The Psychology of Colour in Branding & Conversions
Colours wield an enormous impact on our attitudes, emotions and perceptions. Certain colours can make us feel very specific emotions resulting in certain behaviours.
Colour psychology is the science behind how each colour affects human behaviour. It is a branch of the broader field in behavioural psychology. A pretty complicated field that some sceptics are even dismissive of it due to the difficulty in testing these theories. But in the field of design, especially product, logo or web design, we have seen that the facts of colour theory are indisputable.
In a peer-reviewed journal article, it was determined that it takes just 90 seconds for a customer to form an opinion about a product, and 60–90% of that interaction is determined by the colour of the product.
The Importance of Colors in Branding
First, lets address branding, which plays a major role in colour perception.
Image Credit: The Logo Company
We can observe that each colour conveys a certain message and we can use this information to enhance customer experience. For e.g., if you want to purchase a Harley Davidson, you would expect a rugged and cool look. Brown and black seem like the perfect fit for this. In the same way, if you are looking for athletic and classy (like Puma or Adidas), an appropriate choice of colour would be black.
It should also be noted that colour is also dependent on the personal experiences of consumers with the brand. And these colours cannot be universally translated to specific feelings.
The feeling, mood, and image that your brand creates plays a big role in persuasion. Remember that colours only give the desired results when they can be used to match a brand’s desired personality.
Colour Coordination and Conversions
Colour Coordination easily plays an important role in improving conversion rates through the visual language of a product. There is no single best colour for conversions, but there is a simple rule to make the right choice
The psychological principle known as The Isolation Effect states that an item that ‘stands out like a sore thumb” is more likely to be remembered. Research clearly states that participants are able to recognize and recall an item far better when it blatantly sticks out from the surroundings.
The “TRY IT FOR FREE” button stands out as it is an island of green in the sea of violet.
Colour perception also depends a lot on the targeted audience. For instance, women don’t like grey, orange and brown. So, a CTA button with this colour will get a poor response from women. Blue, purple or green is better. In the same way, while targeting men use blue, green or black.
In terms of colour coordination on a website or an app, this would mean creating a visual structure consisting of base analogous colours and contrast them with accent complementary colours.
Analogous colour & Complementary colour image
Image Credit: Kissmetrics
Conclusion
The internet is a colourful place, and there is a lot that can be accomplished by using these colours in the right way, at the right time, with the right audience, and for the
Test several colours for the CTA text or buttons. Try various options and split test their conversion rates. Create a colour palette comprised of compatible colour combinations and built on complementary/opposite colours.
Consider colour symbolism when targeting different demographics. Various cultures interpret colours differently, so what works for one user base might not work for another.
Associate colours with emotions to define the essence of your brand.
When choosing colours for your brand, ensure that your colours fit the ‘personality’ of the brand and together they create a memorable impact on the customer’s mind.
Happy colouring!
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