The Psycology of Colour
There are many factors to consider when creating your logo, font choices, imagery and not least of all color. Colours can affect your mood, feelings and emotions, and therefore, it is an important part of logo design. A poor choice of color can convey a different message than you were trying to get across. So it’s necessary to know the message each color brings with it to be able to make knowledgable and appropriate color choices for your brand.
Although we think of color preferences as being subjective there are some universal effects that can be perceived through color. For instance, blue colors typically convey trust and calmness, evidence has suggested that installing blue-colored streetlights can lead to a reduction of crime in those areas.
Red colors convey urgency and anxiety and even hunger! In one study exposing students to the color red prior to an exam has been shown to have a negative impact on test performance.
What should be noted is that the geographical region can also play a role in the way color is perceived, so your target audience should be taken into consideration when selecting colors for your logo.
For instance white in the western world is viewed as calm and peaceful, whereas in the Eastern world it is the color of death, commonly worn when in mourning. We mentioned above that in the region where this blog post is being written that red is an irritating color but in China it is the color of good luck. People from tropical countries respond most favourably to warm colors whereas people from northern climates prefer the cooler colors.
There certainly are benefits to understanding and utilizing the psychological effects of colors. Have a look at the charts below to gain some insight as to what meanings are attached to different colors. What was behind the decision process of selecting your brand’s colors?
