Do Good Design

Colour psychology looks at how colour affects us emotionally and even physically.

As a certified colour consultant, I’ve studied how to use colour in web design to communicate a business brand and help increase sales and improve marketing.

In this article, I’ll talk about why colour is so powerful and how to use colour in your marketing materials. [If you’d like to learn more about a specific colour’s meaning, be sure to check out the Hidden Meaning of Colour series of articles.]

What is colour psychology?

Colour psychology studies the effects of colours on how we feel (yellow=happy), and what we associate with certain colours (black=death) depending on our culture.

The science behind the psychology of colour is still new, but is starting to define how colour impacts our bodies, affecting our appetites, confidence and energy levels.

Colour = light = energy

How can a colour actually affect us? First you have to look at what a colour is made of: light.

A colour is a lightwave which travels to your eye, then sends an electrical message to your brain which interpret them as “blue” or “yellow”.

Since light is just energy, and colour is light, colour is a form of energy, a wave that hits you right between the eyes. It stimulates your brain and affects your mind and your body.

In one study, some subjects were able to distinguish a particular colour blindfolded, just by touching a colour with their fingertips.

Cultural meaning and symbolism in colour

Colour has different cultural meanings.

African and Middle Eastern countries are known for their bold and vibrant use of colour in everything from textiles to clothing. While in Europe and North America, more muted colours are popular.

We use colours to designate our leaders: the red “power ties” of Prime Ministers and Presidents, black robes of judges.

We use colour to show allegiance.

In Scottish football, Celtic (green and white) and Rangers (blue) colours have been banned from being worn in many pubs, to prevent fights.

A pediatric surgeon in bright blue scrubs with yellow polkadots says “friendly”, and puts her young patients at ease.

A politician’s black suit, white shirt and navy tie sends “conservative” and “powerful” (he hopes).

Using colour to affect mood

Interior designers affect people’s moods through the colours chosen for walls and furnishings.

Want a restful night’s sleep? Pale blue in the bedroom. Looking to rev up your family’s appetite? Orange walls in the dining room.

Advertisers are masters of colour. Red for sex appeal in things like cars, lipstick, soda. Black for manly things like watches, aftershave, cars again. Pink for girls’ toys. And so on.

Colour and communicating your brand

At Do Good Design, we use colour in a few ways, to:

• communicate a business personality and approach
• create a mood
• appeal to the target audience
• distinguish the website from its competitors
• draw attention

We use colour to promote a business brand, to get the right message across to its target market.

It’s our job to showcase what makes a businesses special, its unique selling point. But grappling with web visitors’ notoriously short attention spans means we have to use every tool we have to make that message clear.

In the Orkney Crofts website case study, I explained how we used a subdued palette of mochas, pale blue and butter yellow to target an older, more affluent audience for their eco-friendly accommodation business.

These colours of earth, sky and gentle wildflowers sent a message of elegance and natural life, perfect for their message of luxury and green relaxation.

Using colour to highlight a call to action

For another client, we used bold colour to draw attention to a call to action.

An important goal of the Holistic Business Networking website is to get people to enter the discussion forum.

So we used a fuschia coloured button to draw the eye down the page and to the “Enter Forum” button.

Warm colours advance, meaning that reds, oranges and some yellows tend to stand out more on the page. In small doses, they are great at highlighting an element.

Psychology of colour and effective marketing

So how can colour psychology be used in your marketing materials: a website, business card or leaflet?

Next time you’re considering a new design, do some research into what colours mean and bear it in mind when choosing your palette. Ignore the trendy colours in web design (hello, white and more white) if they’re not going to create the right mood for your website.

If you’re in a larger business, you might be familiar with the endless debates that can ensue when it’s time to rebrand. Everyone weighs in with their opinion on what the “right” colours are for the new logo.

Armed with some information about colour psychology and symbolism, you can evaluate colour choices more objectively and steer things away from personal taste towards more objective criteria.

What’s your message? Who’s it for?

Consider: what’s the one message you want to communicate on your website? What kinds of people do you most appeal to? How old are they? What’s their lifestyle like?

Then think about colours which convey your key message or brand, and which will connect to your audience.

For example, if you’re an abstract artist who sells to urban hipsters, and your brand is about being edgy, funky and totally unique, play with colours that are bold and unusual: purples, which are about individuality and high class (think purple Imperial Roman robes); or oranges with their associations with creativity, life and passion.

Both orange and purple aren’t often used because many people don’t like them, but if your market and you are all about being cutting edge, they’ll communicate that message much better than the usual white background.

Look to fashion or interior design sources for inspiration, since they are in the vanguard of colour trends, which could matter to a business and customer base like yours.

If you’re a chick lit writer whose plots guarantee happy endings, consider a positive, optimistic colour like yellow, or even a fuschia for the strong female connotations.

As with any colour, you have to be careful — the tint (colour + white) or shade (colour + black) matters. There’s a vast difference between fuschia and bubblegum pink.

Everyone has strong opinions about colour, and it’s okay to go with what you like, just remember that you’re sending a message: make sure it’s the right one.

Learn more about colour symbolism and meanings

Find out what different colours mean in our Hidden Meaning of Colour series.

About Do Good Design

At Do Good, we create websites for small businesses who make the world a better place. We combine good design with business strategy and marketing.

Find out how we can build the perfect website for you.

Or get in touch to discuss your website project.

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