Color Affects...
March, 2006
It's not by mistake that the title of this article is Color Affects, rather than effects. Affect is a verb, and so I've chosen to talk about the action that color can perform on a person's mood, attitude or temperment.
When marketing your business, being able to direct the mood of your target audience has obvious benefits. The most direct of which could be an easier sale. Using the right color or combination of colors can mean the difference between a visitor who can't leave your web site fast enough, or one who will be generally excited to spend time looking around. Used effectively, color choices can direct the attention of your audience along the path you lead, and keep them from getting distracted and moving away from your message. One word of caution: I do not mean to imply that the right colors will keep visitors on an uninteresting site, but that is a topic for another discussion.
Look at the following examples. Each box presents the same message, in the same format, with color being the only variable.
In this first set of images, we'll keep it simple and only look at readability. Black on white is very clear, while yellow on white is practically unreadable. Yellow is the most difficult color for the human eye to focus on, so it requires extra care. While this example doesn't address the mood or emotions that are affected, one could understand that if a web site was full of yellow text on a white background, the number of readers would be very small. The bottom line here is that legibility is king, no matter what colors are used.
Now that we have made a committment to legibility, we can explore our ability to affect temperment or attitude. Below are the same squares in a variety of colors. Each has a very simple message. In the first two rows, a variety of colors are used. Look at each box, and try to determine the effect of each color. Each person will react to a different degree, since likes and dislikes will alter one's perception, but in a general sense each color has a mood. Each color also has postitve and negative connotations, as well as being influenced by experience, culture, and beliefs.
Is the red product the must have product of the year? Will the blue product bring calm to your stressful life? What is the difference between the first red product and the last dark red product? Only the audience can answer these questions, but they must be considered in all marketing decisions.
Red is the power color, it grabs attention, fosters excitement, and has energy. It can also convey anger. Blue is the easiest color to focus on, and therefore has a calming effect. This can be a positive calm, or fall into a depressive mood. Yellow can trigger perceptions of organized intelligence (highlighter!), or laziness and cynicism. These are the three primary colors of the artist's palette. The other colors are derived from these, and therefore carry over some of the influences.
Orange, green and purple are the secondary colors. Orange has the confidence of red with the ignorance of yellow. Green is hopeful, but constricted, and Purple is generlly a dignified and stately color.
These associations are very general, so you shouldn't count them as absolutes. As with most impressions, bad ones arrive immediately and travel fast, while good ones may not be immediately noticed. More often your audience will have a pleasant experience without knowing exactly why. This is where opportunity lies, because if you can foster that pleasant experience, your company, or more specifically your brand, will come to be the reason.
The rows of boxes below show that even the various shades of a color can alter the perceived message. The brighter yellow and blue seem to have more weight and focus. What do the various shades convey to your ideas about credibility? Do the lighter shades seem a little vague?
When designing a marketing plan for business, the various color influences must be considered. But the process is more complex in the business arena. Color choices should be made as part of an identiy design, where the core values of a business can be applied. From this point forward a consistent message or influence can be maintained, which strengthens the brand without the confusion that color changes can create. While indiviual colors are associated with certain moods, combinations can create entirely new impressions. This allows each brand to have a unique identity even if red, for example, is the dominant color chosen for the brand.
When used as part of an overall brand strategy, color choices add a powerful tool to all communications, whether they are on a website, in print, or in a multi-media presentation. A brand identity may at first seem restrictive, but consistency allows a company to ultimately construct the feelings and attitudes it's customers will have, and finally come to associate those values with a mark that is their logo.
Does it all seem like mind control? Control is to strong a word, but influence just might fit. After all, isn't influence what marketing is all about?
Are your marketing materials consistent in their message? Smudged Graphics can help bring strength to your communications. Contact us to realize the potential of your brand.