How to use colour psychology in business branding

Colour matters when it comes to branding for business. The practice of using colour to convey meaning and impact an audience is known as colour psychology (or sometimes colour theory). In short, each colour within the spectrum of light has a differing impact on the eye depending on its wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the more the eye has to adjust to absorb it, whereas a shorter wavelength is more striking. When the human body makes these micro adjustments it produces physiological reactions, whether physical, emotional or both.

Image if you could harness the power and impact of colour psychology through your branding for your business: that’s a huge amount of power to influence potential customers in a positive way, and that's why it’s so important to factor colour psychology into your branding as a small business.

In our Colour Psychology series, we delve into colour psychology for business branding, exploring a select bunch of colours, including how to harness their power in your business' branding, as well as steering clear of unintended mistakes or inadvertent associations.

This series on colour psychology for businesses and their branding is adapted from Kassia St Clair’s excellent book, ‘The Secret Lives of Colour’. (The beautiful, sought-after hardback version is well worth getting hold of!). The best places to buy ‘The Secret Lives of Colour’ are direct from the publisher, from your local independent bookseller, from bookshop.org or – as a last resort – from Amazon. Although Amazon is cheaper and more convenient, it is not a force for good in the world of books. Please support writers, publishers and small businesses directly if you can.

We’re a Devon branding agency in Torquay, providing standout branding services for businesses: brands in the homes, gardens and interiors space across the UK. If you’d like to find out more, explore our branding services for small businesses and how we can help you harness the amazing characteristics of colour to maximise your small business brand. Or get in touch with our brand studio in Torquay →

What is colour psychology?

Colour psychology is essentially the study of how different colours influence our (i.e., human’s) behaviour and perceptions. In case you weren’t aware, colour has the ability to effect your emotions and can have psychological effects. This is why colour psychology exists and what it aims to uncover. Not all colours have the same impact or significance, so culture and an individual’s personality come into play too. However, it’s generally accepted that particular colours behave in particular way. In terms of business branding, colour psychology helps brands select the hues for their branding that convey the feelings they want to evoke in their target audience. By doing this, they can evoke the desired emotional responses and decisions. Understanding colour psychology is crucial if you want to create a brand identity for your business that resonates with your ideal customers.

Why is colour psychology important?

Colour psychology is hugely important for businesses that want to elevate their branding and increase its impact. Colour is amazing - it has the power not only to attract attention (such as the colour red), but also evoke emotions, so have a tangible impact on potential customers. If done well, colour can even influence the purchasing decisions of individuals because of the resonance it creates between the brand and the customer. Colour choice also helps to create a strong visual identity for your business - every business wants to stand out from it’s competitors! By creating that sense of a brand with a unique identity, a business can use colour to signal a community that draws in its audience on a deeper level. For example, the colour blue can convey trustworthiness and red evoke excitement. Whatever your brand colour or palette, colour psychology is important because it can significantly enhance the appeal and effectiveness of your business brand.

What are the benefits of colour psychology?

For small businesses, the impact of colour psychology can be particularly profound. The reality of small business life is that resources and capacity can be limited. Small businesses by definition need to maximise the effectiveness of all their assets, and branding is no different. A small business that selects the right colours can influence the perceptions of potential customers; for example, by emphasising a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness in the case of an accountant. Customers that value these feelings are more likely to be attracted by a business that uses colour to portray these characteristics. When a business uses colour in a pleasing, surprising or original way that stands out in the mind of a customer, that can increase loyalty. This is all to do with how memorable the experience was. Create memorable experiences and existing customers will start to do your marketing for you: word of mouth referrals are incredibly powerful, as most of the objections have already been dealt with because of the trust derived from the first customer. Bottom line, colour psychology can allow a small businesses to build a strong and compelling brand identity through its branding that delivers revenue and growth (if done well).

What are some of the key colours in colour psychology?

Below, we’ve included a set of articles that delve deeper into particular colours and the colour psychology behind them. In the series we cover brown, green, blue, purple, orange, red, pink and yellow. Read to find out more about your preferred colour or ones to watch out for!

Brilliant reasons to use the colour brown immediately in your branding

Ir’s easy to hate the colour brown or given it a rough ride at some point, but it’s unmerited! Brown is powerful, especially in business: you can use it to convey feelings of safety, solidity and dependability, which are qualities that clients and customers value greatly. Brown also works really well for brands who align around earthy, organic and natural values and offerings. It can be hugely aspirational and understated, so a powerful way to attract your target audience. Brown also has many facets and nuances, depending on the ratio of yellow, red or black, so not dull after all! If you’re a business owner or brand that values loyalty, trust, maturity and strength, perhaps think again about brown. Read on for more below including our pick of British independent brands we love and are using brown to great effect in their branding.

The colour green: how to use it with confidence in your branding

The colour green: what first comes to your mind? Luck & the Irish shamrock; or perhaps faith and green in Islam? Did you know green is considered unlucky in the theatre and associated with infidelity in China! Whatever your experience of green, in branding it’s an incredibly powerful and versatile colour. Depending on your brand values as a business, you can use the colour green to emphasise harmony, restraint and tranquillity; alternatively, it can convey qualities such as upbeat, zesty and youthfulness. It goes without saying, green can underline your environmental values, but use it appropriately (no greenwashing, please!). Overall, the presence of green in your branding is a powerful way to attract and engage with your ideal customers. If you’re a business owner or brand that values optimism, security or growth (among others), don’t overlook green.

The colour blue: is it a safe bet for business branding?

Is your branding leaving your audience kinda blue? Blue is one of very few colours we use to describe our emotional state: while we might describe people as being ‘green with envy’, or experiencing a ‘red mist’, we don’t say ‘I’m feeling yellow [or pink or orange]’; ‘I’m feeling blue’ coveys an awful lot. Blue is also one of the most popular colours worldwide, and unsurprisingly it’s heavily overused. (N.B. we use blue in our branding too, as a secondary colour to our hero green.) It’s the safe bet in the corporate world and many businesses have followed suite unswervingly - Blue is almost de rigeur for the boys in the pinstripe suits, but sadly that means it can make you look a bit bland, boring and staid when it’s not deployed in the right way. If your heart’s set on blue, how can you use it to stand out, rather than blend in? Is it actually a safe bet for your brand (or saying completely the wrong thing!)? Read on for more in-depth thoughts and three British brands using blue who use it to communicate all the right things.

Why the colour purple might be the perfect colour for your branding

“I think it pisses God off, if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” (The Colour Purple, Alice Walker)

Whatever you do, you can’t ignore purple… It’s the pre-eminent colour of power throughout the ages and yet it comes from incredibly humble beginnings in the natural world - sea shells and lichens! Business brands have long gravitated to purple in their branding with its strong associations with the rich, powerful and nobility. However, the story of purple and its different hues is littered with stars that rose quickly and then crashed and burned just as rapidly. To this day, the colour purple continues to have strong associations with powerful institutions, wealth and royalty, which are unlikely to diminish or disappear. When used correctly purple is a colour that can evoke a sense of luxury and scarcity, if you want to associate your brand with opulence, excess and power. Purple is also a colour that inspires, uplifts and encourages creativity. If you are a brand that seeks to inspire, convey passion and fulfilment then purple can work well for you too. Read on below for more in-depth thoughts, plus we share three British brands using purple and doing it well.

How to get the best from orange for your branding

Orange is the colour of summer, but also some incredibly high-end brands. Orange is vivid, brilliant and eye-catching - it compels attention and conveys urgency. Want cut-through? Orange is your go-to colour, except it also has associations with some (not all) no frills brands like Easyjet. So how can Hermés and Harley Davidson get away with using it? Read for more in-depth thoughts.

Is red a good colour for my branding?

The colour red is unmistakeable: bright, immediate and eye-catching; it is hard to ignore. Red signifies power, prestige and dynamism in branding, which is why it is a popular, but bold, choice. Whether or not red is a good colour for your business depends on how you want your brand to feel. Colour is also something that can help you stand out from your competitors, or feel part of an industry, it all depends on what your approach is and what you want to say. Read more about the colour red.

Is pink branding a strong choice for my business?

I REALLY love pink - but it has to be the right pink. I’m a fan of both ‘Setting Plaster’ and ‘Jonquil’ paint colours and my sitting room is proudly painted in this fresh plaster hue. (If you’re unfamiliar with these paint names the cover colour is a close match). The colour pink can be easy to dismiss. For some it comes across as weak or immature - and a little girly or seen as too feminine. If that’s you, don’t write off pink! Pink started life as a colour for boys and was seen as a stronger contender than blue. Definitely not delicate and dainty, which is a renegade side you can still tap into. As colours go in and out of fashion, pink has had a particularly wild ride - fluorescent neon & punk! And of course, who can forget last years Barbie Movie with its celebration of all things pink. It’s still a great choice for many brands, but needs the right treatment. Read more about the colour pink.

Yellow branding: sunny & bright or sinful & sensationalist?

Yellow can be a tricky colour. If you’re an interior or garden designer I’m sure you’ll agree that it has to be the right kind of project to suggest its use. I have seen some amazing yellow gardens that have used just yellow or white to great effect. But I know it’s a marmite colour in the garden. I can’t remember the last time a paint brand bought out a new yellow colour either… Our youngest daughter absolutely loves yellow and it brings her so much joy. Her bedroom is yellow, and she has been known to dress from head to toe in the colour. I’ve only used yellow a handful of times in brand projects. I’m currently refreshing a client website and she wanted to update a logo from red and we’ve gone for neon/acid yellow. It looks amazing over her incredibly rich imagery - almost like a palette cleanser cutting through the images. Yellow certainly does bring a smile to my face more than any other colour, it does bring cheer. I am enjoying seeing the daffodils begin to bloom on my morning walks to school, and I do love seeing yellow roses, turning leaves and winter aconites as the seasons change.