WHAT’S IN A COLOUR? Understanding colour meaning and its symbolism. COLOUR HOLDS POWER. INTRODUCTION RED PINK ORANGE YELLOW GREEN BLUE PURPLE BROWN WHITE BLACK CONCLUSIONS INTRODUCTION Research has shown that people make subconscious judgments about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing. Between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on colour alone. 85% of shoppers’ purchase decisions are influenced by colour and 93% of shoppers focus on visual appearance alone when they consider a purchase. This means that your choice could make or break a consumer’s decision to become a customer or client. Colours affect people’s behaviour, mood, and stress levels and it is perceived differently depending on their gender and culture. (Sources: Review42.com) RED POWERFUL & PASSIONATE The colour red attracts attention, evokes a sense of urgency and strong emotions from viewers. So much so that it increases people’s heart rate and blood pressure. This might be why promotions and clearance sales often use this colour. Red is assertive, daring, determined, energetic, powerful, enthusiastic, impulsive, exciting, and aggressive. Red represents physical energy, lust, passion, and desire. It symbolises action, confidence, and courage. The colour red is linked to the most primitive physical, emotional, and financial needs of survival and self-preservation. It also stimulates appetite, which is why you see it used by so many fast-food restaurants. TOP TIP In many Asian countries such as India and China, red is regarded as the colour of happiness, wellbeing, and good fortune, so always consider the context. PINK YOUTHFUL & FRIENDLY Pink is regarded widely in the western world as the colour of femininity. It is often used to bring awareness to breast cancer and women’s products. However, like all colours, pink is quite diverse and the level of intensity can impact its meaning. Hot pink is used to communicate playfulness, while light pink is used to communicate tenderness. It is the colour of universal love for oneself and others. It represents friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability. TOP TIP Identify the mood or feeling you’re trying to achieve, and pick a shade of pink that’ll convey it. Don’t shy away from using pink for genderless brands (like we have) if your brand represents all the things pink evokes for people. ORANGE PLAYFUL & ENTHUSIASTIC Blending the warmth of red and the optimism of yellow, orange communicates activity and energy and is associated with playfulness and enthusiasm. Orange has different tones and shades, each with different meanings and effects. For example, light pastel peach tones are seen as sweet, conversational, and affable, whereas more intense, vibrant oranges are seen as representative of vitality, energy, and encouragement. This colour is said to activate brain activity, but it can also be seen as aggressive due to its eye-catching nature. This combination of friendliness and mental stimulation makes it great for inspiring consumers to take action. TOP TIP Because orange is associated with fun and vibrancy is well suited to youthful, energetic brands and best avoided for luxury, traditional or serious brands. However you decide to use it, do it sparingly. Orange is definitely something you can have too much of. YELLOW OPTIMISTIC & HAPPY Yellow is associated with happiness and optimism, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever seen a classic ‘smiley face’. It is also seen as cheerful and warm, which encourages communication. The colour yellow helps activate the memory, encourage communication, enhance vision, build confidence, and stimulate the nervous system. On the downside, yellow is all sometimes associated with caution, like on road signs. It can also cause eye strain, and bright shades are know to make babies cry. Too much yellow causes loss of focus and makes it hard to complete a task. TOP TIP In some cultures, yellow represents peace. In Egypt yellow was worn to signify the dead. In Japan, yellow stands for courage. In India, yellow is the colour of the merchants. GREEN STABLE & SUSTAINABLE Green represents growth, and evokes a feeling of relaxation and healing. It is the colour of healthy vegetation, so it reminds viewers of nature and health. It has healing power and is understood to be the most restful and relaxing colour for the human eye to view. Green can help enhance vision, stability and endurance and it takes up more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye. Too much green can cause people to become placid, lazy, slow, moody, depressed, and lethargic but on the other hand, it is also associated with money and wealth, banking and ambition. TOP TIP Pick your shade of green very carefully. Brighter, lighter greens indicate growth, vitality, and renewal; while darker, richer greens can represent prestige, wealth, and abundance. BLUE CALM & LOGICAL Blue is associated with the sky and the ocean, which both evoke feelings of tranquillity and security. It has also been proven that people are the most productive when they work in blue rooms. It also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, heaven, and intelligence. Blue is known to curb appetites, and although it is not as attention-grabbing as colours like red or yellow, blue is also the most popular, favourite colour of both men and women. This means that it is universally well-liked - a great quality in an image that is meant to be associated with a company. TOP TIP Blue runs anything from corporate and dependable, to calming and tranquil, to feeling down in the dumps. So choose your shade wisely. If you want to stand out in the crowd, it may not be the way to do it. PURPLE LUXURIOUS & WISE As the classic colour of nobility and kings, it is no surprise that purple is commonly associated with wealth and luxury. It is also representative of fantasy, mystery, and magic, and can evoke a feeling of wisdom and imagination. Different shades, tints, and hues of purple have different meanings. Light purple hues represent feminine energy and delicacy, as well as romantic and nostalgic feelings. Dark purple hues evoke feelings of gloom, sadness, and frustration. Bright purple hues suggest riches and royalty. Beauty brands often use shades of purple in their logos, especially those with anti-aging products. TOP TIP Purple is best used for targeting a female audience as research suggests women list purple as a top-tier colour while it doesn’t even rank for men. BROWN STEADFAST & SECURE Brown gets a lot of use in this era of organic and natural food, beauty, and products. Nature-inspired it represents a feeling of wholesomeness, orderliness, and being grounded. It is simple, strong, durable, and honest and may express that your brand has better things to worry about than superfluous colour when really, there are so many beautiful shades of brown to elevate any product. It is believed to help create a wholesome feeling, a connection with the earth, and a sense of orderliness and convention. Brown is a stable and grounded colour that is believed to help you feel like you fit in and belong. TOP TIP Brown provides feelings of organisation, history, and connection, as well as cosy feelings of relaxation and warmth. However, use caution with brown as it can remind people of dirt. WHITE CLEAN & PURE White represents simplicity, purity, innocence, and perfection. And if you had to identify one brand that has used white to convey its brand message to perfection it would have to be Apple – white represents the simplicity of the products in both their form and function. White also comes with a starkness or sterility about it, which is often used by designers to convey a minimalist aesthetic and clean, modern quality. This is why it is used in hospitals, medical centres, and laboratories to communicate safety. The colour white is also associated with low-fat foods and dairy products. White affects the mind and body by aiding in mental clarity, promoting feelings of fresh beginnings and renewal, assisting in cleansing, clearing obstacles and clutter, and encouraging the purification of thoughts and actions. TOP TIP It’s difficult to inject personality into your brand when using white, so make sure your brand is about simplicity, purity, and transparency. Alternatively, use it with another colour to provide balance. BLACK SERIOUS & SOPHISTICATED Black is seen as a serious, no-frills colour, and can evoke a feeling of sophistication. Although it might look plain, it is often used for luxury products because of its sense of elegance and glamour. Black can also show consumers that your brand is mysterious and exclusive. Black affects the mind and body by helping to create an inconspicuous feeling, boosting confidence in appearance, increasing the sense of potential and possibility, or producing feelings of emptiness, gloom, or sadness. Black is a visually slimming colour for clothing and like other dark colours, in interior design, black can make a room appear to shrink in size. It is also required for all other colours to have depth and variation of hue. TOP TIP Contrast a bright colour against black; use gold foil for a touch of luxe, or combine it with white for a bold and simple statement. Think about texture and how matte or glossy black might change the message of your brand. CONCLUSION “Colours speak all languages” Joseph Addison, English Essayist, Poet and Politician As you’ve no doubt concluded yourself, colour will literally speak for you before you ever have a chance to utter a word. Its importance can’t be overestimated. And when it comes to deciding the direction for your brand or product, you don’t need to go with just one.