If you’ve ever created your brand design – or hired a professional designer to create your brand design – it’s likely you’ve heard of color psychology. But what is color psychology, and how does it play a role in your unique business and brand?

According to Hubspot, “Color psychology is research about how color influences human behavior and decision-making. Different colors, hues, and tones bring up distinct associations. Color psychology can vary depending on personal preferences and culture. In marketing, color can impact how buyers perceive different brands and products, so it’s crucial to pick colors that align with your business’s goals and target audience.”  

Something we often share with our clients at With Grace and Gold, and here through our podcast, is: We believe your brand design should be a blend of what you love and feel connected to, what your preferred clients will love and feel connected to, and what is forward-thinking in your field. When you prioritize your preferred clients’ preferences, you can create a brand design with your business growth and success in mind. After all, when your preferred clients feel connected with your brand, you can form meaningful connections and create a space your preferred clients value and believe in. Put another way, should our brands be designed solely with our personal preferences in mind, we’ll end up appealing to ourselves rather than appealing to our preferred clients. 

Today, we’re excited to share about the psychology of color in brand design, and how you can approach your brand design with purpose. 

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Psychology of Color in Brand Design

Welcome to Episode 170 of the Brand It, Build It Podcast: Psychology of Color in Brand Design! 

The colors you choose for your brand design have the power to affect your audience’s emotions, perceptions, and even their purchasing decisions. The psychology of color, essentially, changes how your brand is perceived and experienced by your preferred clients. 

With a quick Google search, you can seamlessly discover what each color can communicate: 

• Pink: Compassion, sincerity, sophistication.
• Red: Excitement, strength, love, and energy.
• Orange: Confidence, success, bravery, and sociability.
• Yellow: Creativity, happiness, warmth, and cheer.
• Green: Nature, healing, freshness, quality.
• Blue: Trustworthiness, peace, loyalty, competence.
• Purple: Royalty, luxury, spirituality, and ambition.
• Brown: Dependability, trustworthiness, simplicity.
• Black:  Formality, sophistication, security.
• White: Simplicity, innocence, and honesty.

Today, we want to focus on how you can leverage color psychology successfully in your brand design: 

1. First, define and understand your preferred clients and customers. Whether you design your own brand, or you hire a professional brand designer, understanding your audience is crucial. Varying demographics may have varying preferences and emotional responses to specific colors — so a professional designer is likely to consider your preferred clients’ age, preferences, and much more when curating your brand’s color palette and creating a purpose-driven, connection-driven brand design.
2. Define your brand’s personality, or the feeling you’d like your brand to communicate. Every brand has a unique personality, and your brand’s color palette should be curated to communicate that personality. Are you aiming for a bold and energetic feeling — or would you like to convey a sense of calm and tranquility? Define your brand’s personality, knowing how specific colors can communicate specific feelings.
3. Explore the ways certain shades can capture unique feelings, too. When curating your brand’s color palette, it’s always possible to use varying shades of varying colors to explore what feelings those shades evoke, too. Rather than using colors in an expected way, consider the ways more saturated colors, versus more muted colors, can change the feeling of your brand design.
4. Use color combinations strategically. Color combinations can create visual harmony – or contrast – depending on your brand’s goals. Complementary colors, opposite on the color wheel, can create a vibrant and eye-catching effect, while analogous colors, adjacent on the color wheel, offer a more harmonious and soothing feel. Experiment with different combinations to find the one that best represents your brand
5. Balance your color palette with neutrals. While colors play a significant role in brand design, don’t overlook the importance of neutrals such as black, white, cream, and gray. Neutrals provide balance, allow other colors to stand out, and contribute to visual hierarchy. Neutrals can be used to create contrast, emphasize important elements, or provide a clean backdrop for your brand’s colors.
6. Test for accessibility. Accessibility should always be a priority in design. Ensure that the colors you choose meet accessibility standards for text legibility and contrast. Make sure your brand’s colors can be easily distinguished by all users.
7. Stay consistent across all brand touchpoints. Consistency is key in brand design. Once you’ve established your brand’s color palette, make sure to use it consistently across all touchpoints—your website, social media, marketing materials, and packaging. Consistency helps build recognition and reinforces your brand’s visual identity.

The psychology of color has space for creativity, because personal perceptions, culture, and other variables can change the way color is perceived. However, by understanding the general associations and emotions connected with unique colors, you or your professional designer can curate your brand’s color palette with purpose. Thanks for tuning in!

About Brand It, Build It Podcast, Hosted by Kelly Zugay

Hosted by Kelly Zugay, co-founder of With Grace and Gold, The Brand It, Build It Podcast is a leading small business marketing podcast for small business owners, creatives, and founders. Weekly, brief, actionable episodes will equip you to build a successful, sustainable small business. Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided award-winning custom brand and Showit web design and completely customizable Showit website templates for small businesses worldwide.