Colour psychology: the use of colour in branding

Why is your brand colour so important?

Colour has a profound effect on humans, both mentally and physically. While blue can have a calming effect, red raises the heart rate. A study by Colour Communications Inc showed that it took only 90 seconds for a person to form an opinion about a brand and 62-90% of that process was related to colour.

The right colour for your brand

Choosing the colours to represent a brand is a big step. As tempting as it might be to go for your football team’s colours or your 4-year-old child’s favourite, you could be doing a huge disservice to a very powerful ally.

The colours you choose might be influenced by the personality you want your brand to project, the countries you operate in or want to operate in, or by what your competitors do. Just so long as they are a true representation of what you are or want to be. Ask yourself, does your colour fit your brand aspirations? Where does it fit within your competitor landscape? This is why your choice of colour is just as important as everything else. What does your brand colour mean about your business?

What does it all mean?

• Over the years blue has become the colour of business, as it evokes trust.
• In an ever more environmentally aware world, green leads to thoughts of nature.
• Through its historical connections, purple still wears the luxury tag.
• And red is the fiery colour of love and passion.

More from the brand colour psychology series

• Yellow brand colour psychology
• Red brand colour psychology
• Pink brand colour psychology
• Orange brand colour psychology
• Green brand colour psychology
• Blue brand colour psychology
• White brand colour psychology
• Brown brand colour psychology
• Purple brand colour psychology
• Grey brand colour psychology
• Multicolour brands