I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure my color palette is synced with my brand messaging! No worries friend, deep breath, we will break this down together.
Choosing Palettes Beyond Preference
You may love the color purple, but purple might be hurting your brand. Here are the questions you need to ask yourself when looking at color options:
Does it speak to your target audience?
Does it align with your brand values and messaging?
What feelings are produced?
This might come to a shock, but my favorite color is blue. Madison... you are practically the ambassador for all things pink? Don’t get me wrong, pink is the runner-up. Imagine if I had an entirely blue IG feed and website. My messaging and overall look would come across very different. S&G would not be the feminine, soft, and sassy brand it is today without the touches of pink. However, you can still use colors like blue to compliment. That is a whole other topic of color theory for another post though.
Where to Start
Alright if color is so important, how do we pick the right one? The first place I suggest starting is defining your values as a brand. Sit down and hash out who your brand is for, what you want your product/service to accomplish and how you want others to feel as they interact. This not only helps with the vision of your brand but also making intentional decisions.
Once you understand your brand messaging and values choosing colors becomes easier. Now let’s look at what each color speaks. Below I have a few examples.
*Obviously these vary depending on country, cultures carry different views*
Follow our Color Palette Board on Pinterest for inspiration and color meanings!
