The Psychology of Color

Overview

Color can be a very powerful tool when it comes to visual communication. Whether you are rebranding your company, considering colors for your website, designing labels for internal use or product labels for the marketplace: knowing how color effects a viewer is crucial.

Author

Kayla

Resources

Visual.ly
HubSpot

Studies show that 84.7% of consumers cite color as the primary reason they buy a particular product. That's a huge chunk of people! The influence of color on humans goes beyond the product marketplace and the folks at HubSpot saw this first hand:

There's a reason companies test the colors of things like advertisements, banner ads, and call-to-action (CTA) buttons. When we did a button color test here at HubSpot, we found that a red CTA button outperformed a green CTA button by 21%. In other words, we increased conversion rate without changing anything about the page except for the color of the CTA. That's the power of color in marketing.

To help you with your various visual communication decisions, with the help of HubSpot and Visual.ly, I've put together this comprehensive guide to color. Enjoy!

Red

red

Red conveys boldness, drama, romance, power, passion and even danger. It is a vibrant color that can heighten senses while earthy red tones create warmth and comfort. Red is a great color for dining areas or as an attention-grabbing accent. It increases heart rate, stimulates appetite and creates a sense of urgency.

Orange

orange

Orange conveys friendliness, happiness, innovation, energy and fun. It is a warm color that attracts attention, making a brand feel approachable and welcoming. Orange can suggest confidence but can also be percieved as aggressive or instill a sense of caution.

Yellow

yellow

Yellow conveys optimism, timelessness, hospitality, peacefulness and creativity. It's sunny disposition can be uplifting and can promote communication and improve concentration. Yellow is also used to grab attention of window shoppers and stimulate the nervous system.

Green

green

Green conveys growth, renewal, relaxation, gentleness, reassurance and safety. It's soothing nature can be used to create a calming, feel-good atmosphere. Green is also associated with wealth, fertility and the alleviation of depression. Fun fact: Green is used in night vision goggles because the human eye is most sensitive to it and is able to discern the most shades of it.

Blue

blue

Blue conveys strength, dependability, tranquility, calm, freshness and serenity. It is a very versatile color that can create a mood that is cheerful and refreshing or reflective and intellectual. Blue is often used in corporate business because of it's productive and non-invasive nature. When used properly, it can instill a sense of security and trust in a brand.

Purple

purple

Purple conveys mystery, regality, eccentrivity, luxury, exoticism and sophistivation. Since it is a product of red and blue, purple can be dramatic or subtle, exciting or calming. Purple is used often in beauty and anti-aging products but it's creative, imaginative and wise nature could lend itself well to many other markets and brands.

Additional Color Facts

  • 93% of consumers look at visual appearance when it comes to making a purchasing decision: color is a huge factor of this.
  • 80% of people believe color increases brand recognition.
  • Research reveals people make a subconscious judgement about an environment or product within 90 seconds of initially viewing it. Bewteen 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.
  • Ads in color are read up to 42% more often than the same ads in black and white.
  • Color can improve comprehension by 73%, learning by 55-68% and reading by 40%.
 

The Label University At Tri-Flex Label @ September 25, 2014

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