If you’re even slightly involved in advertising or marketing, we needn’t convince you that colour greatly affects consumer behaviour. Do you think you know all the dos and don’ts when it comes to colour, brands and packaging? Read our overview and find out!
Colour psychology 101
Did you know that colour can be the sole reason why a consumer purchases a certain product? Rumour has it that a whopping 85 percent of consumers have purchased a product at least once in their lives solely because they loved the colour. By extension, many manufacturers lose consumers because they have chosen a ‘wrong’ colour for their product or product packaging.
10 colours and their psychological effect
- Red conveys passion, excitement, power, ambition, youth, … Prominent brands with red logos include Kellogg’s, Virgin, The Coca-Cola Company, Nintendo and Red Bull.
- Blue is associated with determination, control, reliability, loyalty, sincerity, …
- Green is the colour of nature, growth, positivity, prosperity, stability, … Famous brands with green logos include BP, Starbucks and The Body Shop.
- Yellow stands for optimism, warmth, freedom, spontaneity, …
- Pink is, of course, strongly associated with femininity. It is the happy, sweet and playful colour par excellence.
- Purple is a spiritual colour that, as contradictory as it may sound, also conveys luxury.
- Brown is, of course, a colour that reminds us of earth and the outdoors. Brown has a friendly vibe, but when used wrong it comes across as rigid, dogmatic and conservative.
- White exudes innocence, freshness, purity, …
- Black is perceived as dramatic, formal and stylish. Depending on the context, though, black can also be associated with death and evil.
- Grey is the colour of intelligence, security and solidity. In certain contexts, grey conveys sadness.
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