How to use colour psychology to build a standout small business brand
Harness the psychology of colour to influence and elevate your brand
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.
1. Brilliant reasons to use the colour brown immediately in your branding
It’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. 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!
2. 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? Whatever your experience of green, in branding it’s an incredibly powerful and versatile colour. Depending on your business, you can use the colour green to emphasise harmony, restraint and tranquillity; alternatively, it can convey qualities such as upbeat, zesty and youthfulness. Overall, green in your branding is a powerful way to attract and engage with your ideal customers.
3. 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: ‘I’m feeling blue’ coveys an awful lot. Blue is also one of the most popular colours worldwide, and unsurprisingly it’s heavily overused. It’s the safe bet in the corporate world, but sadly that means it can make you look a bit bland, boring and staid. If your heart’s set on blue, how can you use it to stand out, rather than blend in?
4. Why the colour purple might be the perfect colour for your branding
Purple is the pre-eminent colour of power throughout the ages and yet it comes from incredibly humble beginnings in the natural world. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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!
8. 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…
FAQs
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).