5 minutes to: colour theory

One of my favourite topics to cover during branding training is colour theory. Or, the psychology of colours. That would be the subconscious impact colours can have on consumers.

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So, I thought it would be the ideal topic for today's blog. When it comes to influencing consumers without them realising, three things achieve this best: sound, smell, and colour.

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Admittedly, incorporating smells and sounds into your marketing efforts can be challenging, especially if your campaign is mainly digital. That's why applying colour theory might be a simpler (but still effective) option to try.

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Colour psychology in marketing

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If you don't know where to start, your branding might be a good initial step. Think: your logo. Product labels. Box packaging. Social media templates.

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Research other brands. Apple, Dell, IKEA, Coca-Cola. Anyone else you admire. What colours do they use in their logos and branding? What do you associate with these brands?

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You probably have more pre-formed opinions than you realise, even about brands you don’t use all the time. It’s all down to the way these companies have painted themselves - literally.

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The internet is full of colour charts detailing the different connotations colours can have for your brand. Study a few, and take note of anything that seems relevant to you.

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It's important to remember that, as with all things marketing, these aren't hard and fast laws. Not everyone will have the same reactions to the same colours. But, for brand and campaign building, it's a good foundation.

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What do certain colours mean?

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Red

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Bold, passionate brands like Coca-Cola favour reds. We often see this in fast food restaurants to help catch the eye and imply a sense of urgency.

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Toymakers like Lego and Mattel also prefer reds. This is because red stands out and is easy to remember. Which helps when your target audience is children.

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Purple

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Purples invoke a sense of luxury. It's a traditionally dignified colour, and brands like Chambord, Hallmark, and Cadbury definitely chose purple for this reason.

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Consider the way some of these brands present themselves outside of their logos. Cadbury certainly pushes this feeling of luxury in its ads.

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(To see just how important colour can be for brands, check out this piece from The Drum about Cadbury and its trademark purple.)

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Blue

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The psychology of the colour blue brings a sense of safety and security. This is why many banks, car manufacturers, and tech companies favour it.

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You want a safe car. You want technology that won’t break within a few months. You want to trust your bank to look after your money well.

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Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (pre-X) tend to use blue colours as well. This likely groups them with tech brands like HP, Windows, and Intel, to name a few. In short, if a business prioritises safety and security, you’ll probably see many blues in their palette.

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Yellow & Orange

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Yellow brands are all about inspiring optimism and warmth. They tend to be quite fun brands. Again, you see a lot of fast food brands using the yellows as well.

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Similarly, orange also brings a sense of fun. This makes it the perfect colour option for child-friendly or child-oriented brands like Nickelodeon. These two swatches emphasise friendliness, vitality, and playfulness - perfect for your friendly neighbourhood marketing agency!

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Green

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Green colour psychology is an interesting one. It doesn’t match up as well on paper, but the link is certainly there.

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Naturally, green implies things like harmony, health, growth and freshness. Brands tend to try and use this to their advantage.

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Unsurprisingly, we see Green Giant, Whole Foods and other “natural” brands in this camp. But we also see a couple of energy companies, and even Starbucks.

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This is more about the message, and the ideas they want to put out. Energy companies want you to think that their brand is more eco-friendly than their competitors, while Monster and Starbucks want you to think their drinks are a more nutritious option.

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Black & Grey & White

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Finally, you have the greyscale colours. Black, white, and grey/silver.

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Black is the colour of sophistication. High-end designer brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada already have established reputations. They don't need to influence their customers, so they use black.

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Think of it this way: the name, Gucci, is enough on its own. It’s a statement in its own right. We don’t need to think about implementing colour theory. People will buy their products simply because of who they are.

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White is the symbol of purity and clarity, but it’s often not a big player in branding. Instead, we tend to see the use of whitespace, rather than the colour itself.

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Sitting between them is grey. It once again brings that sense of high-end sophistication, as well as professionalism and calm. Apple, Wikipedia, Honda: these are all timeless brands that you trust.

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Moodboards, swatches and painting a palette

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This is all well and good on paper, but what can you do with this information? Of course, if you’re setting up your business, you’ll want to consider how you can translate your brand personality into your assets.

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However, if you’re already an established brand, it doesn’t seem like colour theory can be much use to you aside from a rebrand.

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