Color affects our lives
Colors evoke emotions
Color communicates Having been an artist long before I ever touched a computer I knew instinctively the power different colors had on my emotions. It wasn't until (over a decade ago) when I decided to combined art with technology that I found out how powerful using the proper colors for you marketing collateral can be. Studies show that shapes and colors affect people in different ways. Use them properly in your company logos, ad copy, and website and you'll beat the competition. Before you pick a color to represent your company image consider what that color will communicate to your clients/customers. Below you will find a simplified version of what the meaning of different colors are and the emotions they invoke. With combinations in various shades and intensities you can capture the look and feel that will attract your perfect customer. Something to keep in mind different cultures view colors very differently and you must take this into consideration before you make your decisions. IE: The traditional color of a wedding in the US is white - in India white is worn for funerals. Red Red is a very emotionally intense color, it is considered a hot color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Hot colors project outward and attract attention. Red is very powerful. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or 'Click Here' buttons on Internet banners and websites. Red is also commonly associated with energy, so use it when promoting high energy businesses, energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity. Yellow Yellow expresses constant motion, life giving sun and activity. This color produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually perceive yellow as a very immature, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Orange Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It conveys friendliness is energetic and glowing. This color is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products and toys. Green Green suggests health and prosperity it is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, fertility and luck. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Use green to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to promote 'natural' products. Darker green is commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street. Blue Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness it is considered a cold color. The feelings generated by cold colors - blue, green and blue-green are opposite of those generated by hot colors (red - orange - yellow). It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Dark blue also carries an undeniable message of authority. Police officers and court officers wear uniforms that include navy blue in order to command authority. You can use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness, dependability, and reliability. Blue is a masculine color; it is highly accepted among males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for corporate America. Purple Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors. Purple is a very rare color in nature. Purple is a good color to use in feminine design, anything promoting magic or fantasy. You can use it in combination with gold to convey wealth and nobility. Use bright purple when promoting children's products. Creating that image you need to stand out from the crowd takes some planning - thought and a good designer! Don't cut corners when it comes to your company image it can make the difference between being wildly successful or just another struggling company getting lost in the crowd. |
