How colours affect perceptions and behaviours in branding
Over ~90% of your off-the-cuff buying decisions are based on the product's colour, and here's how brands have used colour psychology to influence your buying decisions.
Scientists claim it takes less than 1.5 minutes before a customer decides to buy - most of this has to do with colour.
Colours have been used by brands such as McDonald's and Mirinda to create powerful associations in the minds of consumers, but there's more to it!
Colours elicit emotions and express an unspoken story, and these factors play a significant role in how people behave as consumers.
The science underlying this is simple:
Different hues have different wavelengths, which produce distinct electrical impulses, altering how we see the world
Here's how brands use colour to complement their identity. 👇🎨
The Coca-Cola Company, H&M, Netflix & YouTube use Red to reduce analytical thinking & intensify reactions- which is also why clearance sale prices are red.
Fashion brands use Red to grab customers' attention, convey confidence, and stimulate them to act.
Blue is a loyal & courteous colour. Media platforms like Twitter & Tumblr, banks like AmericanExpress, employ shades of blue as their identity.
Google ran "50 shades of blue" A/B testing & found that the purple tint of blue converted the most clicks, earning Google $200Mn in revenue!
Yellow & Orange are employed by food companies such as LAYS, Nestlé, Subway, Dunkin', McDonald's, and furniture companies like IKEA, HomeDepot because of their stimulating attributes of appetite, friendliness, happiness, and warmth.
Black & Grey are used by high-end luxury brands such as RalphLauren, Prada, Chanel, & Apple to convey sophistication, authority, success, and dignity.
Brands that use black do not draw attention to themselves because they believe their reputation speaks for itself.
Green is used in CTAs, and the branding of pharmaceuticals, organic food companies like Starbucks, and the military.
Green combines yellow's energizing properties with blue's calming properties, giving the brand a calming, healing, refreshing vibes.
Rather than dictating your brand persona based on the colour association you want to choose, the best way to instil colour psychology is to match the already existing brand personality.
Using a green colour for a cigarette company will not magically make it healthier.
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