Marketing Color Psychology: What Do Colors Mean and How Do They Affect Consumers?

color psychology yeah this isn't kindergarten anymore prepare to see colors like you never have before hello world I'm Michael odor here with vis me the visual communication tool that enables you to create stunning visuals to WoW your viewers now what's one easy way to catch your viewers attention perhaps incorporating the perfect colors meant for your image let's all take a minute and rewind back to our youth for a second we're young we're playing hide and seek with our friends thrown back popsicles like water and while you may not have known it we're also learning associations

with color think about it your favorite color likely came from positive experiences with that single color when you were growing up but as you grew older you likely learned what colors represent blue represents intelligence green is associated with nature and yellow signifies happiness but the meaning of color doesn't stop there there's so much more to learn in the realm of color psychology you've come to the right place to get started shall we okay let's start with a quick review can you name the three primary colors are you thinking to yourself yellow blue and red maybe

if so you deserve that popsicle but why are these the three primary colors well it's because these are the only colors that cannot be created when mixing any other two colors together so what happens when these colors combine I'm glad you asked secondary colors are created from the combination of two primary colors and the color wheel these are visualized in between the primary colors as you can see here and if you want to live life on the wild side you'll combine a primary color with a secondary color creating a tertiary color mind-blown right and if

you want to dive even further into these colors check out our video where bismi founder Peyman ty takes you through a journey for picking the best colors for your slots when you take all the primary secondary and tertiary colors and throw them all together you have what is called a color wheel any and every color imaginable is available in the color wheel and you can find a version of this on the viz me dashboard when you edit your projects the color picker is nearly identical to the color wheel allowing you to find the perfect color

for your designs color nuances are important in visual marketing because they convey your brand personality choosing the right color Nuits can either detract or support your overall message so let's take a look at the different nuances in how they differ pure colors or hues or any colors unaffected by tints or shades there's no brightness at it no darkness added it's the original color seen around the outer edges of these color wheels and as I mentioned one way to alter a pure color is with tints this is when whites is added to that original color making

things brighter and on the other hand shades are your natural hue by plaque coloring hence these colors appear darker now our variation of these two would be adding gray to the pure colors these are called tones and can create millions of different colors the easiest way to adjust to each of these three color nuances is by adjusting the saturation of your color a pure color is at normal saturation but can be d saturated with white gray or black to form an entirely new color this is when color pairing is crucial some saturations of blue look

great with yellow while some blues you should stay away from okay time to take another step in our coloring book we've learned how to mix colors but now it's time to learn how colors can work together to form a color scheme these are called color harmonies and the possibilities are endless so I have a few pop-culture references to help did you know that the color wheel is split up between warm and cool colors by looking at this image here you can see how red yellow and orange are on one side of the color wheel making

them warm while blue green and violet are on the other side making them cool breaking into color psychology warm and cool colors represent different emotions with warm colors you think of summer days in the heat cool colors remind us of the quarter months or even just a clear blue sky a good way to think of warming cool colors is in interior design warm colors in a room make it feel cozy and comfortable cool colors provide a sense of cleanliness even making a room seem bigger the right combination of warm to cool colors will make a

room or design pop and if you're using mostly cool colors at a spark of warmth to emphasize something you feel as important [Music] complementary colors are direct opposites of one another on the color wheel but hey opposites attract you'll often see complementary colors paired together like yellow and purple red and green or a lighter blue with a strong red as seen here in this blade rather than 2049 poster there is one thing to remember when using two complementary colors avoid using 50% of one color and 50% of the other this can make a graphic look

difficult to look at make one color more dominant while the other complements that main color you want to look for an 80/20 split analog is colors are those colors that are aligned next to one another on the color wheel think red yellow and orange all those warm colors that we talked about earlier and how good it looks on this Kung Fu Panda poster analog is schemes provide a sense of calmness and knowledge without too much excitement think nature and how the leaves gradually change over time calm default you'll want to use three colors when attacking

the scheme with one dominant color and two used as accents now a monochromatic scheme takes one single hue and uses colors of different shades tones and tints this graphic of the grand budapest hotel took one color pink and alter the color for every item within the graphic while it's a beautiful piece of art if you're looking for a marketing design I recommend using color harmonies with more contrast triadic colors triadic triangle that's exactly what it means this is when you take three colors in an equilateral triangle from the color wheel as you can see here

with a triadic color scheme you're guaranteed to have either too warm colors and one cool or two cool colors and one warm this also means that you'll have either three primary colors three secondary colors or three tertiary colors note that if you do use three secondary or three tertiary colors your image could look dark and jumbled primary colors provide more vibrance in life this is why I want to stick with that triadic harmony of primary colors for your digital graphics now moving on split complimentary has three colors as well and begins like that of the

complementary harmony before splitting for two colors directly opposite of one another it's much easier to understand by looking at our color wheel here these schemes are generally attractive to viewers but you got to remember to have just one dominant color with the other two split colors filtered it you can see it with the red splitting into that blue and green and this poster here okay just a couple more to go the two tragic harmonies take two sets of complimentary colors and put them all together in one single graphic this is one of the more difficult

harmonies to properly complete but when it's done right with shades tones and tints it can be captivating if this is what you're after it makes sure to do plenty of testing to find a happy balance between all the colors too much of one color can often send viewers into confusion and last but certainly not least are the square color harmonies they are just as they sound four colors all equal distances from one another once again this scheme can either be powerful or overwhelming stick to 80% of a dominant color with 20% for the accent colors

Disney not only nailed the movie inside out but they also nailed this scheme with their poster for the movie okay now that you've learned how to pair colors with one another let's look into the meanings of individual colors after all a color can have a positive or a negative connotation so you want to ensure that you're choosing the right color for your audience yellow I'd say it's a good place to start it's the color of the Sun bananas and the unforgettable smiley face the color is typically associated with creativity optimism and liveliness as long as

there isn't too much shade thrown it you can see the colors in this graphic here the bright yellows make you feel good while those darker shades almost make you feel sick yellow is inviting and it's a big reason why McDonald's features the color on their world-famous golden oranges right it's my favorite color maybe because it's the first color that we all see as babies or maybe it's because of the desire for more power and importance given that's what it embodies red is memorable and transcendent many marketers use red for their call to action buttons and

rightfully so people notice red it's a big reason why stop signs bear the color the tricky part with red is the number of connotations that are paired with it red can be either positive or negative which is why it is key to clarify its intent with words alongside the color blue is another color that emits a wide range of emotions for one person it symbolizes intelligence and a sense of calmness for the other person it's cold and sad you'll often stumble upon Blues used by corporate and Technology websites or hospitals not just to symbolize intelligence

but trust as well also fun fact blue is the most preferred color by all consumers may be something to keep in mind when it comes to pop there may be no better color than orange its vibrance is both creative and inviting you want to use brighter oranges for elements that you want to stand out and if you're looking for a good background a shaded orange could work to provide a sense of warmth for a viewer often when we need a break we might step outside or go for a walk this very well could be because

of the green trees in nature around us that provide a sense of refreshment and serenity can you name one eco-friendly company that doesn't use the color green color psychology has essentially created a rule through the term going green and it's now recognizable everywhere violet a character from the Willy Wonka movies and also a color which symbolizes royalty it's majestic noble and lavish not to mention it's also term to be very pretty it provides a sense of truthfulness and wisdom it's also a crowd favorite among many female consumers unless your graphic is intended to be spiritual

or regal use violet sparingly now while violet has long been marketed for women so as pink it's a color of happiness and positivity I mean have you ever been angry when you saw pink cotton candy I have it and while pink is often associated with feminine products it can be gender neutral as well just be careful and make sure you do your research if you're selling a hammer pink might not be your best option white is a color that we see all around us it's the primary color for paper and the walls and our homes

or offices that might be because it symbolizes cleanliness and clarity you won't find a mini graphics without at least a touch of white if so I'm willing to bet that the graphic leaves you feeling overwhelmed white is one color that can be used to cover nearly an entire image after all the term white space is all about leaving some room on a graphic blank so our viewer isn't confused black is a color of elegance and formality you want a sleek look use black it's why our phones and cars are often at the color black is

a great background color as well so long as it's paired with fiber colors in the foreground Brown is similar to green in that it provides a sense of all-natural it's a supporting color that needs to be just right one shade of brown can look clean while the other appears a dirty pink paper bags they're a big part of that going green trend that I mentioned earlier but the tent must be just light enough to make it feel clean not dirty and lastly gold silver and bronze all fall under metallic colors yes technically these are color

pigments with metallic powder mixed in which is why they're difficult to use on screen and on paper however if you're striving for a glamorous look talk to your printing agent to see how they can help you achieve that perfect metallic color ladies and gentlemen that's all I have for you today take some time to determine which colors and harmonies you think are best for your visuals and get to work on designing one place you could start is vis Me's website head to vis media today where we have a color picker with millions of color choices

and if you still can't decide there's predetermined two color palettes to help you get off the ground also don't forget to subscribe to our channel where we have new content arriving all the time in the meantime I hope you're of some help today and we hope you'll come back with any of your digital design questions and needs for now I'm Mike Plummer with fizz me helping you make information beautiful [Music]