Manipulate Brand Personality with Color Psychology

Color Psychology is a theory used to explain the influence of color in giving emotions and feelings to humans who see it. It is one of the most important things in the design that you should learn and understand.

Mastering this particular theory will help to make your designs more attractive and convey the appropriate message to your audience. The use of color in a design also shows personality or a reflection of a work of art. A good work of art will surely influence the viewer's behavior.

The Introduction of Color Psychology

All colors will certainly give a different impression and feeling when people see it. This is because each pigment has its own emitted energy and personality that can give people a certain feeling.

You must have heard that the red represents anger, courage, or passion. Then yellow symbolizes joy, fun, and happiness. These things have spread in society, and of course, they do not come from mere nonsense.

When it comes to design, color psychology is one of the most important aspects that all designers should be good at. Nowadays, every brand will certainly use a psychological aspect of design to influence people's behavior.

For example, we can see that there are a lot of businesses that use red and yellow as their base colors. This is because red and yellow are easily captured by human attention. That way, businesses that use this pigment will be more likely to attract customers.

In this modern era, more and more people are aware of the importance and influence of color psychology in human life. Therefore, in this discussion, we will thoroughly discuss what you should know about particular visual psychology.

Color Psychology and Culture

Although almost all colors already have their own universal identity. However, it turns out that it can have different energy and personality depending on the context.

For example, when you see black, you will associate this color with an impression of being elegant, luxurious, and classy. However, in cultural concepts, black is often associated with a tone that symbolizes darkness, sorrow, and evil.

Another example that can be taken is red. Most people will associate red with a bold and luxurious image. However, in some cultures, such as Chinese and Japanese, red is considered luck and joy.

The color identity can change from time to time. This is due to changes that occur in society. These changes are more evident in the modern era like today. People began to leave many traditional beliefs, including those associated with stereotypes.

Even so, it is important for a designer to keep up with the associations circulating in the community so that the message and intent that want to be conveyed through the design can be achieved properly.

Certain pigments also have different meanings depending on the region. For example, in some countries, white is symbolized as a symbol of holiness. However, in other areas, white is symbolized as a symbol of sadness and is used as a dress color for attending funerals.

For that, as a good designer, you have to really study other cultures to match your design style. Don't get the wrong color to represent a brand. Choosing the wrong one will make a brand have the wrong image in the eyes of the people who see it.

The Importance of Color in Brand Design

One sector that uses color psychology as its main aspect is branding design. In branding design, designers are required to master color psychology to produce designs that match the image and personality of a brand. Usually, brand design is very useful for marketing activities.

As mentioned earlier, the use of color psychology in business is very important. By selecting the right choice of pigment, it should be easier for customers to identify the brand personality. The following are some of the benefits of color for branding that you should know:

1. Brand Recognition

Brand color is one of the most important things that characterize a brand. The color that a brand chooses as its main color can be recognized as its signature identification. So that when people see this color, people will remember your brand.

For example, there are well-known fast-food franchises that use blue, red, yellow, and white as their main colors. When people see this pigment combination, they are likely to remember the franchise brand.

A brand identity can also increase people's interest in knowing more about your brand. Many brand owners hire a psychologist or expert designer just to determine the primary tone of their brand.

An attractive tone will certainly capture people's attention, and it certainly makes your business stand out from your competitors.

2. Better Engagement

You must have noticed that most companies that sell products for women use feminine and soft colors as the main colors of their brands. Pink, blue, white, and purple are usually vibrant pigments used as the main identity. Of course, this is not done without reason.

They choose these colors because they are associated with women. In this way, they will be more effective in attracting women to buy the products they offer.

The same case happens with high-end products too. Most luxury companies and brands use pigments that give a luxurious impression, such as gold and black, as their signature identity. This is done to attract the attention of people who like luxury and elegance.

All these tricks are done as a marketing strategy. This strategy has been successful in helping companies to attract their targeted customers. This is useful for making companies focus only on marketing their products to people who have become the targeted audience.

All businesses certainly have their respective target audiences. The target audience can be divided by gender grouping, age grouping, or class grouping. Knowing the targeted audience is something a brand owner must do.

3. Reflect Brand Personality

All brands and companies naturally have the personality and identity they want to show their customers. This color identity is important because it represents and shows the difference between a brand and another.

Choosing the right tone can make the identity of a brand shine well. For example, if a brand wants to be known as a welcoming and inviting brand, they will usually choose yellow or blue as their main color.

The choice of color in your brand identity will determine the impression people get from your brand. The pigments in your brand can also show the characteristics and key values ​​that your brand promotes.

For example, if your brand focuses on selling products that are sustainable, zero-waste, and nature-friendly, then you can choose natural shades such as blue or green as the main identity. This way, people will find it easier to recognize the key values ​​of your brand.

4. Determine Your Identity

Color psychology is one of the most important things in determining the visual identity of a brand. A good choice must be really considered because it will greatly affect the identity design of the brand. That's why it is needed to help designers make the right choice to build brand identities.

Created by Leszek Cielma

Colors And Their Meanings In Color Psychology

Choosing a pigment that matches the design theme is crucial for a designer when constructing a project. If they chose the wrong one, the intended message or impression could become ambiguous.

If you are still having trouble choosing the right pigment for your design, here are some color meanings that might help you in choosing a tone that suits your design vibes:

1. Red

Red is one of the colors most often used as the main identity by a brand. It is believed to stand out and catch the attention of those who see it.

Usually, red is often used to represent fast-food brands or food brands. This is because it is often associated with an inviting and attractive impression. In addition, food combined with red will usually look better.

Red itself has a bold meaning and also symbolizes luxury. Usually, red is also associated with passion, so it is often combined with icon flames. It has its own uniqueness, as it will suit with every market, such as children, teenagers to adults. Red can both reflect feminine and masculine impressions.

Created by OTRE

2. Orange

Orange is usually used in brands that want to reflect an impression of confidence, serenity, and friendliness. This pigment is a combination of red and yellow, is also widely used by brands as their main identity.

Orange can also give a comfortable impression. Therefore, it is not surprising that many companies engaged in the service sector use orange as their brand identity.

But you also have to be smart in choosing shades of orange. Now there are a lot of orange shade options to choose from. Choose an orange shade that matches your brand image and identity.

Created by LG Beauty

3. Yellow

Yellow is said to be one of the happiest colors. It is often associated with passion, optimism, and joy. Besides red, yellow can be an option for those of you who want to make your brand stand out more. Because of its cheerful impression, this pigment can give an inviting message to your customers.

Yellow is usually used by food and beverage brands. Many beverage brands use yellow because yellow is associated with freshness.

Created by Noeeko Studio

4. Green

When you see green, you will definitely imagine the natural impression of leaves and trees, right? Because of this natural image, green is mostly used by brands that are engaged in natural fields as well.

Green gives a fresh and soothing impression. Even so, there are many types of green that you can choose from, such as light green, dark green, aqua green, and many others.

Each type of green gives a different impression with other shades of green. For example, dark green gives a more mature and classy impression, while light green gives off a fresh and cheerful impression.

But you also have to be careful when choosing green as your brand color. Green is often associated with poison and disgusting shade. That's why fast food brands often avoid using green in their brands.

Created by Firmorama

5. Blue

Blue is usually used by companies engaged in providing services. It is also widely used by insurance companies and banks. This is because it gives off a professional and trusted impression.

When you see blue, what comes to your mind is a good, professional company. However, it can also symbolize tenderness and joy. Blue, especially light blue, is often used to symbolize a feminine image as a companion to pink.

Creative experts also say that this blue can symbolize strength and calm. Apart from banks and insurance, it is also often used by companies engaged in the medical field.

In the medical industry, blue is chosen because it is calm and clean. This is in line with the image that medical companies and hospitals want to display.

Created by M-N Associates

6. Gray

Although gray is rarely used as a brand pigment, you should also know about color psychology. Gray usually symbolizes seriousness and professionalism.

However, there are rarely brands that use this tone as their brand color. This is due to the perception of the public, who think that grey is a boring and inconspicuous shade. This kind of impression is not good enough to represent a brand or a business.

In color psychology, gray is usually more suitable as a companion tone and not as the primary one. Gray can be paired with black or white for a professional and classy feel.

Created by Blurbstudio

7. Pink

The color psychology of this color is very clear and well known to many people. Pink itself symbolizes a feminine and soft impression.

For this reason, many women's product companies use pink as the main tone for their brands. Even so, pink can also symbolize a romantic and gentle impression.

Created by OWLSOME Studio

8. Black

In color psychology, it is not a piece of new information that black symbolizes luxury and exclusivity. Black gives an elegant and classy impression when people see it. That is the reason why many high-end companies use black as their main identity.

It will be very useful if you want to make your brand look more expensive and classy. The use of black will usually be combined with other neutral tones such as white and gold to support the existing classy impression.

Created by StromSlash Studio

9. White

White symbolizes purity and serenity. However, white is rarely used as the main tone of a brand. Usually, white will be combined with other pigments such as red, blue, and black.

This combination is especially useful because white is very neutral and plain. In color psychology for branding and marketing, designers must choose striking tones in order to attract more people's attention.

Created by Cheng Yuan Chieh

10. Brown

Brown is another natural pigment besides blue and green, which can be an option for you. Because it is often symbolized by wood, brown is synonymous with a strong, luxurious, and professional impression.

It is often used as a mainstay color to give a comfortable, soft, yet strong impression in color psychology.

Created by Halo Creative Studio

11. Purple

The purple is often associated with images of spirituality, imagination, and mystery. Purple color can also be associated with a luxurious impression.

However, in color psychology, the use of purple for food brands is usually avoided. Purple color is considered less attractive when associated with food brands. Even so, there are well-known fast-food franchises that have succeeded in making purple their trademark.

Created by On lab

Conclusion

Color psychology is a study that explains the influence of color in influencing human feelings and emotions. This particular knowledge is essential for all designers well so that we can produce designs that are more powerful and attractive.

One of the fields that most often use color psychology as their guide is brand design, as it needs color identification to convey a particular character and personality to the audience.

The study of color psychology is very important for the business and design industry. Mastering this knowledge can help you understand better its effect on society and bring various conveniences for marketing and branding projects.

If you have any comments regarding this topic, please feel free to write down your comments in the section below. Cheers!