Color is the most important factor to consider when designing a website. Color, which is so simple, can affect a range of moods and emotions in different people. Even particular color combinations can have an affect on someone. Did you know that color can also increase or drive away potential traffic to your website? A study by Satyendra Singh at the University of Winnipeg has shown that up to 90% of judgement is based on color, and with that alone, customers will base their purchase decision within 90 seconds. This shows us how important color can be to whether a business will succeed or fail. We’re going to show you what each color invokes in terms of emotions, and how you can harness it to create a winning design for your business.
Color psychology is the study of hues of color on behavior. It can be an indisposable tool in your marketing arsenal, and once you understand how it works, can sometimes be the simplest way to drive traffic to your business. Take some time to think about how a certain color makes you feel. Let’s take the color red, for example. Look at something near you that is red, or bring up a solid red color image on your screen. How does it make you feel? Angry? Excited? This is color psychology. Let’s look at some other colors and the feelings and emotions attached to them.
Red: Love, excitement, bold
Yellow: Warm, cheerful, positive
Green: Refreshing, edible, soothing
Blue: Masculine, reliable, high quality, relaxing
Pink: Romantic, feminine, sincere
Purple: Mysterious, royal, sophisticated
Brown: Ruggedness, earthy, durable
Black: Elegant, bold, expensive
White: Happiness, simple, purity
This is a generalized list of emotions attached to colors, and obviously, the cultural background of the person seeing the color is going to have a different emotional experience. This is a good time to consider who and where your target market is, and research the meaning of colors for that culture. For example, red is associated with aggression in Nigeria and good luck and prosperity in Asia. While white represents purity in Western culture, it can mean death and mourning in some Asian countries. This is why it is so important to choose the right color for your audience.
To combine colors, have a look at a color wheel. We call these complimentary colors, and these can be the following: Purple/Yellow, Blue/Orange, Red/Green. Have a look at many sports teams’ uniforms. These typical color combinations are utilized there. Obviously, you can play with the combinations to bring up certain emotions or influence the feelings of your customers.
Think about your product or service for a moment. What kind of feeling do you want your customers to have when they look at your website or when looking at the product? What is your company’s mission statement or service, and what color can you associate with that? It can help a potential customer understand and want to do business with you more depending on the color or color combinations you use. You can even play with different hues and brightness of colors. Take into consideration the age, gender, and financial status of your audience also. Each category is going to gravitate to different hues and brightnesses.
While it may seem daunting to find the right color for your business to get the reaction you want from customers, it also allows you to be creative and think outside the box. Take some time to test various colors in small ways and watch how they affect your audience. The combination is only a hue away.
