Within the first 90 seconds of viewing your content, a consumer will make a judgement about your product and decide how to respond. Color is an instrumental part of attracting your audience in these crucial first seconds—it’s one of the first things the eye processes.
In fact, research shows that colors influence up to 90 percent of the initial impression of a product. Color can affect emotion, direct an audience to specific information, and influence how viewers retain and react to your marketing campaign.
But how do you know what colors to use?
Bright vs Neutral Colors
Bright colors, like neon, are associated with excitement and action. In your brand, these colors may communicate a vibrant, exciting purpose or a ‘fun’ identity. In your marketing campaign, bright colors are more likely to evoke an immediate response or reaction from your audience.
Neutral colors, like shades of grey, black, and certain shades of blue, are useful for centering your audience on specific information, allowing them to process ideas. On a website or content display that involves communicating a large amount of information, it can be a good idea to use a more neutral color scheme. Neutral colors can also communicate a more sophisticated or professional brand identity.
Colors and What They Communicate in Marketing
Red –
Energy, passion, and boldness. Creates a sense of urgency and pulls focus, often resulting in more immediate consumer action.Orange –
Confidence, cheerfulness, and friendliness. Often used to attract impulsive buyers or to highlight a call to action because of its brightness and association with affordability.Yellow
– Optimism, energy, and enthusiasm. Another color often used to attract impulsive buyers because it evokes positive emotions. But used too frequently, it can provoke anxiety.Green –
Peace, growth, and wealth. Companies often use this color to promote eco-friendliness, but it also promotes a sense of harmony and decisiveness.Blue –
Tranquility, reliability, and intelligence. This color can be used to promote trust in a product or brand.Purple
– Wisdom, creativity, and luxury. This color is often associated with a simultaneously unique and wise purpose or brand.Black –
Power, sophistication, and elegance. This color is often associated with sleek or high-end products or companies.White –
Cleanliness, intelligence, and professionalism. White often communicates simplicity and creativity because it appears as a ‘white slate.’Grey
– Practicality, stability, and security. Grey is often associated with age, and can be attached to wisdom. It is also connected to thoughts of technology.Brown
– Comfort, durability, and reliability. Can be used to promote seriousness while also communicating a brand that is ‘down to earth.’
Combining with Contrast
By combining color purposefully and effectively, your company can direct its audience to retain information and influence how the audience reacts. Contrast is an important part of how one combines colors. It reduces eye strain and can draw the eye to a specific element or item in the visual picture.
Contrast can come from the use of complementary colors or shades of dark vs light. Different types of color schemes dictate how contrast is used.
- Monochromatic Color Schemes
- The use of one color in numerous shades.
- Sleek, minimalistic look that is easy on the eye
- Complementary Color Schemes
- The use of two colors from opposite ends of the color wheel
- Bolder and more intense look of contrast
- Triple Color Schemes
- The use of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel
- Bold but harmonious look
Choosing Color for Your Company
Numerous factors come into play when choosing colors for your brand or marketing content. Color has the power to communicate identity and evoke audience response. When choosing colors for your company, remember to keep in mind how color communicates industry and brand identity.
In your marketing campaign, it’s important to invoke the colors of your brand while also considering how you want viewers to respond to the specific content you are sharing and what colors or shades may optimize this response.
Need help attracting your audience in those first 90 seconds? Contact us to learn how we use color and other strategies to communicate your brand and your message!