One of the biggest factors in consumers’ process of noticing, considering, and buying a product is color. As many as 85 percent of consumers say color is the number-one reason they buy a particular product. Color is critical to establishing brand; one study found that color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent. In one eye-tracking study we performed in a toy store, we found that people recognized the bright-yellow color used by a major toy manufacturer from their peripheral vision—they didn’t even have to look directly at the display!
When choosing a color for your brand, you should think about how it will be perceived by shoppers—different colors communicate different messages to consumers. Here are some of the most commonly used colors and what they say to consumers:
Red: Red is attention-grabbing, urgent, and passionate. It’s the color of stoplights, fire trucks, and bouquets of roses. Many fast-food restaurants use a red-and-yellow color scheme to attract attention and (supposedly) stimulate appetite.
Orange: Orange is also a stimulating color, although not quite as arresting as red. It is associated with positivity and creativity. According to company documents, Home Depot chose orange because it “stimulates activity and is often associated with affordability.”
Yellow: Yellow is associated with sunshine and happiness. It’s the color of Cheerios and smiley faces. But use it carefully—yellow can be irritating to the eye. This is good if you need people to pay attention (road signs and wet-floor signs are yellow for this reason), but it’s not so good if you want them to spend time on your website.
Green: Traditionally green is associated with jealousy and wealth (“green with envy” and “greenbacks” come to mind). But these days it’s more associated with the environment and “going green.” Natural cleaning products, especially, use green to stand out on the shelf. Seventh Generation, Ecover, Clorox Green Works, and Walmart’s Great Value natural line all use green to communicate earth-friendliness. It’s also relaxing and soothing—many spas choose a green color scheme for this reason.
Blue: Blue is the most common favorite color among both men and women. It is associated with trust, stability, and confidence. Many top online companies use a blue color scheme, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Salesforce, Priceline, Tumblr, Flickr, Pandora, PayPal, and Skype.
Purple: Purple is the most regal color. Crown Royal has a gold crown on the lid and comes in a velvety purple bag. (The whisky blend and its accompanying bag were developed by Seagram’s to present to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on their first visit to Canada, but now Crown drinkers of any social status get the royal treatment.) Purple is more popular with women than men and especially popular with young children. Barney the Dinosaur, Tinky Winky the Teletubby, Grimace from McDonald’s, and the Count on Sesame Street are all purple.
White: White is clean, slick, and uncluttered. The brand most associated with white is Apple, which has a white version of most of its electronics and uses a stark white background on most of its marketing. In the movie Wall-E, the gleaming white futuristic robot Eve looked like an Apple product. This was no accident; Apple loaned design guru Johnny Ive to Pixar to perfect her look.
Black: Black is associated with death and evil, which makes it the signature color of “dark” subcultures such as Goths and metalheads. The Cure, Metallica, AC/DC, and most other Goth and metal bands have black logos and wear black clothes. But black is also the color of sophistication and glamour; many luxury brands employ a black motif. Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Gucci, and Burberry all use black logos in much of their marketing.
Wondering what color you should choose to get people to notice your brand? Contact us for a consultation.