The world around us can affect us significantly and, in many cases, without our knowledge, effect how we feel. Smell can take us back in time to a particular memory or remind us of loved ones, and color can be incredibly powerful. Even more so influencing how we feel and respond to our world. A great portion of branding research for businesses is dedicated to finding colors that will not only represent a brand, but also attract customers subliminally through colors. Essentially, these colors are targeted to support your company’s, store’s, or restaurant’s purpose, products, and services.
Though TerraSlate has been offering color printing options for some time, we want to take the time to speak to the power of color in lieu of now offering colored waterproof paper. You can not only order pre-printed paper, but you can purchase your own ream of colored waterproof printer paper to use in your own printer. Read on to learn more about color psychology and how to use it to your business’ advantage.
What is Color Psychology?
Color psychology is the study of color’s effect on human behavior. The way in which a color effects a person or group of people can depend on the gender, age, culture, personal taste, and experience. Colors can influence how one feels and perceives a businesses' ethics and quality of service and products. For this reason, much of marketing and branding begins with an understanding of colors and how they influence the choices that people make.
Marketing, Branding & Color
Color psychology can be used in marketing materials, as well as the design of a business’ physical location. An example of branding and the power of color, can be seen in the design and branding of fast food. Many fast food chains use red and yellow for their branding. In comparison healthy fast food alternatives use greens and other complimentary colors. Finding the right brand and logo colors is also about finding the balance between communicating the personality of your business and using color psychology. Also, many have seen effective colors can differ from medium to medium—colors used in digital media might not be as effective for physical marketing. Generally, you have 90 seconds to make an impact on potential clients and customers—make it count!
Color Meanings
Though there are always exceptions to the rule, the type of business, as shown by the above fast food example, will determine what colors you should include. Below is a breakdown of simple color psychology and the brands that have used these colors to their advantage.
YellowMeaning: Clarity and Warmth
Brands: Best Buy, Subway, Nikon, Sprint, National Geographic, IKEA
Orange:Meaning: Cheerful and Confident
Brands: Nickelodeon, Amazon, FireFox, Harley-Davidson, Crush, Starz
Red
Meaning: Youthful and Bold
Brands: Target, Canon, Kellogg’s, Coca Cola, Lego, Lays, Avis, Heinz
Purple
Meaning: Imaginative and Wise
Brands: Yahoo, Taco Bell, Syfy, T-Mobile, Hallmark, Cadbury, Barbie
Blue
Meaning: Dependable and Wise
Brands: Dell, Lowe's, HP, Oreo, Facebook, Wordpress, Oral-B, Vimeo, NASA
GreenMeaning: Growth and Health
Brands: John Deere, Tropicana, Monster, Whole Foods, Spotify, Starbucks, BP, Animal Planet
WhiteMeaning: Neutral and Calm
Brands: Apple, Honda, Nike, Cartoon Network, Wikipedia, Puma, CBS
Combination of ColorsSome brands have used several of these main colors as well, such as NBC, Google, Microsoft, and eBay.
Many consumers base most of their decisions to buy on simply the color of a company. Some consumers will make a prior decision on a product or service before they even look at or read about the actual product or service available. Psychologists believe you must take into consideration: how each color makes a person feel, the five dimensions of brand personality, and the power of color combinations. Though there is so much more that plays into a business’ success, branding is the beginning. If no one knows how great your product is, they will not buy. Branding is about setting yourself apart from the competition. Especially in a market that may be progressively more competitive each day.
To learn more about color psychology and how it can affect your business, stay tuned for our next blog in this short series.
TerraSlate: A Partner for Your Success
We at TerraSlate pride ourselves in offering quality products, for the lowest cost, which can be shipped to you in a fraction of the time of our competitors. We understand by supplying you with waterproof paper, we instantly became business partners with you. The money you invest in marketing tools or other products, such as paper, effects your bottom line, and ultimately your success. Even more so supplying you with quality effective materials is a must. We also believe in helping you positively effect the environment with paper. Our products are not only durable, but also, due to the durability, are cutting down on the amount of regular paper you will buy. The main factor, our waterproof paper is recyclable. To learn more about our products, visit TerraSlate.com today!
