Making Color Work for You: Understanding Color Psychology

Color is not one size fits all

The first thing to remember with color psychology: it is both an art and a science.

There are many studies and scientific research that uncover how and why our brains react to certain colors – but there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the use of color in print marketing. It’s all largely situation based.

Let’s say you are sending a direct mailer and want a safe color that appeals to both men and women. You choose blue, rated as one of the most popular colors across genders. But maybe the qualities it evokes (peace and serenity) don’t mesh with the objective of your mailer (to spur a response).

And that’s where color becomes an art form.

It’s important to factor both science and context into your unique situation. Keep that in mind as you read ahead and you’ll walk away with several tips you can implement.

The meanings and associations of specific colors

We’ll address this first, as it’s definitely one of the most popular questions out there: What does each color represent?

To answer, we recommend checking out this infographic by WebpageFX. It gives a nice overview of the various qualities each color signifies, and the most prominent brands using them.

How do colors influence behavior?

Remember, there are no true generalizations when it comes to color. Then why can some colors impact behavior more successfully than others, you ask?

Studies show that our psyche undergoes varying levels of aroused reaction when exposed to color. This arousal is characterized by higher adrenaline, blood pressure and heart rate – resulting in more stimulation.

The degree to which we are aroused depends on the color. As an example, colors at the extreme ends of the wavelength spectrum (red and purple) cause much greater levels of brain activation than colors in the middle of the spectrum (yellow and green).

Interesting, additionally studies have found that there is a positive correlation between a color’s popularity and the length of its wavelength. This means people prefer colors with shorter wavelengths (purple and blue) over colors with longer wavelengths (red and orange).

Nick Kolenda does a really nice job of illustrating and explaining these findings.

So does that mean red is bad? (No). And are low arousal colors better than high arousal colors? (It depends). Keep reading and you’ll learn how to choose colors based on the objective of your marketing communication.

What key considerations should factor into my decision on color?

As we’ve discussed, colors don’t have definitive meaning. Subconsciously, we attach various meanings to color based on numerous factors.

Consider the factors below as a loose ‘checklist’ when picking colors:

• Experience: 
  Color triggers different meanings for each person based on their experiences with that color. Students may develop stronger associations between red and grading or failure, triggering feelings of anxiety. Adventurous water lovers may form associations between blue and feelings of exhilaration. Whileit’s hard to generalize this completely, this concept emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience.
• Culture: 
  Keep in mind that colors do not have universal meanings. For example, while purple represents honor and courage in the United States, it signifies death and grieving in many European nations.
• Context: 
  As previously mentioned, colors can have many meanings, but the context it is used within plays a significant role in determining how it is interpreted. To prove this point, a study examined the color red – which is known to have very different meanings based on situation (love/passion in a romance-context, and anxiety/danger in an achievement-context).This study looked at how quickly a participant would walk to an interview conducted by an opposite sex individual who was wearing either a red shirt or a blue shirt. It compared these speeds if the participant was anticipating an interview on the topic of intelligence versus the topic of dating. Not surprisingly, participants walked slower towards the interviewer in the red shirt for the intelligence interview, and faster towards the interviewer in the red shirt for the dating interview.

9 ways to use color to your advantage

Here’s where things really get interesting.

As we mentioned earlier in this article, some colors perform better than others based on certain factors and situations. How can you unlock the formula for success? By considering the following factors the next time you evaluate which colors to use in your printed piece.

The information below is the cliff-notes version of Nick Kolenda’s findings, which go into greater detail and are definitely worth a full read.

1. Level of Arousal: As mentioned earlier, warmer colors increase our arousal while cooler colors decrease arousal. During states of decreased arousal, we are psychologically more relaxed, spending more time rationalizing and debating. Meanwhile, greater levels of arousal equates to excitement and anxiousness. This results in impulse decisions.
   
   Consider choosing warm colors when you want your recipient to make an immediate decision, and cool colors when you need them to process information more carefully.
    
2. Depth of Required Processing: There are two basic ways in which we process information. We use heuristic processing when we need to analyze quick and simple information. Systematic processing is used for thorough, rational analysis. Cooler colors trigger systematic (thorough) processing, while warmer colors trigger heuristic (quick) processing.
   
   Your choice of color will depend on the strength of the case you are building to persuade your audience.If your argument is strong, choose cooler colors knowing you’ll be able to stand up to in-depth analysis.If your case is weak, consider using warmer colors to decrease cortical functioning and encourage a quick decision.
    
3. Method of Selling: In auction-like settings where consumers compete to purchase a scarce or limited-edition product, studies have found that warm colors generate more revenue. This is because higher levels of arousal lead to more aggression and a greater likelihood to continue bidding. Meanwhile,if you are negotiating the sale of a product, it is recommended to choose cool colors to reduce buyer aggression.
    
4.  Brand Personality: If there are certain traits your brand is trying to convey, consider referring to the earlier infographic which pairs colors with their perceived qualities.
    
5. Pain or Gain Messaging: There are two basic ways to position a product or service. ‘Preventative’ messaging speaks to the problems you will help prevent, while ‘gain’ messaging plays to the benefits you provide. Warm colors (particularly red) activate our avoidance mindset, helping us to identify problems more quickly. Use this when your messaging is framed around preventative measures.Meanwhile, the tranquil qualities of cool colors (particularly blue) activate our approach mindset,lending itself to gain messaging.
    
6. Gender of Intended Audience: Males are known for preferring cooler colors and shades (darker, low-value), whereas women prefer warmer colors and tints (brighter, high-value).
    
7. Purpose of Print Communication: When you need to ensure your message or call to action (CTA) is noticed, look to incorporate a high contrast between your CTA and the background. Choosing a warm color for your CTA will increase arousal, trigger impulsivity and is more likely to increase behavioral response.
    
8. Product Type: A limited color palate is best received for utilitarian products, which provide functional benefits and are more serious in nature. Hedonic products, meanwhile, which are fun and lighthearted,perform best when incorporating a greater number of colors.
    
9. Amount of Content: The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than it does text. Still, when text and imagery are present in a communication, our brain must process both with a finite attention span. To aid the brain and give your print marketing the greatest chance for success, considerthe amount of content as a barometer for how you should handle colors.

If your communication uses complex or heavy content, consider reducing color levels to a more muted appearance in an effort to promote greater comprehension. If the design is simple or light in the content department, feel free to increase color levels.