Color Psychology

Have you been paying enough attention to the implementation of colors when designing and approving advertisements or branding logos? Color is an extremely valuable element and cannot be ignored. Understanding your brand and the colors that make it stand out should not be taken lightly, it should be one of the main factors taken into consideration.

Studies have shown that warm colors such as orange, yellow, and red are known to stimulate excitement. They also tend to generate activity; hence, they are great for offices. If you pay attention to detail, you would notice that kid’s packages usually have one or more of these colors, in order to imply speed and efficiency. Take McDonald’s for instance, the colors of the arc of McDonald’s did not come by chance, the people behind the brand’s logo and color choice have thought and studied the colors to create the best synergy for the brand’s personality.

Take skin care products as another example, most packaging for women products, especially night creams and skin care products, are usually wrapped up with light green or light blue; colors that help to create a soothing and relaxing feeling.

Fine dining restaurants often go for warm colors such as burgundy and burnt orange; these colors promote longevity and often open one’s appetite for food, increasing the chances of customers ordering additional treats!

However, it’s important to also note that just because a certain color is associated with a certain feeling or mood, does not mean the color should be extensively painted on every wall. Overwhelming people with a certain color can have counterproductive effects. For example, grey can add a rock solid feeling to a brand; however, too much of it, and people will feel mostly nothing, which isn’t a sentiment you’d want people associating with your brand.

These examples only highlight the fundamentals of color psychology. Any good designer should understand these basics and apply them to their daily work. Each and every color has its own uses and target market; we just need to know what goes where.