 |
Black is classic. It’s traditional and sophisticated. And in today’s business world, it’s a standard. But advances in technology are making the use of color affordable, logical, and downright necessary.
Color sells.
 Standing out against your competitors is easy when you have color on your side. In marketing, image is everything. You might be the best company of your kind, but if your target audience doesn’t like how your company looks they won’t listen to what you have to say.
The fact is: color sells. In today’s business world, color on promotional materials makes a lasting impact. Tests show that a black and white image keeps the average viewer’s interest for less than one second. The average viewing time doubled for a color image. If that isn’t enough to convince you, additional research shows that adding color to your logo and promotional materials can increase brand awareness by up to 80 percent.
The psychology of color.
Color demands attention from viewers. Businesses that use it appear to be larger, more professional and more composed than those who don’t. Why? Because we rely on our eyes to understand the world around us. In a world of grayscale documents, color adds impact. In fact, psychologists have determined that color increases memory and retention. Because color stands out against black and white images, we automatically recall them more clearly.
Not only does color increase memory, it also induces response. By printing your newsletters and invoices in color to highlight key information, the audience response will improve. One Midwestern company decided to add color to their invoices. As a result, they receive payments an average of two weeks earlier. A church recently added color to their documents and now receive far fewer inquiries about activities and events because people are reading (and retaining) the information.
The world of color isn’t black and white
What do your company’s colors represent? What are you really communicating to your target audiences? Chances are, you haven’t considered the symbolism behind the colors that make up your business. Here’s a breakdown of what colors mean to consumers:
Red is a color of emotion and masculinity. Different shades of red can suggest urgency, power, excitement and love. Especially in advertising, red is used to communicate passion. Think red lips and red cars.
Orange is an energy color. It represents warmth and change. Bright orange is an extremely visible, eye-catching color. Life jackets, hunting vests, and construction signs all use orange for good reason. When combined with blue, orange presents a strong contrast that pulls viewers in.
Yellow is a complimentary color. Along with red, yellow is the only other color that raises blood pressure upon viewing. Of all the colors in the spectrum, the human eye is drawn to shades of yellow first. Yellow works well for highlighting important information and is effective in posters and in-store displays.
Green is the color of life and growth. In our culture it has come to denote progress, wealth and of course, jealousy. Green is often used with health food products, recycling, vegetables and even mentholated tobacco products.
Blue is a diverse color and a favorite for many (especially men). From sky blue to midnight blue, this versatile color is ideal for expressing coolness, water, or air.
Brown is considered to be another masculine color. However, it has strong appeal with women as well. Brown symbolizes home and hearth.
Black is a power color. Black can represent class, elegance and expense. It also lends itself wonderfully as a background color to accentuate other colors, such as yellow, red and orange.
Whatever colors you choose, keep it simple. There is such a thing as too much color. Three colors per brochure, logo or advertisement could be too many. If you have a product packaged in red with a blue logo in a green advertisement, the consumer is likely to get confused or worse, turned off. If this happens, your brand will fail to stand out and will ultimately get lost in the shuffle. Maintaining a simple color scheme within the same color palette will help establish your identity and will certainly be more pleasing to the eye.
|
|
|
|
|
