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The Psychology Behind the Colors You'll Use in Design


Designing a logo or other piece of artwork for your business requires a lot of attention to detail. Along with how the design looks, you need to make sure you pay attention to the colors you use. The colors chosen for the design can have a huge impact on how your design is perceived by your customers and potential customers.

Your colors need to work well together, but they also have to be carefully chosen as people will generally see more than just what your image shows. They’ll perceive the meaning behind the color without realizing it and it can impact their mood, the chance they’ll purchase something, and how they’ll feel about your business now and in the future.

Value of Color

Color deeply impacts what people feel. Many people have heard they should use certain colors in a nursery, for instance, to help calm the baby when it’s bedtime. Restaurants carefully choose their colors to encourage customers to eat there.

Whether it’s a commercial, an advertisement, or a logo for a business, the colors used can have a huge impact on the way the customer sees the business and how they feel about the business. The colors you choose to use should be selected carefully to portray the feelings you want your customers to feel.

How Color Can Portray Different Messages

Different colors generally have different meanings to most people. While one particular color isn’t going to have the same effect on everyone, it can generally stand for one feeling and most people will associate it with that feeling when they see it, whether they realize it or not.

A recent study showed that colors in designs are crucial and can have a huge impact on whether customers are going to remember the brand and what they’re going to associate with the brand. Another study showed that the general perceptions that come from colors can be different with different cultures. This is important to understand if you plan on doing business in many different countries.

Use Color to Sway an Audience

Color can be used to sway an audience and encourage them to perceive what the business wants them to perceive. For instance, if you want your customers to see your business as sophisticated, you’ll want to use a purple color in your design. If you’re trying to appear more trendy or exciting, a red color is a better option.

Use Color to Set the Tone

You may already be familiar with the associations between yellow and happiness or blue and sadness. These are common themes businesses use to get across their point in their logos or brands. There are also other tones you can set by choosing the right colors, like using red to dictate excitement or gray to show calmness.

Use Color to Influence Purchase Behavior

Color can help you encourage your customers to purchase products or services from you. Many businesses today use color in this way. You’ll want to think about what your customers are looking for and use colors that convey that perception or feeling to them. For instance, if you want to be seen as rugged, use an orange color. If you’d like to be seen as a business full of excitement and fun, use a red color. If you have a business that focuses on health, use more greens in your logos.

Use Color to Create Trust

Customers need to be able to trust you before they’ll do business with you. When you’re creating a logo or website, use blue in the design. This generally shows you’re dependable and trustworthy. Computer companies, large retail companies, and many other types of business will use blue for the main color in their logo to encourage customers to trust them more than the competition.

Use Color to Show Competence

You may want customers to see your business as successful and competent with what you do. In this case, stick with green colors. They show that you’re reliable and successful, and that you’re going to be a secure company to work with. Green is often used for health-related businesses as well, and for grocery stores, food products, and any other businesses that want to promote the idea of growth or health.

As you’re creating a logo or other design for your business, be careful to choose colors that convey what you want potential customers to see and feel. Choosing colors isn’t just about how well the colors work together; it’s about the message they send to your customers and how your customers are going to perceive them. The right colors can make a huge difference for anything you design.

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