The Psychology of Color in Marketing: An Overview of 9 Popular Shades

9 min readJan 10, 2021

Humans are visual creatures. Much more visual than we think. Color plays a huge role in perception and influences a person’s behavior and decision-making. For example, the different colors used in a brand symbolism can influence its reputation among the audience, and it is not always obvious whether this influence will be positive or not.

When a person gets to your website or store, it is very important that absolutely everything contributes to their further progression into the sales funnel. In particular, the color scheme has a huge impact on conversion rates. Not all colors will work equally well for your project or individual pages.

In addition, when choosing a color scheme for a website or a webpage you often have to take into account the logo and sometimes even the color of the product.

Below we describe the infographic presented and created by Iconic Fox, and try to understand why some brands have chosen certain colors for their logos. It’s going to be interesting!

· Red
∘ A few distinctive characteristics of red in the psychology of color
· Orange
∘ Listed below are the distinctive features of orange in the psychology of color:
· Yellow
· Green
· Blue
· Purple
∘ Below are a few basic theses about the color purple that will come in handy if you’re considering it for a marketing campaign:
· Pink (Magenta)
· Black
∘ Personal qualities of people who like black: determination, self-confidence, seriousness.
· White, silver
∘ Here are a few theses from the psychology of color, relevant for brand marketing:
· What color should I choose?

Red

Among the brands that have chosen this bright color for their logos are Coca-Cola, Canon, Levis, H&M and others, you can see them below.

The positive energy of red is associated with strength, passion, energy, fearlessness, admiration. But there is also a negative side — red can be associated with fear, danger, pain and threat.

A few distinctive characteristics of red in the psychology of color

Is capable of evoking equally positive and negative emotions;
Creates an effect of urgency, which can be advantageously used in sales;
It stimulates appetite and can be used by brands in the food and fast-food industries;
Promotes a higher heart rate, which is why it is often used in advertising campaigns for speed cars and underwear.

Personality characteristics of red lovers: boldness, energy, desire for adventure.

More often it is preferred by women than men (9% vs. 7%), 2% of men said they would never choose this color for themselves, unlike women, among whom there are no opponents of red shades at all.

Orange

In the picture you can see examples of brands that have chosen orange for their logos. This is a large online supermarket Amazon, and one of the 5 most popular browsers in the world Mozilla FireFox.

Among the positive emotions that the color orange can evoke: friendliness, a burst of energy, warmth, a desire to start something new.

Negative emotions can also arise: frustration, a feeling of deprivation of something, inertia.

Listed below are the distinctive features of orange in the psychology of color:

Orange creates a feeling of warmth, it can be compared to the sun;
it is believed that orange creates joy and positive emotions;
Many people associate the darker tones of orange with autumn, and this can be useful for “earthy” brands;
This color is considered the most “poor” color by the greatest number of respondents.

Personal characteristics of people who prefer orange: craving for adventure, competitiveness, unfriendliness.

Five percent of women and men responded positively to the color. 22% of men and 33% of women did not choose orange and as many as 26% considered it “poor”.

Yellow

Below is a set of global brand logos based on the color yellow. What can be said about it in terms of color psychology?

Positive characteristics that can arise under the influence of yellow: optimism, warmth, happiness, desire to create creativity, increased mental capacity. Among the negative: irrationality, fear, frustration, cowardice.

Yellow is a symbol of youth, happiness, joy and sunshine.
Persistent positive emotions can compensate for some psychological problems.
Shades of yellow can appear dirty in certain lighting.
Often has a greater impact in the neighborhood of a darker color.
Several personality characteristics regarding yellow: independence, purposefulness, impulsiveness.

Fifty-seven percent of the men surveyed said yellow was their favorite color, and only 1% said the opposite. 35% of women say yellow is their favorite color, and 0% say it is a negative color.

22% consider yellow to be a symbol of poverty.

Green

According to color psychology, green is a symbol of health, freshness, nature, purity and growth. Among the negative psychological associations about green are boredom, lethargy, victimhood, weakness.

Here are a few theses about green from a psychological point of view:

the color relaxes the eyes and is a symbol of health;
green has a clear association with freshness and return to life;
a very common color among eco-brands, pharmaceutical companies;
Also a color loved by the business sector: banks, stock exchanges, finance and the military.

People who prefer green, in terms of psychology, are open, friendly.

14% of men and as many women choose green as their favorite color. 2% of men dislike it, and as many as 16% of women feel the same way. 6% of those surveyed consider the color “cheap”.

Blue

According to color psychology, blue is associated with the following feelings: trust, loyalty, logic, serenity, security. Negative associations include coldness, callousness, insularity and unattractiveness.

Blue has a pronounced calming effect.
It is the color of strength and freedom, which is used by many brands.
There is no natural blue food in nature.
Blue is a symbol of tranquility.

Here are a few personality traits of people who, according to psychologists, choose blue: loyalty, sociality, politeness.

Fifty-seven percent of men recognize blue as their favorite color, 35% of women do the same. Only 1% do not like this color, and none of the women surveyed admitted to it. The same number, 1%, consider blue a “cheap” color.

Purple

Milka, Hallmark, Yahoo! and other famous brands, whose logos we see below, chose purple as the basis of their logo. According to the psychology of color, purple is associated with the following feelings: freedom, sophistication, fantasy, wealth. Negative emotions that can also cause purple — decadent mood, discouragement, depression.

Below are a few basic theses about the color purple that will come in handy if you’re considering it for a marketing campaign:

Historically, purple has been associated with superiority, wealth;
suitable for brands that need to position themselves as prestigious brands;
Is considered quite extravagant, so should be used with caution;
Darker shades are soothing, can be used for “feminine” brands.

Personalized characteristics of purple: sensuality, majesty, understanding.

1% of men chose purple as their favorite color, 23% of women did the same. Twenty-two percent of men and 8% of women found it disliked. 4% considered it “cheap”.

Pink (Magenta)

The color fuchsia is bright and noticeable, which is why only a few brands dare to use it in their logos. Below is a selection of popular companies whose corporate styles are based on it.

Pink (magenta) in the psychology of color also has both positive and negative sides. The pluses include: imagination, passion, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and the desire for new things. Negative associations include: resentment, rebelliousness, impulsiveness, levity.

Pink is the brightest and most popular color in association with the female sex.
It can be an excellent complement to the base color in the brand’s corporate style.
Pink is a comfortable color that is associated with hope.
Successfully used in an industry that aims to “break patterns.”

Psychological qualities that distinguish lovers of pink: spirituality, desire for new things, practicality.

1% of men and 5% of women chose this color as their favorite. 9% of males and 2% of females do not like pink. 3% of respondents consider fuchsia a “poor” shade.

Black

Black is considered a classic color, yet it is often associated with mourning, which is quite wrong. Let’s see below which brands have chosen this laconic color as the main color in their corporate style.

In color psychology, black is associated with the following positive qualities: sophistication, elegance, security, strength, authority, substance. Of the negative qualities, psychologists note: coldness, anger, danger, oppression, depression, and mourning.

Black is an “influential” color, often associated with power and luxury.
Luxury brands today choose black and white color shades.
Using black with another bright color looks unique and sophisticated.
Suitable for the fashion and health industries.

Personal qualities of people who like black: determination, self-confidence, seriousness.

8% of men and 6% of women choose black as their favorite color. 4% of both do not choose it for themselves. And only 1% consider it “poor. This is the lowest percentage among those surveyed for this criterion (except for blue).

White, silver

White is the second “base” color on this list. It is traditionally associated with purity and freshness. Let’s see how it is described by psychologists and what it means for brand marketing.

Below are the logos of world famous companies that have chosen white as the basis of their corporate identity. In color psychology, it and its shade — silver — have the following positive characteristics: purity, innocence, simplicity, pristine.

Of the negative characteristics: sterility, emptiness, detachment and indifference.

Here are a few theses from the psychology of color, relevant for brand marketing:

embodies purity and suits brands with a modern eco-concept;
often used as the dominant color in corporate identity design;
if not executed well, can be a symbol of indifference and laziness;
great for conveying a fashionable, sleek, clean look.

Among the personalized characteristics of white, psychologists distinguish: optimism, independence, innocence.

2% of women and 1% of men said white and silver were their favorite colors. 5% and 3%, respectively, have the opposite opinion. 9% consider it a “poor” color.

What color should I choose?

Using your knowledge of color psychology in marketing, you can transform your campaign and create the right brand image in the eyes of consumers. However, choosing the perfect colors for a logo, package design or branding can take you a long time. In any case, it should not be a spontaneous decision.

Once you’ve decided on the right colors, test them on your audience.