When it comes to branding and your visual identity, colour is often the first thing people notice. The use of colour, more importantly, the correct colours, are essential for establishing your brand's identity. Colour helps with audience recognition. Think of huge brands like Coca-Cola or Mcdonald's. When one thinks of those brands, one instantly associates them with the colours of their brand. That’s because the colour is linked to memory and recognition. It's sometimes easier to remember a brand's colour than the logo's appearance.

The psychology of colours also tells us that it's widely linked to mood. Certain colours impact our mood and how we feel when we associate them with the product. Brand specialists have used the psychological effects of colour to create feelings in potential customers, build trust or engagement, and incite interest in the product. Larger retailers use colour psychology to persuade customers to make purchases and encourage smaller businesses to do so.

Let’s unpack some of the popular colours and how they could be perceived by customers.

Red
Red is associated with excitement and energy. It suggests passion and is proven to increase your heart rate. The best example of a brand using and owning red is Coca-Cola. It’s a powerful colour and according to Pantone, it encourages people to take risks.

Yellow
Yellow suggests optimism and promise. It's a cheerful colour that is playful, joyous and demands attention. Its association with joy, happiness, and energy has been shown to encourage mental activity, generate muscle energy, and on the whole, cheer you up.

Blue
Blue is one of the most popular choices of colour for brands. It is associated with trust and helps instil confidence. It helps people become calm.

Green
Green is a colour of optimism, often featured in people’s ‘favourite colours’. It represents nature, stability, and prosperity. A wide range of brands use green in their branding.

Purple
Purple has a long connection to wealth, and luxury is traced through history with its link to nobility and kings. Redolent of this history and tradition, purple is at once commanding and opulent, lavish while maintaining its regal narrative. It is also evocative of the fantastic, suggesting wisdom, creativity, and imagination.

Pink
Pink is a very calming colour that is often associated with love, kindness, and femininity. Many people immediately associate the colour with all things feminine especially because of holidays like Valentine’s Day. Some shades of pale pink are described as relaxing, while very bright, vibrant shades can be stimulating or even aggravating.

Nicole Hines