We subconsciously associate feelings with color, so be sure your brand is telling the right story and evoking the right emotions by using the psychology of color in your branding.

Color paints a story without having to say a single word.

It brings a story and visual to life, allowing us to feel emotions and a deep level of understanding that almost can’t be explained. 

These emotions and feelings are derived from our subconscious. For example:

• Seeing yellow can instantly make you happier and bring joy. 
• Enter into a lavender room and you may find you instantly calm down. 
• Seeing red can spark intense passion or trigger danger.

While color can vary from person to person based on context, personal experiences, and neurological variances, there is a general consensus of the emotions and feelings colors can evoke.

THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR.

There are many things to consider when creating the visual identity of your brand–from the logo design to the colors and the fonts used, creating the perfect combination of visual elements to help you clearly tell your brand story can be overwhelming.

But, before jumping into the visual identity of your brand, it’s important to take a step back and define your brand strategy. This is where you lay out the foundation of your brand elements and identify the emotions and keywords used to describe your business. This includes your brand’s core values, mission and vision, as well as your brand’s archetypes, personality, voice, and tone.

Related: What the heck are brand archetypes?

Your brand is the sum of all of your touchpoints, emotions, feelings, and experiences a customer has with your business. 

If you’re ready to identify the right palette using the psychology of color, start by asking if your brand is:

• traditionally masculine or feminine? 
• playful or serious? 
• luxurious or affordable? 
• modern or classic? 
• youthful or mature? 
• loud or subdued?

Your answers will help identify the keywords and emotions I mentioned earlier. To be strategic about the colors used in your branding, let’s dive into what each of the 14 basic colors mean when it comes to the psychology of color.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR

BLUE

Blue tones can evoke emotions of calm and zen-like peace. With this color surrounding us everywhere in our daily lives, from the sky to large bodies of water, it is viewed as a non-threatening, conservative color. 

Blue is also the most common favorite color among both men and women, however, it is particularly preferred by men. Brands that use blue in their branding are perceived as dependable and trustworthy. Blue’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Tranquility Security  Integrity Peace Loyalty Trust Intelligence	Coldness Fear Masculinity	American Express HP Lowes Oreo Facebook Vimeo Ford WordPress GE

TURQUOISE

Turquoise tones can evoke emotions of calm and clarity. Turquoise is a transformational color blending the security of blue and earthiness of green. This color is inspiring and associated with recharging the spirit, replenishing energy levels, and evoking positive thoughts. Brands that use turquoise are centered on communication, education, media, and computer technology. Turquoise’s emotions include:

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Spiritual Healing Protection Clarity Inspiration Self-expression	Unreliability Boastfulness Secrecy	Tiffany and Co. Siemens MeetEdgar Simply Sianne

GREEN

Green tones can evoke emotions of growth and freshness. The color green is easy on the eyes and doesn’t require an adjustment period when we take it in. Green sits in the middle of the color spectrum and is the color of balance. Brands that use green in their branding are perceived as peaceful and foster feelings of health and growth. Green’s emotions include:

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Freshness Environment  New Money Fertility Healing Earth	Envy Jealousy Guilt	Whole Foods  Publix BP Starbucks  Tropicana Land Rover

YELLOW

Yellow tones can evoke emotions of happiness and joy. Yellow is often associated with being cheerful and its hue can instantly brighten up a space and change the mood of a person experiencing it. But too much yellow can evoke emotions of anger, frustration, fear, and anxiety. Brands that use yellow in their branding are perceived as optimistic and warm. Yellow’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Bright Sunny Energetic Warm Happy Perky Joy Intellect	Irresponsible Unstable	Nikon National Geographic Best Buy McDonald’s Shell Ikea

PURPLE

Purple tones can evoke emotions of royalty and wealth. Sitting between red and blue, purple is a mixture of femininity and masculinity.  Not commonly seen in nature, purple is rare, and often viewed as being special or artificial. Because of the rare sightings of purple in nature, this color gets associated with time, space and cosmos. Brands that use purple in their branding are perceived as wise and imaginative. Purple’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Royalty Nobility Spirituality Luxury Ambition Wealth	Mystery  Moodiness	Hallmark Cadbury Taco Bell Yahoo

PINK

Pink tones can evoke femininity and playfulness. Pulling from its neighbors red and purple, the color pink brings in a wide variety of emotions. The bright, striking hue of pink creates a boldness that sparks feelings of self-respect, while also embracing the imagination and creativity of purple. Brands that use pink are perceived as creative and feminine. Pink’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Imaginitative  Passion Happy Feminine Sweet  Compassion Playful	Impulsiveness Flippancy Immaturity	Barbie Victoria’s Secret Roxy Cosmopolitan

RED

The color red easily has the biggest impact on the human psyche. While red can evoke emotions of passion and love, it can also very quickly create emotions of danger and fear. Red should be used strategically in your marketing and branding efforts, as the color has been shown to reduce analytical thinking and speed up and intensify our reactions. There’s a reason red is used to identify a sale! Brands that use red in their branding are perceived as bold and energetic. Red’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Love Passion Energy Power Strength Heat Desire	Anger Danger Warning	Target Coca-Cola CNN Virgin Pinterest Canon Tesla

ORANGE

Orange tones can evoke emotions of confidence and friendliness. Orange can easily bring about feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. Being a fun, energetic hue, orange is a great attention grabber in your brand elements. The color also conveys value. Brands that use orange in their branding are perceived as friendly and cheerful. Orange’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Courage Confidence Friendliness Success Energy Warmth	Ignorance Sluggishness	Home Depot Amazon Nickelodeon Hooters Harley Davidson

BROWN

Brown tones can evoke emotions of sturdiness and reliability. With an abundance of brown in nature and earth, brown is reliable. With black making up a large percentage of brown’s color, brown offers the same seriousness of black with a slightly warmer, softer tone. Brands that use brown in their branding are perceived as dependable. Brown’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Seriousness Warmth Earth Longevity Conservative  Reliability  Support	Dull Boring Conservative	UPS Cotton Nespresso Hershey’s

GOLD

Gold tones can evoke emotions of luxury. In nature, gold is a rarity that you have to work for and is a symbol of success, fortune, and status. While gold is a representation of wealth, it is also associated with knowledge and spirituality. Brands that use gold in their branding are high-end and expensive. Gold’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Wealth Wisdom Prosperity Valuable Traditional	Egotistical Self-righteous	Rolex MGM Grand Versace

SILVER

Silver tones can evoke emotions of forward-thinking and futuristic design. It is the color of illumination and reflection. Silver also has gentle and comforting qualities, related to the sensitivity of the moon’s cycle of ebb and flow. Brands that use silver in their branding are sleek and modern. Silver’s emotions include:

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Glamorous High Tech Graceful Sleek Soothing	Indecisive Dull Non-committal	Tesla Apple Mercedes-Benz Jaguar

GRAY

Gray can evoke emotions of modernity and intelligence. While gray doesn’t have a dominant psychological characteristic, it can still be powerful in your branding. It can serve as a balance to the other colors being used in your brand or to create negative space. Brands that use gray in their branding are perceived as sophisticated. Gray’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Security Reliability Intelligence Neutral Timeless Balance	Gloomy Sad Conservative	Apple

WHITE 

White can evoke emotions of innocence and purity. As a reflector, white implies cleanliness and sterility. With lack of hues in white’s color wheel, white is a great way to bring a chic, clean, modern design to your brand elements. The use of white space can allow you to enhance your brand design. Brands that use white in their branding are perceived as minimal and fresh. White’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Goodness Innocence Purity Fresh Clean Easy	Isolation Pristine Emptiness	The North Face Mini Cooper

BLACK 

Black can evoke emotions of protection and mystery. Black is the total absorption of color. It is a symbol of power and is essentially the absence of light. Black stands for sophistication and is timeless and effortlessly stylish. Brands that use black in their branding are perceived as authoritative and powerful. Black’s emotions include: 

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	BRANDS
Sophistication Security  Power Elegance Authority Substance	Death Evil Mystery	Mont Blanc Bvlgari Chanel Nike

CONCLUSION

Your brand is a combination of all of the touchpoints and experiences your customer has with your business. Your visual identity defines how the world perceives your brand, and the color is a vital part of that perception. 

Picking the color that best evokes the right emotions for your brand’s personality can help you build a strong and strategic brand for your creative business. Now that you understand the psychology of color, you can make an informed decision on the visual identity elements of your brand.