Different studies show that red triggers different emotions, and that’s the bottom line of all this:
Color psychology: The complete step-by-step guide
There are thousands of infographics, images and guides explaining how to use color psychology. Usually, these infographics look something like this:
- Red = anger
- Blue = trust
- Green = health
A never-ending list explaining exactly what color creates what emotion.
Countless businesses use these guides to determine the color of their brand, the background and hero image on their landing pages or the color of their call to action buttons.
Color psychology doesn’t really work that way.
Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but thinking that every single colour creates one specific emotion for every person in the world is simply incorrect.
Most businesses aren’t aware of this, they follow these guides blindly and unfortunately using the wrong color can actually set you back or even hurt your conversions.
Here’s one thing I do know from running thousands of AB tests:
If you use color psychology the right way , you can influence your target audience’s decision process. Used correctly, You can help people feel the way you want them to feel and increase conversions.
So how do you use color psychology the right way?
Well, that’s what I’ve covered in this color psychology guide.
Here’s what we’re going to learn:
- What color psychology really means (fo realz) and how it works
- The emotional effect colors have on us (and your customers)
- Myth busting: The biggest color psychology myth and how to avoid it
- How color affects people (as in, your customers) on 3 different levels
- Age, gender and other elements that affect color psychology
- Mobile vs. desktop color psychology (yes, there’s a difference)
- How to know what colors to use on your audience
- How the most successful companies in the world use color psychology
- A case study – How we use color psychology to grow conversions
Table of Contents
What color psychology really means and how it works
“Color psychology is the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as the taste of food… Color can indeed influence a person; however, it is important to remember that these effects differ between people. ” Wikipedia
Color has the power to affect our behavior and influence our decision-making process (as in – “should I buy this or not?” kind of decisions).
[easy-tweet tweet=”Color affects our behavior and influences our decisions (as in – “should I buy this or not?” kind of decisions)” user=”taliagw” template=”light”]
How colors affect our brain
Color impacts our brain which in turn impacts our feelings and senses. The effects can be both physiological and emotional. Research shows that color and light can affect our mood, heart rate, sleep and even our well-being.
An interesting example can be seen in our everyday lives; blue and green light (e.g the sky and nature) stimulate us and wake us up in the morning which is why many doctors and scientists recommend not using our mobile devices before we go to sleep as the screen’s light wakes us up and can cause insomnia.
In 2015 a study found that the color blue reduces stress, slows down heart rate and lowers our blood pressure. Many countries use these techniques to their advantage, for example, the government of Tokyo has been known to use the color blue in their train stations to reduce suicide rates, resulting in 74% fewer suicides. However, this research is still inconclusive and gets challenged all the time by different scientists.
While the question of what color creates which effect continues to be a debate , one thing is clear to all scientists: Color does indeed affect our physiology, our brains and our emotions.
❤️ Red ❤️
Red is dynamic. It’s not just about love. It can represent courage as well as anger and aggression. Red embodies strong emotions like passion and power. We often associate it with intensity and energy, too.
On one side of the spectrum, you can use red to exude warmth and excitement. On the other side, you can use it to signal danger.
Its interpretation is influenced by cultural context and individual experience, but as a general rule you should use red to grab attention and stimulate an intense response.
Purple
Purple is the color of integrity and intuition. Use it to signal strength, vision, and wisdom.
Darker shades of purple will give your brand a prestigious yet approachable feel, while a lighter purple will make your brand feel calm, serene, and relaxing.
If you want fun, vibrant and creative brand energy, dial up the saturation for a bright purple that pops!
Pink
Pink is massively misunderstood because it has a range of symbolic meanings. We often link it to nurturing, compassionate energy. It embodies tenderness and empathy.
Though it’s often thought of as feminine, pink is not necessarily just a “girly” color. (Remember, pink is both Barbie’s favorite color and the Inter Miami’s jersey color. )
Use light pink to represent kindness and warmth. Or go for a more saturated hot pink to evoke positivity, optimism, and a sense of playfulness.
If pink is a color you previously dismissed based on preconceptions, I invite you to reconsider it and include it in your visual identity if its symbolic meaning aligns with your brand.
That’s all for today. Next week we’ll unpack the mysterious black, gold, and gray. Can’t wait to spill the secrets with ya!
But if you want all the secrets now, you can get ‘em in the FREE Colors that Convert class. In 60 minutes you’ll learn how to build your color palette based on truths instead of trends following my (almost) patented step-by-step system.
No more copycatting other people’s color palettes
No more second-guessing your brand every other week
And no more wasting hours on Pinterest curating “brand inspo” boards
Take the class now before it goes behind a paywall. ♀️
Steps
- Find the red door to get the screwdriver
- Find the vent door to get orange paint
- Find the orange door to get yellow paint
- Find the yellow door to get green paint
- Find the green door to get teal paint
- Go back to the vent door to get the triangle
- Go back to the green door to get blue paint
- Find the blue door to get the saw
- Go back to the yellow door to get the wood plank and purple paint
- Find the purple door to get the hammer
- Go back to the red door to get pink paint
- Find the pink door to get the key
- Go back to the yellow door to get the last paintbrush
- Find the paintbrush door to get white paint(will be open, looks black and white like the obbys)
- Go back to the safe zone, to the white door
- Choose one of the 4 doors and hope you get an easy one or else you’ll have to do it all over again to escape
- Find the red door to get the screwdriver
- Find the vent door to get orange paint
- Find the orange door (by where all of the light cables plug in) to get yellow paint
- Find the yellow door to get the dynamite
- Find the brick wall to get green paint
- Find the green door to get the pickaxe
- Go back near the orange door, the hole, to get teal paint
- Go back inside the brick wall to get blue paint
- Find the blue door to get the torch
- Find the spider web door to get purple paint
- Go back near the orange door, the purple door, to get the key card
- Find the staff only door to get the crowbar
- Go back to the green door, the crowbar hole, to get pink paint
- Go back to the red door to get the key
- Find the key door to get the last paintbrush
- Find the paintbrush door to get white paint (will be open, looks black and white like the obbys)
- Go back to the safezone, to the white door
- Choose one of the 4 doors and hope you get an easy one or else you’ll have to do it all over again to escape
