How to leverage the power of color

January 6, 2022

Color is powerful.

It’s the first thing people see and it’s often the thing that people remember the most. How could Coca-Cola be remembered without their energetic red? Or Barclays without their bright blue?

But it’s more than that.

Colors have the power to communicate messages, without using any words. That’s because colors have meanings and associations, often deeply grounded in our culture, experiences, and geographical location.

Colors also evoke the emotions. That explains why the color of your product can influence people to buy it (or not). After all, our brains rely heavily on our feelings when making a decision.

In fact, research shows that 75% percent of snap judgments about consumer products are based on color alone (INC).

However, selecting the right colors to represent your brand isn’t easy.

But there are some helpful guidelines to keep in mind…

Colors have different meanings. For example, red is associated with love, passion, energy, and fire. Whereas green is associated with nature, the environment, freshness, and harmony.

Warm colors tend to be energetic whereas cool colors tend to be calming.

Different shades, tones and tints of the same hue have different impacts.

So, what colors work best for your business?

Here’s a quick exercise to help you get started.

First, think about what characteristics you want to communicate about your business. For example, is it caring, fun or calm?

Then work out the colors that best convey these attributes. For example, if you want to convey communication, logic, or efficiency, you may use blue.

Finally, think about the type of color you want to use. For example, if you’ve decided to use blue, what type of blue should you use? The decision to use powder blue, midnight blue or sky blue should be guided by your brand personality. If you want to discover your color personality, take this helpful quiz.

It’s important to take time to select colors that reflect who you are as a business.

What do your brand colors say about your business? Let me know in the comments.