Why would we put such importance on color psychology? This is because color communicates almost instantly at an emotional level setting mood, interest or anger. It is not a logical communication of ideas or thoughts, it is an emotional response. Colors will influence mood, how long people stay or even trigger the impulse to buy.
Red, orange, and yellow are exciting colors. They grab your attention and draw your eye toward them. Use these colors to draw attention and encourage action. This is why Call-to-Action buttons are frequently done in red.
Purple, blue and green are calming colors. Use these colors to deemphasize or to soothe your visitors. Content included with these colors will often be ignored or passed over. Use this for disclosures that are legally required, but will detract from the promotion.
What other impacts can color psychology have?
Red is the attention grabber. It is usually where the eye looks first. Red is the color of energy, movement, excitement and immediacy. It is the color of life and love. Red is the favorite color for the fast Italian car, Ferrari and studies even show red cars get more speeding tickets, because they are noticed more by police.
Yellow is one of the favorite colors of little children – the color of the sun, bananas, associated with good times, laughter and happiness. Studies show that yellow surroundings can cause the brain to release more serotonin, causing a feeling of optimism and happiness.
Blue: Shades of blue can elicit trust. It is calming evoking feelings of peace and tranquility. It is also the least appetizing color. Eating off a blue plate can make you eat less.
Green is natural and symbolizes fertility, wealth and success. Green is often used in decorating for its calming ability. The color green has also been shown to improve reading ability and comprehension.
Black is generally associated with authority and power, stability, strength and sophistication. It is also the color of intelligence and higher education (people wear black robes when they graduate) Black is a serious color that evokes strong emotions. Jaguar and Harley Davidson both use predominantly black websites to convey power, stability, strength and sophistication.
White is generally associated with purity (as in wedding dresses and baptismal garments); cleanliness (hospitals & doctors clothes) and bright light. White can also suggest transparency and openness.
Gray is neutral and sophisticated color. It is most associated with practical, timeless, solid, serious things. Too much gray gives a pedestrian, uninteresting impression. Grey is often used in a background outside a website’s content section to focus attention on the content.
There is a science behind color selection to help convey meaning and emotion for your message. Certain combinations of colors evoke different emotions.