Colour is a critical influence on how we perceive the world. If you’re starting a business or rebranding an existing business, and thinking about your brand identity, you should understand how colour impacts consumer behaviour.
How you use colour will be an essential part of your brand strategy, and how you use it in your business can significantly affect how effectively you convert visitors into sales.
Your colour preferences reveal a lot about you. Colour has a strong and often subconscious effect on behaviour. Colour is often used to persuade or influence us. According to a study examining the effect of colour on sales, 92.6% of people surveyed by the Institute for Colour Research said colour was the most important factor when purchasing products. Another study showed that people subconsciously judge a person, environment, or thing within 90 seconds. In 62% – 90% of examples, that judgment was influenced by colour alone.
Colour: truly in the eye of the beholder
The effects of colour on each person can be highly subjective and deeply personal. We can thank Isaac Newton for discovering that colour is the sensation of light bouncing off something and entering our eyes. Newton found that light comprises many different wavelengths, each perceived as a different colour.
We have millions of light-sensitive cells, or receptors, at the back of our eyes. Science considers these receptors as an extension of the brain, and for a good reason. Specific receptors are stimulated by the light coming into our eyes, sending impulses to our brain. The brain takes those signals and interprets them as colour. Because the brain interprets the colour, that means that colour is, by nature, a sensation.
Read also: The Seven types of logo
The qualities of colour
While our perception of colours and what they mean is subjective, there are some essential qualities that we can apply generally. Here are some of those qualities:
Red – Often considered exciting, attention-grabbing, warm, and connected to love, anger, life, and comfort.
Yellow – Seen as adventurous, evoking happiness, enthusiasm, youth, and travel.
Green – It is known for its connection to balance, health, sustainability and knowledge.
Blue – The colour of honesty, high quality, competence, trust, reliability, and integrity.
Pink – This colour evokes love, compassion, romance, gentleness, and sophistication.
Purple – Creativity, royalty, mystery, respect, and playfulness are often connected to purple (and violet).
Brown – Colour of the outdoors and seen as friendly, organic, natural, friendly, and rugged.
Black – It is all about sophistication, intelligence, seriousness, and expense.
White – Known for its order, innocence, purity, cleanliness, neutrality, and space.
Grey – It communicates timelessness, neutrality, refinement and practicality
Culture and context can also influence how colour is interpreted. Therefore, do your due diligence and research your audience so you can make the best choices based on their specific backgrounds.
Picking the right brand colours
Research shows that anticipating your consumer’s reaction to a colour and its relationship to your brand is more important than the actual colour. Customers want to see that a colour “fits.”
Research confirms a connection between a company’s brand colours and consumers’ perception of a company’s personality. The key takeaway here is that it’s less important what colour you choose and more that you choose colours that highlight or accentuate the personality you want your brand identity and product to reflect.
How Colour Influences What People Buy
Here is the most critical colour information and how colour influences what people buy.
Remember that branding is about experience and emotion. As we know: a brand is the sum total of the experience your customers and customer prospects have with your company. A strong brand communicates what your company does, how it does it, and at the same time, establishes trust and credibility with your prospects and customers. Your company’s brand is, in many ways, its personality.
Your brand lives in everyday interactions your company has with its prospects and customers, including the images you share, the messages you post on your website, the content of your marketing materials, your presentations and booths at conferences, and your posts on social networks. A powerful brand starts with a professionally designed logo. Colour plays a vital role in logo design.
The importance of colour also extends to how you present your products, product packaging and services to consumers. Studies show that choosing colours that make customers feel or think of a certain quality and help guide their actions is key to your success.
In fact, marketers know that colour plays an important role when it comes to packaging design. Recent trends have designers putting colours to work for their products in innovative, inspiring ways. It may seem like an artistic decision, but the primary colour you choose for your design has a significant psychological impact on how people perceive it.
Studies demonstrate that colours play a significant role in how advertising and signage are read. 42% more signs and advertisements are read when a colour (such as red) is used versus black and white. Comprehension is boosted as well.
So, if you’re creating signage or imagery for your store or website, make sure to add a splash of colour to give it a better chance of being noticed and read.
Last line
Be more intentional with how you choose colours for your business. Take into account both the themes that colours represent and the psychological behaviour that specific colours influence. Research what colours best fit your target audience’s tastes and needs, and above all, don’t be like beige. Don’t be boring.
