Take a moment and think of the most recognizable brands in the world. Aside from their logo, surely, the color of that logo also comes to mind when you think of them. In fact, you may even catch yourself thinking of these brands when you see that specific color or combinations in other things or places.

This color association can easily be considered a successful application of color psychology. This area of study may be scientific, but its concepts are widely used in marketing. It’s not an exaggeration to think that the world’s most popular brands capitalized on the power of colors to push their brand to the top of their respective industries.

Knowing which colors affect human emotion will be a great advantage to individuals with a keen passion for marketing and graphic design. Of course, businesses that are trying to establish their visuals will also benefit from this. While color psychology may seem like an area of study that will require time to master, learning its basics can easily transform you into a better designer.

Color Categories

One of the first things to learn about colors is that they have two categories: warm or cool. Colors like red, orange, and yellow are categorized as warm and convey strong emotions. Meanwhile, cool colors like blue, purple, and green are usually associated with calm.

Knowing which color belongs to which category will help you figure out the colors that will best suit your brand. For example, you’ll see plenty of restaurants use red and yellow because they stimulate the appetite. Meanwhile, you can see tech apps use blue and other cooler hues.

Aside from these categories, each color carries meanings that stimulate the consumers’ brains in various ways. Understanding what these colors represent will help you know what they can do for your brand.

Color Schemes

While knowing which type of colors belong to which category is great, it’s also important to consider color combinations. After all, you rarely see brands stick to just one color, don’t you?

Knowing your color schemes will be instrumental in helping you find the combination for your brand. There are several approaches to finding the perfect color combination; it’s up to you to determine which method suits your preferences best.

You can choose two to four combinations to serve as your brand’s colors. One of the most effective ways to use colors is to use hues that greatly contrast each other to create visual interest. For example, complement your red logo by adding green elements to it.

Another effective method is to get familiar with the color wheel. It’s an effective tool to show you which colors complement each other without causing too much visual conflict.

There are multiple ways to select color combinations from the color wheel. You can choose opposite colors to act as complementary hues. It’s also possible to use three adjacent colors to work as your brand’s color scheme. Triads, tetradics, and squares are also excellent options.

If you want to stick to one color, it’s best to use different elements to create an engaging logo. Learning about hues, tints, shades, and tones will help you create a simple yet interesting scheme.

On Choosing the Right Colors

Now that you’re equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to choose which colors will work, it’s time to get to arguably the most challenging part of the process. Selecting the actual colors for your company’s branding is a task that should be taken seriously as it will represent your organization for a long time. The colors you select for your brand will affect how the public will perceive you.

To help make the selection process less daunting of a task to complete, here are a couple of pointers for you:

Know your market. A deep understanding of your business’s target market will help you determine which colors will work best for you. Thorough knowledge of their age, gender, social, economic, and cultural preferences will give you a better idea of which colors will attract them the best.

Ensure consistency with packaging. If your company already has an established packaging color scheme, choosing other colors that clash with it makes little sense. Choose colors that complement your packaging. Another approach to this dilemma is to change your packaging to carry the chosen colors for your brand.

Pick an emotion you want customers to feel. The biggest reason why you want to be picky with your brand colors is their emotional impact on your market. Carefully consider what you want potential customers to feel whenever they see your products or services. Knowing what you want out of your brand will immediately cross out some colors.

To learn more about color psychology and how it can affect your branding, you can refer to the infographic below: