What is Colour psychology?

How do you choose a colour palette for your new business or if rebranding an existing business?
Do you just select a colour you like? No!

Introduction

Colour psychology is an area of research that looks at how we are influenced by colour and how our behaviour and decision-making is influenced by different colours.

It is widely used by branding and marketing experts as colour can impact the way we perceive a brand and in-turn impact our potential to engage with a brand. Colour has a much bigger impact on our decision making than we may think.
So when selecting a colour palette for your marketing or branding, understanding the psychology of colour could determine your customer engagement success rate.

What are the psychological effects of different colors?

Red

Positive:
Power, Excitement, Strength, Passion, Energy, Youth, Confidence
Negative:
Anger, Danger, Warning

Orange

Positive:
Confidence, Warmth, Innovation, Friendliness, Energy, Bravery Negative:
Frustration, Ignorance, Immaturity

Yellow

Positive:
Optimism, Warmth, Happiness, Creativity, Friendliness
Negative:
Caution, Anxiety, Fear

Green

Positive:
Health, Hope, Nature, Growth, Freshness, Prosperity
Negative:
Envy, Sickness, Boredom

Blue

Positive:
Trust, Loyalty, Dependability, Logic, Serenity, Security
Negative:
Coldness, Emotionless, Uncaring

Purple

Positive:
Wisdom, Luxury, Wealth, Spirituality, Sophistication, Royalty
Negative:
Introversion, Decadence, Moodiness

Pink

Positive:
Imaginative, Passionate, Transformation, Balance, Creativity Negative:
Outrageousness, Femininity, Impulsive

Brown

Positive:
Serious, Earthiness, Reliability, Authenticity, Warmth, Support
Negative:
Humourless, Dirty, Sad

Black

Positive:
Sophistication, Security, Power, Authority, Substance
Negative:
Oppression, Coldness, Menace

White

Positive:
Cleanness, Clarity, Purity, Simplicity, Freshness
Negative:
Sterility, Coldness, Isolation

---