The Influence Of Colour

How Colour Can Influence Your Audience

Colours appeal to pretty much anyone and everyone. Most people have a favourite colour and colours can even effect our mood. Okay, this might mean nothing to those of us who are colour-blind, but colour can be incredibly important when designing. As countless studies have found, we now know particular colours have different stimulating effects, from optimism to tranquillity. So, what does the colour you’ve chosen say about your brand?

Red

Urgency, movement, excitement. The colour red actually raises your heart rate, your blood pressure and strangely, even encourages appetite! Coincidence that red is used by a lot by fast-food chains? I think not.

Blue

Gives a sense of trust and security, which is why it’s usually used for corporate brands.

Green

Associated with nature, health and tranquillity.

Purple

Actually stimulates creativity and problem solving.

Orange/Yellow

Both optimistic and cheerful, promotes enthusiasm and can even draw in impulse buyers although it’s said that these colours can create a sense of anxiety (and apparently make babies cry!) if used too much.

Black

Black is great for giving a sense of authority, strength, intelligence and classiness. However, too much black can be slightly overwhelming.

Grey

Gives a feeling of practicality and timelessness, but too much grey can come across as quite boring and even a little depressing!

White

Associated with purity and cleanliness. Using white can spark a sense of creativity as it’s seen as a ‘clean slate’.

Ultimately, the use of colour in design and marketing can actually be fine-tuned depending on what message you want to portray. Clever branding will take this into account, so if you’re feeling unsure about the best colours to use for your branding, why not get in touch with us at hello@thrive-creative.co.uk or call us on 01260 281 546.