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Psychology of Using Colors and Marketing

You may have never realized that there is a hidden message behind the colors used by brands. The truth is that behind each logo, there is a psychological meaning behind the color that impacts the decision-making process and can influence customers.

Behind each color, there is an entire language that is created through our eyes that can cause a series of emotions and sensations. Some examples of the feelings we can experience are pleasure, well-being, and security.

The logo of a company must serve to represent the entire corporate identity, that is, their philosophy and values. Therefore, you have to use a color that is consistent with the values you want to transmit to your audience. These messages will be subconsciously associated in the mind of the consumer when they see or listen to the name of your brand logo.

Each color is unique and goes far beyond an optical effect. There is a meaning behind each color that will generate an impact on our brains in an unconscious way. That is why it is so important to conduct a preliminary study to help with the creation of the visual image of your brand. Knowing how the consumer reacts to the different colors can increase your sales exponentially.

For example, it would not be a good idea to advertise perishable food products with a brown color because the consumer could associate it with rotting and generate a negative impact.

However, you do not have to forget that although the color is one of the basic elements in generating impact on consumers it is not the only one. You have to play around with other elements so that the meaning you want to convey as a whole is coherent. It would be useless, for example, to apply a pink color to a funeral company no matter how serious the name, slogan, and typography are.

Down below we have a list of colors and the meanings and applications in the world of marketing with some examples of recognized brands:

BLUE
Emotions:

• Associated with water
• Most chosen by men
• Transmits peace and serenity
• It is known as a cold color

Marketing:

• Color most used by companies for being productive and non-invasive
• Creates a feeling of safety and confidence in brands
• Inspires seriousness and progress

RED
Emotions:

• Evokes strong emotions
• Can create an appetite
• Increases passion and intensity
• Symbolizes love

Marketing:

• Increases heart rate
• Used by restaurants because it can influence appetite
• Creates a need for urgency
• Can influence compulsive buying

YELLOW
Emotions:

• Transmits energy and happiness
• Can cause fatigue in sight
• It stimulates a mental process
• Stimulates the nervous system
  

Marketing

• Represents optimism, youth, and fun
• Used by energetic and happy brands
  
• Associated with brands with power and wealth

GREEN

Emotions

• Symbolizes health and tranquility
• It is related to nature
• Can help ease depression
• Represents birth
  

Marketing

• Associated with health
• Historically associated with a symbol of fertility

ORANGE
Emotions

• Reflects enthusiasm and emotion
• Shows closeness
• Calls attention to caution
  

Marketing

• Symbolizes aggression
• Creates a call for attention to buy, sell, subscribe
• It focuses on compulsive buyers
• Represents a close, cheerful brand

VIOLET
Emotions

• It is associated with royalty because historically kings would wear this color
  
• Embodies success and wealth
  
• Associated with magic and spirituality

Marketing

• Associated with feminine brands
• Creative brands
• Used in elegant and sophisticated brands

PINK
Emotions

• Tranquility
• Love

Marketing

• Associated with feminine brands
• Sweet and delicate brands
• Cleaning

BLACK
Emotions

• It is associated with negative emotion such as sadness, loneliness, and pain

Marketing

• However, in marketing is associated with elegance, security, and sobriety

WHITE
Emotions

• Peace feeling
• Tranquility
  
• Cleaning
  
• Spirituality
  * In the East it is linked to death.

Marketing

• Associated with cleaning products.
• Simplicity (technology)

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