Finding the right colour for your brand

The Psychology Behind Choosing Your Brand’s Colour

When it comes to marketing, it’s essential that your brand – whether it’s website design, customer experience or a small town restaurant – represents the core values of your business, right down to the finer details.

Whilst many people may think that the colour scheme behind a business is just picked out of thin air, or chosen for purely aesthetic reasons, there’s a much greater reason why a specific colour is chosen and it’s all down to what the colour says and how it makes audiences feel.



Colours can have a powerful effect on people, both mentally and emotionally. Certain brands will go for bright and outlandish colours which come across as energised and fun, whilst others may go for darker, bolder colours to portray strength or elegance.

When people make quick decisions about which product to buy, the colours can have a massive part to play in the choice they make. Research by Colorcom found that between 62% and 90% of decisions made are influenced by colour alone, so it’s vital that the colours chosen represent the right tone and personality for your business.

Whilst it’s fair to say the effect a colour scheme will have on people will be rather dependent on individuals’ own personal experiences or influences, a rough generalisation can be made to form a basis on what emotions or responses can be triggered by certain colours.

So, how do you find the right colour to use?

Firstly, you need to fully understand what it is that your business stands for and what its values are. For example, a company specialising in recycling will probably consider going with a green look for their branding because this will not only look and feel like the type of business that they are, but it’ll also be in-line with their ‘green’ message.

The questions that you need to ask are important to how you will define your business going forward. Take time out to consider:

• The type of brand personality that best fits your business
• The feelings you want your brand to evoke
• What you want your customers to associate your brand with

Once you have the ideas to these three questions, you will have a much clearer idea of how you want to be perceived by your audience. Would you say your company is honest and sincere with a feeling of responsibility? Perhaps blue is the colour that best reflects your business as it expresses trust and dependability whilst creating a sense of security.

Blue is commonly used by the professional services sector as it is represents the ability to communicate alongside being able to deliver a reliable and trusted service.
Some examples of businesses that use blue within their branding include Facebook, Intel, American Express, RBS and Twitter. Would you say that loyalty and reliability are correct portrayals of these businesses?

There’s a fun ‘psychology of colour’ quiz from Peppermint Soda which is perfect for anyone looking for some help in finding out what colour best represents you or your business based on what personality or associations your brand has.

 http://www.grahamjones.co.uk/2016/articles/internet-psychology-articles/finding-the-right-colour-for-your-brand.html

Have you experimented with using colour to market your brand? Please share your results in the comments nox below.