Colors play an important role in marketing and brand identity. Choosing the best colors for your artwork is not just a matter of good aesthetic intelligence. Colors go way beyond pretty. They can make you angry, hungry, calm or nostalgic. A Professional graphic designer knows what colors would look good for a particular brand, but a great graphic designer knows what colors would work for a particular brand. There is a whole psychology behind colors, which states that every color invokes a feeling in the viewer’s mind. It is not a coincidence that most of the banks have blue colored identities.
When you are designing a brand identity, make sure that you understand what kind of emotional response the brand wants to create in its users’ minds and then choose the colors accordingly. It is vital that you choose the perfect color to communicate the brand’s emotions correctly. Read below to know what emotion each color evokes and where to use it.
- Yellow
Taxis use yellow because it is attention grabbing and also depicts speed. When combined with red, it can stimulate your appetite, that is why when you see a McDonald’s sign, you automatically feel hungry for a burger. Yellow is also associated with mental clarity and caution/alerts- the reason why Post-its are yellow and why most of the hazardous signs are written on yellow boards. Also, yellow is used to evoke warmth, cheerfulness, optimism and energy.
- Blue
Blue is one of the most favorite colors among people and it is also the most calming. Blue signifies trust, dependability and security which is why most banks and social media platforms like Twitter use blue in their branding. Another major emotion that blue color evokes is that of friendship- which is the reason for Facebook’s blue.
- Red
Red is an exciting, youthful and bold color. Brands like Coca-Cola, Netflix and Youtube use red to appeal to the youth. Red also evokes emotions of anger and danger which is why it is important to use red in moderation as its overuse can be overwhelming just like in the case of yellow.
- Green
Green is considered t be a cool color and it exudes positivity and peace. It also signifies health, wealth and growth. Hospitals and health-related brands use green to let the viewer feel healthy. If your brand is related to nature, health, or investments, it is best to go with green. Educational brands also use green as it symbolizes wisdom & intelligence. - White
We all know that white is a symbol of purity, perfection and faith. White also stimulates a feeling of transparency and simplicity. Apple uses white color in all its products and branding to denote that they are simple, transparent and have nothing to hide. White color works very well for brands that want to keep it simple.
- Purple
Purple calms the nerves and is also associated with magic and mystery. It even evokes the emotions of creativity and has a royal feel. Most luxury brands use purple colors. Purple also signifies celebration and elegance. Cadbury uses purple to induce a feeling of celebration.
- Orange
Nike packs its shoes in bright orange boxes because orange is a playful color. Nickelodeon – a kids entertainment brand also has an orange colored identity to signify happiness, playfulness and vitality. It is best to go orange when it comes to entertaining kids. Orange color also has a tropical feel which is why fruit juice brands use orange on their packs.
- Black
Black is downright elite, sophisticated and symbolizes power and authority. Uber uses Uber Black for its high-emd customers who do not want to be seen taking a taxi. Black is also connected with boldness which is why brands like Adidas use black in their identity. If your audience is fancy, go with black.
We hope that you got a hang of the emotions behind colors and will use them wisely in your current and upcoming projects. Make sure to keep reading more about color theory and color psychology and always keep an eye out for colors used by brands and the kind of emotions you feel by looking at them. Notice how you feel when you see a bank that is using pure red color in its branding. We wouldn’t go in, would you?
Visit our great graphic design portfolios and see the combinations of colors.
