Week 5 & Colour Psychology

Within week 5’s lecture Daniel talked all about colour and it’s importance within branding, we looked at:

• Colour systems including CMYK, Pantone, RGB and RAL which are the four distinct colour systems.
• Colour palettes and combinations including triadic and monochromatic.
• Resources for colour palettes such as adobe colour.
• How brands use colour.
• The psychology of colour.

I have done some research into colour psychology (including online articles and blogposts) as this is a vital aspect when it comes to branding and and choosing the right colour can effect your brand immensely.

What is colour psychology?

Definiton- Colour psychology is the study of how colours affect perceptions and behaviours.

Colours have a powerful effect on our emotions and those emotions can vary from person to person and it can depend on a persons:

• gender
• cultural context
• neurological variances
• personal experience

I read the ‘psychology of colour in branding’ article, link here. Within this article I came across this image below explaining how different colours can make you feel different things and I thought the below image was helpful as it showed both positive and negative emotions. For example, the colour red can evoke feelings of either romance or danger.

Colour psychology in branding

What is Brand Colour Psychology?

When it comes to colour psychology with relation to brands and marketing, it is focused on how colours impact the consumers impressions of that brand and whether or not they will interact with said brand, e.g. make a purchase.

In a study titled “Impact of color on marketing,” researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone.

Colours also influence how customers view the “personality” of the brand, this is important as you want to choose the correct colours to represent the tone of voice of your brand. Below I have included an image explaining how different colours represent different emotions and the personalities of brands, which is a great help and I will revisit in the near future.

From reading another article titled ‘Color Psychology in Marketing and Branding is All About Context’ by Gregory Ciotti, link here, I now know that I need to ensure that the colour scheme I choose:

• shows off my brands personality.
• is appropriate for my brand.
• appeals to my audience.
• represents my desired tone of voice.

What have I learned?

Within this lecture I have learned that colour plays a very important part in the creation of a brand and that each colour has a range of different meanings and can evoke various emotions. through my own research I have learned many things about colour and that this choice is crucial in building a truly authentic brand and I need to decide carefully. I want colours that represent creativity, new and exciting ideas but also professionalism and modernity.