Color contributes to a brand’s visual identity. Test choices with your audience rather than relying on a universal purchase percentage.
Historical guide: The color associations below are creative starting points, not universal scientific rules about buying behavior, physiology, gender, age, or culture. Use audience feedback, readable contrast, and testing to guide your decisions.
Think about it, colors affect people in a deeply psychological and often completely subconscious manner. They have the power to drive people to take action. They have the power to change someones emotional state. They have the power to make the customer experience overwhelmingly positive or negative.
So what is the approach for your brand?
I would recommend choosing 3-5 (at most) colors and using them consistently throughout your marketing.
Important Note: The color palette of your branding should always cater towards your ideal customer and reflect the emotional response you wish to stimulate in the potential customer.
Colors have the ability to create an emotional state like calm, excitement, happiness, or anger – the key is understanding your customer and choosing colors that connect with them (the age group, gender, and culture of the audience should all play a factor in deciding what colors to use).
For example:
If you are selling Harley Davidsons your branding colors should appeal to the “biker” demographic (dark colors like black, grey, silver etc). While if your selling My Little Pony dolls, your colors should appeal most to young girls (pink, purple, white etc).
Make sense?
At the end of the day, the goal is to use colors to create a connection with your target customer base.
Below are the most common meanings and emotions associated with each of the main colors.
Although different people react differently to colors, here are the most common emotions associated with certain colors.
Here are a few examples:
Black
Black is Powerful and sleek… it communicates power, high-class, sophistication, and expensive luxury.
Based on color psychology black is the signature color of sophistication (think “black tie events” and the “little black dress”), it dominates high-end product packaging and can even make inexpensive or compliated products seem more upscale and “simple”.
Black is the color of power and authority but be careful because in excess it can be intimidating and unfriendly (like a biker dressed in all black).
Blue
Blue represents trust, security, and calm.
It is often used by banks and financial institutions. Blue is often used to suggest calm; the response will depend on the audience and context.
Blue is the safest color to use in most applications, implying honesty, trust and dependability. It is a great color to use if you are seeking to make people feel secure.
Green
Green is often used to suggest nature, relaxation, or wealth.
Darker shades of greens tend to relate to money, wealth and prestige, while lighter shades of green relate to growth and freshness.
Light greens are used to connect with eco-minded clients (think organic, non-gmo, vegan product packaging).
Orange
Agressive, often used in calls to action (subscribe, buy, sell, etc)
Orange can be used to suggest energy and enthusiasm.
It conveys affordability, but be careful because too much of it can suggest cheapness.
The color is associated with fairness and affordability, which is why you’ll find it at stores offering good value, like Home Depot and Payless Shoes.
Pink
Psychologically pink is linked to compassion, nurturing, love, and romance.
Its feminine and youthful in its softer shades and more passionate and energetic in its deeper shades.
Treat these as design associations, rather than claims about a medical or physiological effect.
Marketers often use pink to attract women and young girls (think Victoria’s Secret and Hello Kitty).
Red
Creates Urgency. Clearence or Sale
Red can suggest energy or urgency; test whether it supports the message without overwhelming the design.
Although plenty of website use this color (and still find success), I would warn that, just like a stop sign, a red placard can make consumers hit the brakes. It serves as an alarm, triggering a more careful consideration to what is being offered.
That being said, in some cultures Red is considered a lucky color and would be great to use, so know your market.
Violet/Purple
Royal and calming. Often used in beauty and anti-aging products.
Purple reigns supreme in the beauty industry, especially in the category of anti-aging products. When people see it, they think of royalty. Consequently, it makes them feel like a queen and want to purchase it.
White
In branding, white suggests simplicity and purity.
White space can help a layout feel simple and organized. In some designs, too much can feel sterile or cold.
It’s also considered modern and honest, which may be why you see it on all of Apples branding (clean and simple).
Yellow
Is linked to building curiosity and is often used to grab attention.
Yellow can be used as an attention-grabbing accent. Check text contrast and readability before using it across a large part of a design.
Brown
Brown is a strong, reassuring color that is comforting and reliable.
It relates well to businesses that promote down-to-earth and outdoor websites. Test the shade and context with your audience rather than assuming a preference based on gender.
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Important notes:
It’s about testing and finding out what “turns on” your ideal customer. Think about who you are marketing to and select your colors based on the customer.
Audience: Ask actual customers what feels appropriate for your brand. Avoid treating gender as a reliable shortcut for an individual’s color preferences.
Readability: Check the design with the people who will use it, including readers with different visual needs. Do not assume a color preference based solely on age.
Culture and context: Color associations vary within and across cultures. If your brand serves an international audience, ask people familiar with that market to review the design rather than relying on broad national stereotypes.
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What’s “The Best” color to use?
There is no universally best color. Choose a palette that fits YOUR customer, makes the content readable, and supports the action you want people to take.
If you would like any help or have questions, contact me anytime.