The Psychology
of Colours

Colour as an Emotion-Evoker

One of the lesser-known ways to evoke emotion in people is through the savvy use of colour. In the same way a good story can inspire a particular feeling, colour can be just as powerful.When it comes to marketing, Choosing the right colours for your marketing efforts can be the difference between your brand standing out from the crowd, or blending into it.

RED

Red is used to call out messaging that is important. It could also be used to inspire passion, stir excitement, and whet one’s appetite or desire.

PASSIONATE
AGGRESSIVE
IMPORTANT

ORANGE

Orange is playful and are often common in places like primary schools and eateries. It is often used to appeal to younger audiences, promote food cues and enjoyment. Talk about the fun side of things.

PLAYFUL
ENERGETIC
CHEAP

YELLOW

The psychology meaning behind the colour yellow revolves around sunshine. It educes feelings of happiness, positivity, optimism, and summer, but also of trickery and warning.

HAPPY
FRIENDLY
WARNING

GREEN

Green is strongly connected to nature and prosperity. It’s all about communicating growth, fertility, health, and in many cases, generosity. Brands in the wholesome or nature space use green to tell their story.

NATURAL
STABLEP
ROSPEROUS

BLUE

Blue links closely to the sky and the sea. Stability, peace, harmony, calm, and trust are just some of the feelings your consumers may experience about your brand when they see the colour blue.

SERENE
TRUSTWORTHY
INVITING

PURPLE

This colour is generally used to depict royalty. For many, purple is connected to power, nobility, luxury, mystery. It has also been linked to romance and spirituality.

LUXURIOUS
MYSTERIOUS
ROMANTIC

PINK

Pink primarily serves the female audience. Its soft amenable tone makes it ideal for cues such as innocence, playfulness, and unconditional love. Divine femineity is also a strong association for pink.

FEMININE
YOUNG
INNOCENT

BROWN

Brown brings feelings of comfort and security, that’s why it’s a go-to colour in marketing for natural or food-related items. It is also possible to see brown used in logos and banner images, where its earthy tones can create a sense of reliability and trustworthiness.

EARTHY
STURDY
RUSTIC

BLACK

Black is symbolic of mystery, power, elegance, and sophistication. In contrast, it can also evoke emotions such as sadness and anger. You will also find black as a popular colour for copy text, because it is easy to read.

POWERFUL
SOPHISTICATED
EDGY

WHITE

In colour psychology, white represents innocence, purity, and humility. This colour is commonly used as a background in design because of its contrasting ability to make other elements pop.

CLEAN
VIRTUOUS
HEALTHY

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