Psychology of Color

Let’s talk about color and the psychology of color. Here’s a couple starting points...

Use blue to cultivate trust

Blue always makes me think of trust, peace, order, loyalty. I think of banks, insurance, HP computers, Lowe’s, and American Express.

Yellow is used for warnings

Yellow is used for warning signs, traffic signals and wet floors so be careful with this one! It can also cause anxiety but just a touch of anxiety to make a user click that button might be good in small doses.

Green is perfect for environmentally conscious businesses

Just look at brilliant earth or even Whole Foods!

Orange creates a sense of haste or impulse

Some brands use an orange alert bar which suggests urgency. Orange is also associated with physical activity, competition and confidence. A lot of sport teams and kid brands are orange like Nickelodeon or the flyers.

Black adds a sense of luxury and value

I can literally picture a sleek Apple product or citizen watch commercial with an all black background in my mind right now! Black is elegant, sophisticated, and powerful.

White is a color!

White space is so important. It creates breathability and is my favorite forgotten color.

Lastly, avoid color overload

Too many colors will create confusion and make your branding inconsistent. I don’t like laying down concrete rules because in design all rules *can* be broken, but I would try to stick with 3 colors or less.