Infographic: Color Psychology Of Brands

Our infographic examines brand color meaning and how the psychology of colors is used in business. 

Color is often selected for its aesthetic, or its ability to make something “look pretty.” In addition to aesthetics, though, brand color can also convey deeper meaning. There is a large school of study around color psychology, the concept that the colors used in any given image can have a psychosocial, emotional and behavioral effect on a viewer.

When it comes to marketing, color psychology combined with UX design and brand messaging can create emotional and behavioral triggers. Many global brands capitalize on this fact, paying close attention and care when choosing brand colors for their logos and marketing materials. Effective and thoughtful use of color in branding doesn’t only look good, but can work to capture the attention – and business – of a target market in an efficient and powerful manner.

We’ve created an infographic (using data pulled from common color branding psychology models) which illustrates the concept and shows how a few of the world’s most recognized companies use psychology and color branding.

Psychology of Color in Branding

There are many colors out there, and the research shows that certain colors evoke certain emotions. Emotions, of course, are major factors for consumers when they make purchasing decisions. Below are a few examples of psychology of color in marketing and branding.

Red

Use of the color red in branding often evokes the following emotions among viewers:

• Strength
• Passion
• Excitement

Appetite: Red is used extensively in marketing in the food industry, due to its ability to trigger appetite. Brands including Nabisco, Lay’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Chick-Fil-A are prime examples.

Energy and Confidence: Red is also known for its ability to convey strength, energy, and confidence, and as such some of the world’s most powerful brands make use of the color. Target, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and YouTube are some strong, confident brands in this arena.

Attention: Due to its attention-getting quality, red adds high-visibility for brands. It’s no wonder many of the world’s most recognized names have red in their logos.

Yellow

Choosing the color yellow in a brand often evokes the following emotions among viewers:

• Intellect
• Joy
• Energy

Positivity: Yellow connotes positivity, high energy and optimism. Many forward-looking brands, including Subway, Shell, Sprint, and Best Buy illustrate this.

Creativity and Consumer Attention: Yellow is said to stimulate creativity, and to capture consumer attention. Think about brands like Nikon and Post-It.

Fun and Cheerfulness: In addition to being fun and cheery, yellow is often used to evoke a “happy” brand image for consumers.

Blue

Use of blue in branding often evokes the following emotions among viewers:

• Loyalty
• Trust
• Intelligence

Blue is the most popular brand color, and for good reason. The values associated with it are some serious ones, and as a result some of the world’s most recognized companies make use of blue including Walmart.

High Loyalty and Precision: Companies choose the color blue in brands to evoke loyalty (for example, Ford, American Express), and indicate high levels of precision in work (pharmaceutical giant Pzifer, Nasa, Intel).

Intelligence and Trust: Blue is closely associated with intelligence and trust. Think about how many of today’s technology brands select some shade of blue for their branding (including Praxent!) – this is not a coincidence. Other examples include Dell, AT&T, WordPress, HP, Facebook and Twitter.

Green

Color branding using green tones often evokes the following emotions among viewers:

• Freshness
• Growth
• Safety

Relaxing: Green is the easiest color for vision, and is often used to promote a relaxing image and environment in-store.

Environmental Friendly Approach: Due to associations with nature, grass, and growth, green is often used to indicate a commitment to the environment. Companies like John Deere and Animal Planet exemplify this. Whole Foods illustrates this concept, as well.

Other Brand Examples: Hess, Spotify, Android, BP

Does your organization use the color psychology of brands strategically? What emotions do you associate with different colors? Share it in the comments below!