Behind every iconic brand colour lies a psychological strategy!

The Colour Code: How Psychology Shapes the Way We Buy

Some brands make you feel calm right away, while others grab your attention right away. Why is that? A soft robin's egg blue feels special, but a bright orange box speaks luxury in a way that only some people can understand. Psychology has the answer. As consumers, the psychology of colours has a huge impact on how we see, feel, and decide what to buy.

Where Psychology Meets Marketing

Nowadays, marketing is about more than just selling products and services; it's also about attracting attention, establishing credibility, appealing to emotions, and ultimately influencing consumers to make a purchase decision. At each and every marketing touchpoint, whether it be the visual design of an online store or the manner in which a brand communicates with its customers, psychological principles play an important and indispensable role. When marketers want to make an immediate and powerful impact, one of the most effective tools in their arsenal is colour psychology.

Colour as a Shortcut to Emotion

We process visual information faster than any other type. In fact, studies suggest it takes less than 90 seconds for a customer to form a judgment about a product and up to 90% of that judgment is based on colour alone.

Each and every colour shade holds a distinct psychological connotation, leading brands to select their colours strategically based on the emotions they are trying to invoke in their target audience. While these associations may not be universally applicable, they hold significant influence across many cultures. When brands consistently use colour with intention, those colours become integral to their identity.

The colours blue, red, yellow, green, black, white, purple, orange, and pink are among the most often used colours in marketing and branding efforts owing to the distinct feelings and meanings they evoke. For example, the color blue is frequently associated with qualities such as trustworthiness, calmness, and reliability, which are adopted by companies like IBM, PayPal, and Facebook. In contrast, red is a favoured colour for YouTube, Netflix, and Coca-Cola, as it effectively communicates excitement, vitality, and urgency, aligning closely with their brand characteristics and marketing strategies.

Yellow represents cheerfulness, warmth, and clarity. Consider brands like McDonald’s, IKEA, or Post-it, which utilise yellow to foster a sense of approachability and optimism. The colour green embodies harmony, the natural world, and growth, making it the hallmark of eco-conscious and lifestyle-oriented brands such as Starbucks, Spotify, and Whole Foods.

Another commonly used colour is black, which symbolises sophistication, authority, and luxury, as reflected in the branding of Chanel, Prada, and even Apple. White stands for straightforwardness, cleanliness, and minimalism, effectively applied by brands like Apple, Muji, and Uniqlo. Purple has a connection to innovation, royalty, and mystery, positioning it as a strategic selection for Cadbury, Yahoo, and Hallmark.

Orange evokes excitement, energy, and creativity, making it a fitting choice for the bold identities of Hermès and Harley-Davidson. Pink conveys qualities of softness, feminine characteristics, and sweetness, which are consistent with the branding of Barbie, Glossier, and Victoria’s Secret.

When Colour Becomes Iconic: Case Examples

Some brands have harnessed the power of colour psychology to a remarkable extent, elevating it to a status symbol, a defining characteristic, and even an asset safeguarded by trademark protections. Here are a few examples of the world's most successful cases:

• Tiffany & Co.: The pale robin’s-egg blue, now universally recognised as Tiffany Blue, embodies elegance and is legally protected. It denotes a sense of exclusiveness and romance, frequently associated with life’s most significant milestones.

• Hermès: The distinctive burnt orange box? While the selection of this colour was not driven by design preference but rather by material shortages during wartime, it now embodies a sense of luxurious, artisanal French craftsmanship.

• Barbie: Barbie’s shade of pink has become emblematic of the brand, serving as a catalyst for both nostalgia and contemporary feminism.

  
  

These cases explain how colour can become an integral part of a brand's identity to the point where it is easily identifiable even in the absence of a logo.